Conditions:Lewis River-20230918003852

Latest:	16 Sep 2023 (6 days ago)

Reported by:	K arc (299 reports)
Quality:	Great
Waterflow:	Moderate Low
Wetsuit:	Thin wetsuit
Water temperature:
Difficulty:	Normal
Time:

Team: 5 people

Trip report URL:

Comments: Entered via the Babyshoe Creek approach just for fun (low water) and dropped in a few hundred yards above R2. Swims were chilly as ever, and pockets of warm sunlight to bask in and warm up were appreciated. Definitely one of the prettier canyons around with stark color contrasts. Tip of the hat to the team who added the quick links at R4a; we were able to pull the rope without issues. R4b is not well placed and should probably be decommissioned. Webbing on R7 was okay, but abraded in places; keep an eye on this one. Hiked out the 0.75mi to the lower bridge that goes quickly.

All condition reports

Date	Quality	Waterflow	Wetsuit	Difficulty	Time	Team	Reported by
16 Sep 2023	Great	Moderate Low	Thin wetsuit	Normal		5 people	K arc (299 reports)
Comment: Entered via the Babyshoe Creek approach just for fun (low water) and dropped in a few hundred yards above R2. Swims were chilly as ever, and pockets of warm sunlight to bask in and warm up were appreciated. Definitely one of the prettier canyons around with stark color contrasts. Tip of the hat to the team who added the quick links at R4a; we were able to pull the rope without issues. R4b is not well placed and should probably be decommissioned. Webbing on R7 was okay, but abraded in places; keep an eye on this one. Hiked out the 0.75mi to the lower bridge that goes quickly.
6 Aug 2023	Good	Moderate Low	Full wetsuit	Normal	5 hours	8 people Intermediate to Expert	Korey (35 reports)
Comment: Fun way to end the rondy, flow was surprisingly good, and some really unique geology. Watch out for ground wasps on the exit.
4 Aug 2023	Good	Moderate Low	Full wetsuit	Normal	3 hours	4 people Intermediate to Expert	Logan (52 reports)
Comment: 5 or 6 fun little jumps break up the space in between rappels. The first one right after Baby Shoe comes in. I would call it a3 today. Not pushy. Rappeller could go very dry to fully wet rappeler’s choice. The only pothole circulation we all avoided was on r7. You could walk in and around all the others. We did the early exit on canyon left at 46.2518, -121.6187. Took us 50 minutes and 500’ gain was dirty and sweaty. Not a great way to arrive at the cars. The shuttle is only 12 minutes(one way). I would do the shuttle from now on. Added maillons to r4 so it pulls fine. No need to do this drop in 2 pitches.
2 Jul 2023	Amazing	Moderate High	Full wetsuit	Advanced	5 hours	7 people Advanced to Expert	Rernst86 (82 reports)
Comment: Removed the clear and obvious blue webbing for R0. Probably unnecessary as one can reach the creek by hiking a short ways up creek from the bridge on either side. R1. Good shape. R2. This has always been a downclimb. I guess a bolt was installed. Didn’t use it. S1. Clear and ready for slides R3. New log in the big pool. Jump around it and swim on. R4. Almost want to punt this. A single bolt was installed that pulled fine last year. Now there’s more. The R4B is in a wild spot like the beta states. We used it but the location is subpar. R5. Rope is still kicking. R6. Crux is standable at this point. No real concern. R7. Was rebuilt with fresh webbing. - the following slide is deep and hood to go.
18 Sep 2022	Great	Low	Drysuit	Normal	5 hours	3 people Intermediate to Advanced	Beccap (37 reports)
Comment: A very beautiful and worthy canyon! We had a great day in extremely friendly conditions. Per request, we intended to bolt the 2nd tier of R4 DCL to facilitate a better rope pull and a drier line for high flow. We found the rock DCL to be hollow and unsuitable for bolting, so put in a hanging rebelay DCR. Pros: for those who like to get technical, the hanging rebelay adds technical interest to the canyon :) Also, the rope pull from the top tier while positioned at the hanging rebelay is fine - requires a bit of muscle in the beginning but not difficult. The pull from the hanging rebelay from the pool below is easy. So, it succeeds at improving the rope pull. Cons: the hanging rebelay may be underwater at high flow (though is unlikely to be damaged) and is not a particularly pleasant spot to hang out as anchor manager. It also does not serve as a high flow option as the line is directly in the flow.
3 Sep 2022	Great	Moderate Low	Full wetsuit	Normal		6 people	Wade (11 reports),K arc (299 reports),Coops (67 reports)
Comment: The beauty of the creek was more than expected. Water was clear and hydraulics weren't an issue. Spent some time and chopped up / hauled out a large annoying tree branch in the first pool of R6 that could be a hazard to canyoneers. Improved a number of anchors; beta has been updated. It was a cooler day, so water levels were lower on the creek.
21 Jul 2022	Amazing	Very High	Thin wetsuit	Advanced	5 hours	2 people Advanced	Rernst86 (82 reports)
Comment: Wow, what a day. The water was clear and has been for weekend which means the glacier activity over the last 2 years has shifted. High + flow. All slides and jumps are good. At this flow, the hydraulics are very powerful so do not underestimate them. With the clear water, the potholes and pools have been cleared from the silty fill ins of the last two years. Replaced anchors and weeding where needed. The crux is grown teeth and now there is a branch in there which could be problematic for some. It wasn’t for us. Maybe a hand saw could break it up? Also the rowdy chamber just before the last rap has a big stump in it so we elected not to play with it today. Great to see this canyon come alive.
15 Sep 2021	Good	Moderate	Drysuit	Normal	4 hours	2 people	Coops (67 reports)
Comment: First time running Lewis. Water still a murky grey color. The flow didn't have the teeth that the description warns about in higher flow, however it still gave a good pummelling as you rapped through any constrictions. The crux was a non-event, with waste-deep water. A handline bolt on R3, and something to make the R4 pull better, would be great additions.
6 Aug 2021	Great	Moderate High	Full wetsuit	Normal	6 hours	7 people Beginner to Advanced	Mads (47 reports)
Comment: Creek is still murky and filled with silt but the box canyon is as beautiful as ever. It took us 5 hours to run the canyon and 1.5 hours to retrieve a stuck rope left on R4, which we did by walking around and rappelling into the side of the canyon after we exited. All anchors in good condition.
31 Jul 2021	Great	Moderate High	Thin wetsuit	Normal	5 hours	5 people Intermediate to Advanced	Rernst86 (82 reports)
Comment: Ran Lewis today. Hot temps overnight made the flows go up from yesterday about 25%. Replaced a good amount of webbing and removed old or very redundant strand. Saw footsteps in canyon so may have not been the first through this season. The historical crux is no longer the current one as it has been filled in for what has been years now. Crux is probably the two tiered rap off the log and the corresponding pull. Probably need to consider a bolt station to break it up and make for an easier pull. Most historic jump/slides are still good to go.
3 Oct 2020	Great	Moderate High	Full wetsuit	Special challenges	3 hours	4 people Intermediate to Advanced	Rernst86 (82 reports)
Comment: Great day, many potholes under the big drops are filled in with sand. Pretty wild but not surprising due to the rapidly melting glacier on the mountain. Did some anchor replacing and all anchors should be good. Took the fast way out for a quick but fun day. Hydraulics were not a problem.
10 Aug 2020	Amazing	Moderate High	Full wetsuit	Advanced	6 hours		Vaporman (6 reports)
Comment: Flows were moderate high today with them fluctuating quite a bit the last few days. The flow wasn’t super pushy but definitely a few hydraulics to avoid. We also seemed to avoid a few rappels by down climbing or stemming/jumping past the hydraulics. Definitely some challenging sections but manageable with an experienced crew.
27 Jul 2019	Great	Moderate High	Thin wetsuit	Normal	5 hours	3 people Intermediate to Advanced	Rernst86 (82 reports)
Comment: Fun trip down the canyon. Saw footprints from someone who ran the canyon a day or two in front of us. Anchors were more oddly fashioned with multiple strands of webbing and dual locking links. Not sure why the purpose was but it began to rain as we were in the canyon so we chose to make our way through over reconstructioning them. Flows were sporty and fun and we did not choose to bypass any sections. Shortly after the last downclimbable drop we exited the canyon south and up towards 23. Somewhat steep at times but much better and fast then a shuttle scenario. Fun canyon that i would do again.
2 Jul 2016	Great	Significant	Full wetsuit	Normal	5 hours	8 people Intermediate to Advanced	Tiffanie (139 reports)
Comment: Flow seemed a bit higher than when we went just a couple days ago. It is possible to bypass the crux of the canyon by climbing up to one of the trees DCR. Instead of using the anchor from the small tree in the center of the stream, we meat anchored most of the team down (where the destroyed deadman is) and built a deadman in the 2nd pool DCR. The last rappel is very strong but fun - enter the second tier after the hanging pool - do not enter the hanging pool in this type of flow due to hydraulics.
26 Jun 2016	Great	High	Full wetsuit	Special challenges	8 hours	11 people Intermediate to Expert	Tiffanie (139 reports)
Comment: A great canyon to practice reading hydraulics, entering, and escaping hydraulics. At the crux of the canyon, we setup a floating anchor for the first person. Perfect location to practice that application. At the last waterfall, we rappeled half way down (dry), and then entered the water course right after the pool. The water is strong but definitely a good time! The hike out is ashy/muddy and involves scrambling over some logs and rockfall. Take off layers/unzip to avoid overheating.

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