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Priest River Below Dickensheet, October 26, 2002
By Eric Erickson
The two electronic temperature signs we saw in Newport read 8 and 11 degrees as we passed through on our way to the Priest River. It wasn't much warmer at the put in, where we all met at 9:30. Participants included the fearless leader, his wife Carol, Jerry Ceseratto, Jill and Bob Kassa, Diane Adams, Pierre Finch, and Chris Haralam and his family, Lynaia and Gabriella. Fortunately the sun was bright and warm and the sky was cloudless.
Avista had been releasing water from Priest Lake since October 7th, and the flow at about 1100 cfs was significantly lower than the 1800 cfs it had been the previous Saturday when Diane Adams led a trip on the same section, and was way below the maximum of 2700 cfs on October 12. It's a good idea to check with Avista's water manager Gary Stockinger (495-4283) since the release dates vary depending upon rainfall. The current Priest River flow at the town of Priest River about 22 miles downstream can be obtained at the link below this article.
We put in at 10:45 AM, and the flow was just right for an easy, lackadaisical float with time to explore side channels and sit in the nice warm sun.
With the exception of the grayish-golden tamaracks, the fall colors that were present a week earlier were pretty much gone due to the freezing temperatures of the last week. We paddled up one ox-bow and were stopped when the ice thickness reached about 3/8" thick and was getting thicker. A week earlier we had circumnavigated the same channel. Frost was still present is the shady areas as we took out as took out about 3:15 PM on the left side of the river about 10.1 miles below Dickensheet. Note that the easiest place to take out is just upstream and around the right hand bend from where you can see the cars (if you park them where you can see them!) and is easy to miss. I'm glad Pierre saw it!
I'd suggest leaving a marker there - it's a loooong way to the town of Priest River if you miss it.
I look forward to doing this section again next year, maybe a little earlier in the season when the weather is warmer and the leaves are still on the trees. From a visual and comfort perspective, this is not a trip I'd want to go on or lead unless it was good weather.