Floating The Nisqually

Day 286: When a friend of a friend injured herself in a fall, I was asked if I would like to replace her in the Nisqually Land Trust's annual float trip. I've wanted to participate for many years but could never justify the expense, although I very nearly signed up when it was announced last spring. At that time, I decided that a piece of lab equipment to further my lichen studies would be a better use of my limited funds, so when this opportunity arose, I jumped at the chance.

The 13-mile stretch of the Nisqually River between Pack Forest and the town of McKenna has very limited public access and indeed, few private properties border on the river. The majority of the shoreline is owned by three entities: the Land Trust, Centralia City Light and Washington State Parks. Development of a new park (Nisqually-Mashel State Park) has just begun, but even once it's completed, river access may be restricted. Consequently, few people are privileged to see the river's wild run, and among the few are those of us who are working to protect it in perpetuity. To date, the Land Trust manages 78% of the Nisqually watershed, making it the longest stretch of protected river in the United States.

Nine guides and 53 participants gathered at Wilcox Farm in the morning and were bused back up the hill to Pack Forest where we put in at the confluence of the Nisqually and the Mashel, nine rafts loaded with 7-10 people each. Almost immediately, we bounced through a short section of choppy water and rode down a small cascade. Then the river smoothed, allowing us to drift with only the guide serving as tillerman. My eyes were peeled for invasives, expecting to find some which might have floated down from known problem areas on the Mashel. I recorded quite a few over the space of the trip, but not in the quantity I had anticipated.

We encountered a number of short sections of swifter water where the river fanned out and became more shallow. Sometimes the rafts scraped bottom, but only once did we have to portage and walk with them to reach a deeper flow. Approximately midway into our journey, we put in for lunch at a wide gravel bar and everyone exited the rafts. I was in rear position, and saw that where I was expected to get out, the water was a bit deeper than I could probably manage without mishap. I am thankful for the foresight which told me to stow the camera safely, because as I slipped over the edge, my feet were carried by the current and I landed SPLASH! on my back in the river, head held aloft by my life jacket. I'd planned to take a dunk anyway, so once I'd regained my feet, I waded out in a safer spot and sat on the bottom, water up to my chin. Other members of the party, stronger swimmers than I, took turns floating several hundred feet in the stronger central current. Not everyone was hardy enough to brave the cold water, and many people simply stayed on dry land to relax.

After lunch, we got back in the rafts and continued down the river, engaging in some spectacular water-fights along the way. The whole float took a little over five hours, and when we arrived back at Wilcox Farm, we were taken in buses to our cars, some of us still a bit damp around the edges. I so thoroughly enjoyed the trip that I think I'll put it on my "must-do" list for next year.