Kayaking Spirit Falls, Little White Salmon River, Washington

Photograph by Eric Parker

“Snowflakes were sticking to my eyelashes and blurring my vision throughout the day,” recalls kayaker Todd Wells, seen here running Spirit Falls on the Little White Salmon River. “So one final time before the falls, I
made sure to clear my face of any accumulated snow. Paddling class V rivers in sub-freezing temperatures is never very comfortable, but as soon as my hands become numb the cold doesn't bother me as much.”
The Washington State native wore two full-body fleece suits to stay extra warm, and an Immersion Research dry suit to keep dry. Having first run this waterfall when he was 14, Wells has now descended its roiling class V rapids about a hundred times. “Paddling these waterfalls is risky and avoiding injuries is always on my mind,” says Wells, who now lives in White Salmon, Washington. “But I think that becoming comfortable on a variety of different smaller waterfalls has been the best way to stay safe on the bigger and more challenging drops.
“Spirit Falls is my favorite backyard waterfall,” he says. “For a solid class V paddler, Spirit is just about an hour's paddle from an easily accessible bridge, but spectators must scurry down a poison oak infested scree field to access the falls.”
Getting the Shot
“I get anxious when I know there is an opportunity to capture something amazing,” says photographer Eric Parker. Parker has run and photographed the rapids on Little White Salmon River for years, but typically, the scene is not snow covered.
“Generally you feel as if you are paddling through a green tunnel among the lush forest. That day, temperatures dropped and eight inches of fresh snow fell along the banks of the river," he says. "We put on the water and I was immediately overwhelmed by the beauty of the winter wonderland."
As the team headed down the river, Parker kept in mind not only his framing, but his gear, too. “The cloud cover was very thick this day, the light was soft, and it was incredibly wet. I knew that I had to be very careful with my exposure and my equipment. My lens cloth was already drenched at this point in the day, and I resorted to using a backup cotton t-shirt that I keep in my dry bag to clean my lens," he says. "Thankfully, I was able to dry the lens off in time and set my exposure as Todd paddled into the waterfall. And, in the back of my mind, there was some nervousness knowing that I was going to pack my camera up and run the falls next!”
Parker photographed with a Canon 5D Mark III and Canon 16-35mm, f/2.8L lens.