Kayaker who died Saturday was a Portland woman

Skamania County Undersheriff Dave Cox said the woman who died Saturday in a kayaking accident has been identified as Jennifer Watson, 38, of Portland.

He said CPR was in progress when Watson died about three hours after her kayak overturned.

She was on the Little White Salmon River in the Columbia River Gorge when the accident happened about 3 p.m., Cox said.

The river flows in to the Columbia via Drano Lake, east of Carson.

“She was with a group of 10 kayakers and was reported to have never been on the Little White Salmon, but was an experienced kayaker,” Cox said.

“It’s all white water there,” Cox said; a river rescue wasn’t possible because “it’s too rough of water.”

The Clark County Technical Rescue Team recovered the body by a high-angle rescue down the river’s steep bank, Cox said. “The Little White Salmon River is a very technical river for white-water enthusiasts,” Cox said. “This is a very unfortunate incident and our condolences go out to Watson’s friends and family.”.

Also responding were the Skamania County Sheriff’s Office, Skamania County EMS, and Wind River Search and Rescue.