clarks fork of the Yellowstone

Clarks fork of the Yellowstone

August 21, 2018// Leave a comment

More thoughts on the nature of the beast which is a trip through the #ClarksForkBox. @benstookesberry recently posed – what is a #portagefest and is the Box one? He notes the roughly 2000 ft of total gradient, of which at least 700 ft is usually walked around, or more accurately slogged, groveled and crawled around. It's Work. Especially for us traditionalists who shudder at the idea of spending our nights on the canyon rim via a half way escape route. A big part of the allure of the place is spending a night, or better yet two, in the depths of the canyon on riverside beaches with starlit skies framed by towering granite cliffs painted with a unique mosaic of swirling blacks, oranges and grays. What this means though is we're carrying multi-day gear as we shoulder our boats up and around a handful of too-steep to paddle cascades. These walks though seem to only add to the sacred and humbling nature of the place. You’re beat down, your ego stripped and washed away by the endless steams of sweat huffing your loaded boat up and down unstable slopes of scree is sure to bring, and then, just when you think you've had enough walking with your oversized plastic backpack, you can't walk anymore. You're confronted with two must-run moves in the heart of the canyon and passing these tests after all that trudging is what makes the Clarks Fork so rewarding. Of course, after you survive the second must-run move you still have one more big portage before the riverside walks are over. Is it a #portagefest? Probably. But the quality of the whitewater is just undeniable and something about the suffering we kinda enjoy don't we? #fuckingmasochists#weloveagoodsufferfest #wildandscenic #5000milesofwild

About the author: 

Evan Stafford works for American Whitewater doing communications and outreach. American Whitewater has been working to protect rivers for paddlers for decades, and Evan has taken on the task of getting the message out to a lot more people through modern channels such as social media, web, and more. You can also find him at paddling events around the Rockies, including Gore Fest, which is this weekend! August 24th through 26th. One of American Whitewater's goals is to get more rivers designated as Wild and Scenic. This designation provides a great level of protection against dams and other developments that can impede water flow and river ecology. Please follow AW on instagram @americanwhitewater . Also if you are not a member, you can easily become a member on their website. Click here to join the cause, and keep protecting our rivers. AW has also just released an awesome new smartphone app for checking flows, learning about runs, keeping up on whitewater news, and more. Click here to see the App for Iphone and Android phones. 

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