After working winter long cutting out the wooded maze that prevented anyone from safely navigating this short (2.5km), continuous and highly technical grade V boulder run, words cant truly describe the final feeling of putting on this soon to be classic, West Kootenay steep creek.
Here then are a number of pics from our initial trip down Enterprise Creek and a selection of other West Kootenay treats visited during our wild circle tour of the North West Kootenay region, an area I now like to refer to as "Canyonland, BC."
Day 1: The put-in rapid on Enterprise Creek. This view from the shuttle quickly weeds out who is putting on or not. Technically, no canyons exist on Enterprise's upper run. However, this all changes quickly should one venture below the Hwy 6 bridge take-out. A previous exploratory effort led by Mikkel St. Jean-Duncan, Chris Ryman and myself many moons ago dared to discover this fact for ourselves. I'm sure plans to re-visit Enterprise's lower canyon section with several large waterfalls will once again fester over the coming while.
Looking downstream from the put-in on Enterprise Creek. This pretty much sums up the entire run.
Enterprise Cr. put-in eddy. Dont miss your 1st boof!
Nothing special. Just some of the boulder bashing to be found on Enterprise Cr.
Day 2: ECE scout, Poplar Creek Canyon. Grade IV whitewater, Class V hiking. A few river wide logs and early season snow conditions near the put-in prevented us from challenging this 1st D. AXOR (Glacier/Howser IPP proponents) are in progress with plans for an IPP on this wild creek. 
The only other boater we ran into. Shuttle style points need to be awarded here.
Day 3: The Incomappleux Canyon. Level was about medium, give or take. 
Gearing up for the Incomappleux. A few minutes later we were met by Craig Pettit, director of the Valhala Wilderness Society who was wrapping up some field work in the Incomappleux Valley. Craig has been very busy working to protect this ecologically sensitive area via the Selkirk Mountain Caribou Park Proposal. According to the VWS, the Incomappleux region hosts "A population of about 85 endangered mountain caribou, primeval Inland Temperate Rainforest with trees up to 1,800 years old, hundreds of species of lichens, rare plants, core habitat for blue-listed grizzly bears and wolverines, and spawning grounds of the bull trout of Kootenay Lake and the Arrow Lakes Reservoir." Needless to say, Craig had yet to see any paddlers challenge the Incomappleux's canyon. He kindly offered to help us out by shuttling Hayden and I up to the massive warm-up rapid put-in site about 1km up river. He then later proceeded to shoot some wild pics of Hayden running the canyon with a massive telephoto lens, from high up on the canyon's newly re-constructed FSR bridge. Unfortunately, Craig had to leave before we could obtain any of his pro pics. He did, however, promise emailing them to us in the near future. 
Hayden making his line through the crux of the Incomappleux canyon.
And the Incomappleux Canyon lets one free! As of July 2003, The bodies of three ill-prepared expedition mountaineer/IK2 paddlers have yet to emerge from the upper reaches of this powerful river. To this day only a torn PFD, a drybag of video equipment and a shred of outer-layer material have been found. Having previously hiked into the remote upper canyon section of this river, one can only ask, "What led these professional adventurers to think they could paddle down a grade 5/6, glacier fed river at the height of summer in fully loaded inflatable kayaks with little to NO previous BC wildwater experience?" 
The final exit rapid on the Incomappleux. Deliciously trashy on this day.
"I just styled the Incomappleux and all I have is an awkward smile to show you."
Day 4: Putting in after portage #1 on the upper-middle Kuskanax in Nakusp, BC. Still trying to figure out what level works for this massive drop because we're sick of walking around it. Obviously HIGH water wasn't quite it.
GAME ON! Hayden drops in on the upper-middle Kuskanax.
Sunset over Arrow Lake, Nakusp, BC. 
Until the next adventure in Canyonland. All photos taken by Carl Jacks, ECE team paddler, North West Kootenay region.
Holy. Shit.
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