Dan
Martin: When
Zach suggested that we might have a chance to catch the Donner und Blitzen
I said "Sweet, let's do it, what is it?" I
was intrigued not only by the moniker reminiscent of reindeers and tough
Germans, but also this this section of water is in an area of our country
that I've never had a reason to check out. In driving into the Southeast
High Oregon Desert, I was captivated by these occasional deep gashes into
the earth that divided up the prairie. I was hoping that Donner und Blitzen
was one of these deep gashes.
Turns out it's even awesomer... To get there we headed up the south road of the Steens Mountain, which is a striking snow covered mountain range growing out of the high desert. The put-in was reasonably easy and our lightweight IKs were perfect for the overnight trip. As we started, the bony water gave us continuous class II/III rock dodging with shrubbery down to (and in) the river. On the first day, every half mile or so we had a fun, mildly technical section to keep things interesting. Camping at Tombstone Canyon split the trip up perfectly -- and if we weren't so lazy -- yields a really sweet waterfall a short hike up the creek. Day 2 was a bit spicier with more frequent technical(ish) class III/III+ sections getting us out of our boats 2 or 3 times to scout. The water mellowed for last couple of miles giving us a chance to take in how fortunate we were in that moment to be with friends we love in an such an amazing place.
Doug
Wiedwald: A few days earlier we had paddled by the confluence of the Little Blitzen and the Donner und Blitzen. It was mostly sunny, great for paddling. Now, we were hiking in fresh snow in the Little Blitzen watershed. It was storming and cold, quiet. I love how the snow absorbs all noise. Everytime I look into a drainage I imagine boating it. The Little Blitzen was too low and steep, but as always, fun to imagine going down it in a kayak, picking your lines. As we headed back down the road after hiking we left the storm behind. Microclimates just a thousand feet apart.
Zach
Collier: I've wanted to paddle this river ever since I ready about
it in Soggy Sneakers when I moved to Oregon in 2006. After one failed attempt
due to the locked gate I finally paddled it with my friends Dan and Doug
as an overnight trip. We put in at Blitzen Crossing on the South Fork of
the Donner und Blitzen and paddled down to Tombstone Canyon where we spent
the night. The next day we had a beautiful sunny day and paddled the rest
of the river to Page Springs. Yes, it is worth the effort. 
