“Despite the size of the fish that I caught that day, I treasured it. The smaller fish won’t feed you, hang on your wall, or fill a picture album with bragging rights, but they will fill your soul. Good job”, called Cait from the gravel beach. The river roared through the Green River Gorge as we inflated our packraft. Yet each time there was a splash or a wave crashing against the gunnels of the boat, more ice cold water got in. We have a few more to go” I called out as we tracked toward the next ripple in the water entering in the left side of the river. There were trout. After a few casts, I felt the all to familiar tug at the end of the line. It was an understatement, I knew we had a lot more to go, but I didn’t want to stress Cait out. We live in a time and place where people honestly believe that bigger, more expensive gear is better. The dogs freaked and instead of bailing out of the raft, instead attempted to bury into it. No one was going to go very far as we were trapped in a box canyon that had widened enough to allow a gravel bar to form. “YES!”, I cried out of pure joy. What about the uncharted dangers of the Yukon or the Northwest Territories? Yet, today would offer it a new challenge, weight. Fly fishing is more about catching a glimpse at the place we have lost in nature rather than catching fish. Within a few minutes, I felt the tug again. With the warm summer sun beaming down on us, the little splashes seemed like refreshments on our skin rather than the unwelcome attacks they were earlier. I drifted back into reality and stood up, pulling the boat to shore. Sit outside and enjoy the private waterfall, play a game of horseshoes or croquet, or watch the big game on the 110 inch movie theater screen. The dogs reluctantly walked back over to our little corner of the gravel bar. I paddled and braked to steer around the oncoming rocks and rapids as we enjoyed the slower, more meandering river experience. The nose of the packraft entered the fall and I felt it push into the air. Now let’s see how consistent I can be.” I cast back, knowing that my confidence was starting to grow. The packraft juked and jived over more rapids, none as intense as when we entered over the small waterfall. There was no way out at this point other than through the rapids that lay before us. It bent in the middle slightly as the boats buoyancy pushed back against the swirling water below us. It wasn’t long until we were sitting in an icy pool and both dogs were soaked and shivering. I hope that the stories, history, and landscape capture your attention and draw you in to become part of the story and the vision for the future. I let the trout take my fly and run with it before I set the hook. Opposite the swimming hole are towering limestone cliffs, and the little sparrows that frequent the area dart and fly over you the whole time. All photography by Lisa Parsons unless specified otherwise, Personal stories of people connected to the river, History of Green River Gorge Conservation. Home->Washington River Trips->Green River. Images of the Green River Gorge by Wolf Bauer. Today is a gorgeous spring day in Tacoma, warm with blue sky. I caught myself feeling a little stress from the presence of the little family and our dogs’ interest in them. Aside from the father with his two small children that we were attempting to give a wide berth to, we were utterly alone on a Saturday. We’ve made our way south to the city of Auburn for a ride through Green River Valley. The Owner I set the hook. I had my feet splayed out either side with her leaning back into my lap. After a few minutes of assembling my fly rod and selecting a yellow fly, I was back at it. Located on the border of Lake Lure and Mill Spring, it is a 28 minute drive from the Gorge Zipline in Saluda and 20 minutes from the Tryon Intl. When it’s quiet – like it was for us – you can see the fish jumping and swimming downstream, and this is also a favorite spot for fishermen. Like any river, it has large, quiet pools broken up by little sections of rapids. The canyons kept people out that were unable or unwilling to do what it took to get to its isolated fishing holes. The dogs immediently jumped on to dry land and started shaking off the experience. I took advantage of the respite and studied the water we had just left. Perhaps I could cast in such a way that the current would work to my advantage pulling the fly down as it plunged into the crevice. Two large boulders forced a chokepoint in the middle of a river and formed a three foot waterfall. The bottom followed a steep grade; it was very shelf like. The primary advocate for the preservation and protection of whitewater rivers throughout the United States and connects the interests of human-powered recreational river users with ecological and science-based data to achieve goals within our mission. Unfortunately, most of the fish were pinks. Otherwise serene and beautiful, the deafening sound of the river’s rip through the canyon we occupied reminded it us it was also deadly. As with all access to rivers use caution and good judgement especially when rivers are running high. 18 bridge this weekend, and when I got there, the river was packed, with fish and people. Since it was almost noon, the sunlight shot straight down into the crystal clear, yet ice cold water. While the excitement of the morning was not unwelcomed, it was like sweets, you only wanted a little bit every once in a while. I forced the paddle in the water to straighten the nose of the raft to align with the roaring whitewater in front of us. The primary coordinates for Green River Gorge State Park places it within the WA 98010 ZIP Code delivery area.. Maps, Driving Directions & Local Area Information “Yeah, this is no big deal…just looks bad.” I reassured her. “Going to be ok?”, Cait called back over her shoulder with a tone of “or else” implied if the answer was no. Thank you signing up to learn more about the history, adventures, stories, wildlife, and trails in the Green River Gorge Greenway. That flexibility allowed it to stay on top of the water. While it was somewhat effective, it wasn’t effective enough. Once he reached my feet, he surrendered almost as if he knew that he had failed to escape. “Hey! Behind the boulder and inside the crevice was the perfect spot I had been looking for. Equestrian Center. With each tug on the end of my line, I felt a little closer to home. As we approached the first stretch of white water I felt the anticipation swelling in my stomach. View listing photos, review sales history, and use our detailed real estate filters to find the perfect place. I felt like a new section of the world was unlocked and mine for the taking. If I were a large brown trout, I would want to be at the bottom of this little tear in the river bottom. Now married to a woman that loved her dogs, weight and gear became a whole new item of consideration. Parking is $5 on a private field on the right side just before the Green River Gorge Bridge. I stripped in line and the small trout came in reluctantly. Nothing can be further from the truth; “you can’t cheat the mountain”. Yet, my fear completely deflated when I found myself keeping the raft straight as it weaved its way through each little ripple in the river. The water is purified by an ultraviolet light an tested nearly every day. That old Alpaca Raft had seen saltwater marshes, Arkansas swamps, large flatwater lakes, and small ponds all over America. 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