Weminuche Wilderness & the West San Juan

Another superb spring day in southern Colorado. The weather has been typical Colorado...cold, rainy, warm, sunny...if you don't like it wait 5 minutes. It'll change. The past few days have been actually really nice. High's the past 2 days in the 70's which means the snow is melting faster and the rivers are a rising.

After a quick call, the plan was set - West Fork of the San Juan. I packed up the ride and picked up Joel Cameron, a good friend and regular session attendee and we headed east to Wolf Creek pass. At the pass we turned north and headed up a dirt road to the West Fork of the San Juan River put in. The West Fork is a beautiful narrow, gorged out run choked with boulders. Because of the warm days, we were guaranteed good flows and my guess was that it was still going to come up while we hiked then paddled...I wasn't wrong about that one.

Like a lot of CO runs, we got our yakpaks out and carried 3 miles upstream on a good trail. This part of CO is unbelievably beautiful. Remote, untouched, densely wooded.










Looking down into the canyon and hearing the sound of whitewater is such an awesome feeling. Seeing those boulder gardens really lifted our spirits and we got an instant energy boost.



It's hard to tell exactly where to put on this run. You could hike for many more miles than we did and I bet still get great kayaking. We decided to call it quits after 3 or so miles.

We arrived at the put in and a nice class V rapid. One thing about these remote runs...wood. It's all over the place. It's hard to read and run because every slot could have wood in it. Because this run doesn't get see paddlers often, no ones cleans it out.

We did have a blast though reading and running through the easy class IV/V rapids although maintaining an edge due to the abundance of wood. Joel ended up surfing a log which resulted in a premature exit from his kayak. I helped him get out of the log only to watch his gear flush downstream and disappear into a boulder garden. Springing to action, I ditched my yak and we gave chase down the creek only to lose site of it. After searching through 2 really nice boulder drops, we were able to locate it pinned under water in the middle of the first drop. With no way to access it and having only my throw bag, our options were getting limited. We finally decided on the Draconian method...finding large rocks and throwing them at the bow and stern in hopes of dislodging it. Incredibly...it worked. His boat flushed out and cruised downstream through the next drop and into an eddy where Joel lept into the river, clipped my throw rope to it, and ushered it ashore. Unfortunately, the bow and stern were totaled - caved in and cracked. We sussed out the damage, got back in our yaks and headed down stream making good progress through the remaining rapids. At the take out, we celebrated anther good run although there was some carnage and lost gear...but all in all a good day. I'd like to get back up there. Possibly hike another 2-3 miles making the run around 6 miles long. With the scenery so spectacular and the whitewater really good, this run should see a lot more descents than it does. I guess the hiking weeds folks out.

Spring Has Finally Kicked In!!

Wow...what a winter!!! Huge snowpack yielding incredible skiing, snowboarding, and alpine climbing. One of the best in years. Huge snowpack = awesome paddling and the kayaking season has definitely kicked in. Just take a quick look around Durango and you'll find a lot of excellent class IV/V/V+ paddling. One of the most committing and awe-inspiring runs is the Baker's Box section of the Animas River. Looking at the pics, you get a feeling for the run...deep gorge with no escape...Class V+ rapids stacked up - the first 5 can't be scouted...totally awesome. I've had a chance to get in there quite a bit this spring before river levels get too rowdy. Low flows are around 500 cfs and high flows around 1000 cfs. It's been run by a few at higher flows, but be careful. Here's some more pics for you.

The feeling is like no other run around Durango or Colorado for that matter. Totally immersed in an incredible whitewater setting where traffic is non-existent and walls polished smooth by time. Getting worked in here is a religious experience. Every drop is complicated by a sieve situation and swim can take forever to recover from. In some parts of the run, you'll have to swim a Class V+ drop because there's literally nowhere else to go. Hiking out...well you can see that it's going to get epic.

Lazy Days of Fall

It's September and the river's at a pathetically low volume...it's been this way for far too long. The only local paddling has been gate training and upstream paddling north of town. There's been a little precipitation in the mountains but the cold temps have been turning it to ice and snow. Yeehaa for the upcoming ski season but what about paddling? I'm staying tuned to the weather down south. AZ has a great paddling season once the rain starts falling. Also, I'm headed to Mexico for a little adventure and hopefully some first descents so that's got me smiling. Gosh I love it down there. The freedom I feel, the incredible whitewater, food, etc. Can't wait to road trip. Until then, it's mountain biking and flat water training trying to keep in shape. Durango's a mtb mecca so the riding is rediculous.

Great news!!! Looks like I'll be joining the family at Fluid Kayaks and I'm super stoked to be paddling their awesome kayaks. Great designs, great plastic, and even greater people. Stay tuned for pics from the steep.

My friend Ben Jackson from NZ is hanging out at my house. He just got off a 15-day Grand Canyon trip and is chilling in Durango. Ben and I work together at Otter Bar Kayak Lodge in California and are trying to figure out the next adventure together. After Durango, he's headed back to NZ for a short while then off to Uganda, Africa to paddle the White Nile...Lucky guy.

For me, I think a NZ trip is in store for Xmas. Keep checking in.

Cheers,

The Crystal Gorge

The Crystal River flows out of the mountains south of Carbondale and contains some fantastic stretches of whitewater. Both the South and North Forks have great stretches of Class IV/V whitewater. The setting is classic Colorado...high peaks, green meadows, amazing forests, and steep water. Finally after much deliberation and years of missed opportunities, I got a chance to run the Crystal Gorge. The flow was around 380...a little higher than most folks run it but still totally doable. Game on!

The Gorge run has two distinct sections, the Upper and the Inner. The Upper contains 1 mile of continuous boulder-choked rapids with the crux coming a Pine Tree Falls. You can get out at the proverbial horizon line and scout every drop. The Inner has steep walls similar to Vallecito Creek near my town with 7 drops starting with a 40 footer called Zute Chute. Once you decide to drop in, your in and committed to the run. It's not long and there's some great whitewater in there. It's hard if not impossible to scout any of the lower run so it's good to know where to go.

I was so stoked to get on the run that once we began paddling, I could barely contain myself. Nothing feels better then gettin to a horizon line and launching off a sweet boof. Well...maybe dropping a 40 footer but boofs are pretty darn sweet too.

We cruised the Upper making moves, launching boofs, and catching eddies. There's several nice drops in there that require multiple boofs and cool moves and I felt in 7th heaven. The only missed line of the entire run was when my friend got stuck in the ledge hole above Pine Tree Falls. A swim there would have been tragic but he pulled his shit together, rolled and cruised the drop.

After Pine Tree, there were a few more great drops with boogie class IV until we arrived at the gates of the Inner. We got out river right, climbed up the steep rock and dirt and looked down canyon. Oh yeah baby, that's what I'm talking about!!

Looking downstream at the gorge, I couldn't wait to get in there and run that shit. We had one more drop to go and a sweet boof to a pool to put us above Zute Chute. Well...no time like the present.

The lead in drop was sweet. Nice moves into eddies and a final rush down a fluffy ride. Next came Zute Chute. Sitting in the pool with my mates, we gathered together to laugh a little and then one after the other, we cruised the left side and dropped into the 40 footer. It's pretty much an auto-boof but you gotta stomp it otherwise you land a little flat and your back gets creamed.

The final 4 drops in the Inner require some effort and precise paddle strokes. The first of the 4 had a tricky stopped hole above a savage ledge drop that couldn't easily be boofed. Getting stuck in there meant swimming and at that level, you'd end up swimming the final 4 drops. Not really what I had in mind so I took off first, timed my strokes and launch the first of the last 4. We chased each other downstream not really eddying out but more like catching slack water here and there until we were finally in the take out eddy. What a great run.

The Crystal Gorge is well worth the trip. There are both forks of the River upstream to paddle, the Gorge run is awesome, and Yule Creek is in the neighborhood as well. What a great destination paddling spot. One that I will certainly be returning to in the future.

A plunge down Yule Creek in Colorado

Terminal Velocity

It all started so innocently. We were thinking about running the Crystal Gorge and were up in Aspen sussing things out. I talked with Charlie McArthur about the Gorge run and we discussed the 480 cfs and the run's character at that level. I was hoping it would come down...it was taking it's time. He was busy with Life and I kept trying to find someone I knew in the hood who could lead us down.

Not knowing the run and unable to find a local guide, we opted for other options. The Punchbowls and a North Fork Crystal run sounded great. We loaded up the truck and headed out of Aspen and up the Crystal Valley. Danny threw out the idea of checking out Yule Creek. "Who knows...maybe there will be water in there".

A short drive and even smaller hike lead us to the river left rim of the canyon. Looking down into the gorge, and seeing runnable levels, made us all

smile. Staring into the gorge below were the first 2 big drops in the final 4 - Ballcheck and Wallcheck. A double combo of vertical fun.

We walked downstream to check out Oriental Massage and Happy Ending and began our discussion about the run.

"What do you think. Should we do it?" This phrase was passed to the one another back and forth until finally someone spoke up and said "Hell Yeah!".

After that, we raced back to the truck and decided to drive to the bridge at the bottom of the run. It made more sense to cruise the river right (private land) side on a rim trail and jeep road. We could scout the other drops above the big 4 and make an easy walk of it. So we stuffed our boats with gear and headed off to run some of the wildest whitewater in Colorado.

The hike was SO much easier than I thought it would be and in no time, we were figuring out the put in eddy. Our run started off with some bony mank and the bedrock kicked in. I can't remember how many 12-15 footers we ran, I think there was also something a little taller...it was fun. I was laughing and hooting the whole way down.

Within no time, we arrived at the first of the 4 bigger lower drops that define the run...Ballcheck. This drop goes into a sweet pool that separates it from Wallcheck.

Ballcheck is a stout 30 footer that I ended up boofing on the left side. After landing in the pool and enjoying the position the drops give, knowing the 60 ft Wallcheck slide was right below really got me going. I hit the line and ended up doing a rock 360 on the corner at about 50 mph!!! Wow was that a fast ride.

The next drop was Oriental Massage - an even taller and steeper slide than Wallcheck. I hit the left-to-right current and went for the ride. What a blast. The final drop called Happy Ending truly was.

I'm still in Aspen so I think we're up for another lap tomorrow.

Here's a great look at the gradient of the last 4 drops with Oriental Massage in perfect view. Lovin it!!!!

Baker's Wonderland

Well...the rains finally mellowed out in the San Juans and the 90' temps kicked in causing the Animas to drop to levels conducive to run Baker's Box - a section of the Animas River upstream of Durango. A granite wonderland of slots, boofs, and holes all tucked away into a deep granite canyon. It's one of the best runs in Colorado and one of the most amazing places I've ever paddled. I went with the Professor and Eric and we had a blast. Guide books refer to the run as Pandora's Box.

The run starts with a cross country hike through ponderosa pines several hundred feet above the river. Land access is a little tenuous at the moment so stealth is the key word. Once at the put in, boats and paddlers are lowered down a sloping granite cliff to the first rapid. When your in...your in. Hiking out would surely suck although there are opportunities downstream.

This put in has seen many an epic descent with a few paddlers taking HUGE diggers here. Constant upkeep and attention has made the effort better and better over the years.

There's quite nothing like the view downstream from the ropes at the put in of Baker's. It's a gut check at first, then smiles across everyone.

The first 5 rapids in the run cannot be scouted and all are stout. The canyon walls rise straight up out of the water making getting out of your boat impossible. Swims here last a long, long time.

The thing about this run is there are sieves everywhere. You want to be online, paddling hard, and in your boat. The lower the river gets, the worse the sieves become. Each rapid has multiple boofs and many lead to slots no wider than your kayak where the full force of the water channels. Fun, fun, fun!!!! Baker's rips, there's just no other way of putting it.

With the Professor and Eric, we cruised the run talking beta and laughing our way down. With temps in the 90's in town, the water temp was warm. I wore a shorty for the first time ever and felt absolutely in heaven.