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Northwest Paddle Passage

A journey to standup paddle the length of the mighty Columbia River from the Canadian border to Portland - Part 2

By KAVU

September 12^th, 2016

…..a plateau of green alfalfa rolls into the distance. The Grand Coulee dam was originally planned as an irrigation project.

Sally and Mericos got mentally prepared to paddle the length of Rufus Woods Lake, 47 miles of water flowing slowly through remote scablands, basalt cliffs, and ranches.

solitude

We didn’t see another soul for the whole day on Rufus Woods Lake, but we did find a curious little bay, which didn’t disappoint us.

Way up in this remote pocket of Central Washington, the landscape is beautiful enough to be made into a national park. We paddled through the sunset in near silence, awed by beautiful solitude.

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Packing up camp at Alta Lake near Brewster, Washington.

Right near the aptly-named town of Sunland, Washington, the flat water and monumental cliffs of Lake Wanapum felt like a prehistoric paradise. We half-expected to see a Pterodactyl fly over us in the canyon.

The day got more and more gorgeous

Up on the bluff ahead...

we could make out the tiny gray rectangle of the Sasquatch Music Festival’s main stage. We saw people bike up to the Festival from Seattle, but we’re pretty sure we’re the only ones ever to paddle up to it from the Canadian border!

adventure is always spontaneous

A sudden headwind smashed directly into our faces, convincing us to take a little afternoon beach break.

We loved our pre-Sasquatch campsite. We also loved our during-Sasquatch campsite, especially once we used our paddles to rig up the canopy tarp!

We gazed back over the way we’d came

…and listened as the Alabama Shakes rocked the show.

Footnotes

Sale and Mericos Rhodes, Sally Landefeld, & Jeremy Nadison, are four adventurous explorers who wanted to experience the beauty and spirit of the Pacific Northwest’s most important river.

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FootNotes

Sale and Mericos Rhodes, Sally Landefeld, & Jeremy Nadison, are four adventurous explorers who wanted to experience the beauty and spirit of the Pacific Northwest’s most important river.

Havasupai 2025

Northwest Paddle Passage

A journey to standup paddle the length of the mighty Columbia River from the Canadian border to Portland - Part 2

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