so whos got any predictions? what did Cat peak at last year? this year? i bet it won't top 30k...
I can tell you in 2006 that Cat had unexpected high water in mid-October. I'm not sure how big it got during runoff, but freakish October rainstorms brought it up to somewhere around a peak of about 40-50K. It was hard to really know what the flow was because the guages are all so far upstream. I remember though that the colorado was around 25K, the Green at about 10K, the SAN RAFEAL was at 6K and the dolores was about 7K. Every single side drainage in eastern utah had flashed and the river was mud and full of wood.
I can't tell you how much high water in October rocks! I was rowing for only my second time (I am usually a kayaker) and I had a 13' boat. Flows had already receded a bit by the time we got to the big drops, so it wasn't as high as the videos, but still a respectable level. Afternoon sun glare conspired against my river reading skills in BD2, and because of it, I didn't see the hole comming until I was already on top of it. I don't what is in that second half of BD2 but somewhere in there is a huge hole. I hit iw with all I had, but no bueno. Highsided in watery chaos for a half-minute before it finally flipped that tiny ass raft. Even while on the highside, I was underwater. You ever have the sinking feeling, when you know you are sooo going dowwwnnn? That was high carnage day. 3 separate trips ran the big drops simultaniously and all of them had carnage.
Keep sacrificing to those snow gods! I want another shot at that thing! again!
Did a Sand Wash to Hite trip, and ran Cat after that October rain event two falls ago. Rained every day for a week on Deso-Gray, then snow, sleet and icy rain all afternoon above the Confluence. Pretty sloppy and cold. Then the sun came out and we ran the rapids in shorts and T-shirts. Go figure....
By the time we got to Cat, it was only about 15k, IIRC, maybe a tad more. Challenging, but not terrifying. Everything above the BDs was good, fun read and run, including BD1. BD2 we scouted; it was the big mid-river rock with a chute directly below it. On the left side of the line was a half a river wide ledge hole and on the right was the Little Niagra washing machine. And your recollection is right, at those levels at BD2 there is a lower mid-river hole that definitely requires attention.
There were massive rafts of driftwood in the river left eddy when we scouted BD3. The run was right of center, with a massive thrashing boat-eater on the left and the strangest hole/wave I've ever seen on the right. It was a huge wave with an upstream face that was absolutely vertical, and absolutely stable in that form. No way anything was going to go in that and not go sky-high and over. Hit it right, and it was no big deal. Miss the entry, and it would have been grim.
I'm old and gray and mostly chicken, but at those levels it was pure fun.
The Colorado and Yampa are going to be chipping in pretty well if the snow keeps up, the upper Green snowpack isn't so hot. Should be fun to see though. Basin Snow Water Content Map (SNOTEL)
NOAA is forcasting up to 45K on the 25th so far with a week or so to go before the historic peak flow forcast. I am guessing what with the trending graph that 55K or somewhere give or take will be the number this year.
We have a launch the 29th. Over 50K and the NPS sets safety. This I believe is a good thing. Anyway, figuring we outta pool our efforts if you also have cat high water plans.
We are strongly debating the triple rig configuration...any pro/con thoughts on the safety for that (see vidoes in link for what it looks like).
I personally be in a Kayak and have done this in the Jefe at 25K without incedent, actually punching the big drops believe it or not. I said last year that I would be taking my playboat next trip...does anyone have any thoughts on a playboat at 55K? I am not a glutton for punishment by the way.
It is very safe, as long as you have your rafts lashed together extremely tight. You don't want the lead boat to "pancake" back onto the second boat. Holiday (the company in the video) ties in the dry bags to the frames in between the boats to help prevent this. Also, coordinating the rowing can be tricky if you aren't comfortable with it. If you want specific questions answered, call Holiday Expeditions Green River office and talk to Tim Gaylord.
I work on and off for Holiday, and, unless there's somebody that guided in the mid-90's lurking around, Tim is probably the best resource for running triple rigs. It's been a drought for so long that there aren't many guides any more that have spent much time on triples. The water is just not high enough to justify it very often.
I agree that coordinating between the front and back oar takes some getting used to, you might want to think about doing a trial run down Westwater or something to get used to the mechanics of it before committing to Cat. We always have the lead oar call the shots and the rear oar match - starting yourself in a circle due to different ideas of where to go is no bueno!
Try to spot the 5 stages of grief in the video Andy H posts, and for the record that's a 20 foot Rogue Inflatable the guy's muscling around.
Denial: Rowing along although he's way too far left
Anger: yelling commands at the bow paddlers while spinning
Bargaining: pushing into the first hole in Satan's gut
Depression: this is only a second but seems like an eternity staring into the big hole in Satan's gut
Acceptance: My favorite, when you drop the oars and hold on to the cooler straps.
It's all the luck of the popcorn exploding surge in there, a valiant effort on video.
I ran Cat with SJ at 45K in 2000 as a 2nd year boater. I was in a Riot Hammer with dreams of surfing some big waves like Corran with a flat bottom boat. Didn't happen.
I couldn't work up hte nuts to point my boat upstream. I think the scariest point (beside the raft flip), was thinking how cool we were while looking over at my bro while we were paddling 20' apart, dropping down the face of a 15' standing wave; As we dropped down a log about the diameter of a vw bug appeared totally level heading downstream in the same direction. The wave opened up we saw about 30' of the log (no ends) and then it just disappeared, never too be seen again by us. both of our smiles turned to looks of wanting back into the womb.
If you go take a low volume playboat.
__________________
Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. Security does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than exposure. - Helen Keller
Maybe I'm just remembering wrong, but I swear I saw a video in the late 90's that the BLM people had made of when it got over 100k CFS. I remember that even the big rig rafts like J and S rigs were having a hard time getting through stuff, and remember the big ole zodiak power rafts were having to pull almost everyone out afterwards. Anyone else remember it? It had a "You will die if you mess up" kind of warning before it. I'd love to see that footage again, as takes those videos currently on the site down a notch, or at least it was from how I remember it. Irregardless, it looks like alot of fun, but really scary too. I would need some serious practice before I went down the river at the high, if I was at the oars. I had a hard enough time when it was running 5000 cfs, not to mention 10 times that much. WHooo hooo, Rig to flip or GTFO.
Try to spot the 5 stages of grief in the video Andy H posts, and for the record that's a 20 foot Rogue Inflatable the guy's muscling around.
Denial: Rowing along although he's way too far left
Anger: yelling commands at the bow paddlers while spinning
Bargaining: pushing into the first hole in Satan's gut
Depression: this is only a second but seems like an eternity staring into the big hole in Satan's gut
Acceptance: My favorite, when you drop the oars and hold on to the cooler straps.
It's all the luck of the popcorn exploding surge in there, a valiant effort on video.
Tim's been busting my balls about this run for years. I've never rowed it again at that level, it was around 63500CFS if memory serves me correctly. The highest I've seen the canyon since was around 55000CFS. We have a friday the 13th in June again this year, perhaps it is time to hit it again. All I can say is next time, I'm taking a self bailer. FYI, all the peeps had double PFDs, except for me. I assumed I'd need greater mobility for rowing.
Cat is great at high water, everyone should give it a go, just be prepared to go deep.
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