Riverfront Trail Notes No. 20: The Deep

The Columbia along the Riverfront Trail, being the slow moving waters of the Bonneville pool, are rather placid. But when the winds engage it, the river can react with a range of moods. Mushy 4 foot rollers may build in the long Rowena reach and then coalesce around the bend into lumbering swells at Crates Point where, perpendicular to the West wind, they glide on toward Klindt’s Cove. Much fun in a kayak!

At other times, we see fitful shredded whitecaps as incessant winds torment the river into violent outbursts. And then there are the lazy days when the river presents as a calm, even sleepy, lake and we have no thought of what lies below the gently rippled surface.

As I write, the flow of the Columbia, measured just below the Dalles Dam, is about 95,000 cubic feet per second, which is close to its annual average flow of 105,000 CFS. How does that much water flow past The Dalles in a channel that narrows to about 240 yards at Klindt’s Cove? The chart (at right, 1983 data) reveals some of the unseen character of the river along the Riverfront Trail. The numbers are soundings (depth of the river) in feet based on the normal pool level of the Bonneville reservoir which is 72 feet above sea level. Notice that opposite Klindt’s Cove the channel descends to 144 feet deep along the basalt ledges of the Washington shore. Nearer The Dalles there is a recorded sounding of 300 feet. Walk one city block to appreciate that depth of water. Or take a stroll on the Riverfront Trail and sink your imagination into the depths of this ancient river that flows past us without ceasing. The river’s depths contain the ancient story of the river, its full range of emotions through the seasons and the centuries. The Columbia’s highest recorded flow, measured at The Dalles in June of 1894, long before the dams, was 1,240,000 CFS (9.3 million gallons per second), twelve times its present day average flow.

See you on the Trail.

“I would love to live like a river flows, carried by the surprise of its own unfolding.”

– John O’Donohue

Trail notes are brought to you by the Riverfront Trail Board, a group of local volunteers who manage, help maintain and promote The Dalles Riverfront Trail. To sponsor this regular feature please contact us: 541-386-1234 ext. 100 or email Info@Gorgenews.com.