53 - 8/30/09 - Upper Tieton

This is probably the earliest I've run the Tieton, though only by a day, and it's definitely the earliest I've run it at a good flow (1379 cfs). After figuring out the access situation (bridge construction has made things messy) we did a one-shot run and had a great time. It was hot and sunny, but still worth wearing a drysuit in the IK.

The situation with the Tieton is interesting. There are several tributaries that supply water to the Lower Yakima, which is used for irrigation. For most of the year, the Lower Yakima gets additional water from the Upper Yakima and Cle Elum rivers. In early September, the salmon and steelhead run up these rivers to spawn. The additional water means that the fish would end up laying their eggs in places that will be dry when the Lower Yakima no longer needs the additional water. So, in order to accomodate the fish spawning, the releases on the Upper Yakima and Cle Elum rivers are turned down, and the Tieton is used to fill the Lower Yakima. This is called "the flip-flop". It generally starts the last few days of August and continues until mid-October, with the peak in mid-September. Commercial raft companies flock to the Tieton while there are water and customers, and private boaters come out in droves for the two weekends around the peak. The more hardcore private boaters are there every weekend until either the flow drops too low or the fall rainstorms come in and start filling up the rivers closer to home. There have been years when I've done this run into mid-October, and years where late September storms have allowed me to boat closer to home.