Lake Fork - Red Bridge

storm11 · 06-06-2006

Just looking for some beta on the Red Bridge to Gateview run on Lake Fork of the Gunny... is the one class V portageable? Any other drops we need to be heads up about? Any good play waves?

We're looking at being up there on Saturday, running the Taylor that morning then hitting Red Bridge after that if anybody wants to paddle it with us

yetigonecrazy · 06-06-2006

the lake fork canyon is a straight up bitchin run.

theres four big rapids. Surprise Ledge is a straight ledge pourover that looks sticky but isnt. watch the rocks right above it or you risk a mis-line, and potentially getting swamped.

Rattlesnake isnt really a class V until the very highest levels. right now its just a stout IV. it (like everything on this run) is very easily portaged on the road right next to the river. stay left center down the main part of this drop and you should be fine.

Raft Ripper/Strawberry Patch is a shallow rapid with some sharp rocks- use extra caution with a raft here, but the rapid isnt hard at all.

Last Chance at the bottom is another fun IV. Take the far left side and haul ass off the ski jump boof and you should be fine. Stay away from the right side here.

theres a few playwaves here and there, but no really super kick ass ones. If you have time, do this run a couple of times. Its short and youll be digging it.

ive got a wedding in denver on friday, im trying to come back as soon as possible, if i make it in time, ill head down and float with you guys

onebakedpotato · 06-07-2006

Suprise is a great little rapid. Water comes in from both sides and hits you then sends you deep into the crease. Rattlesnake is just really long and has a crux move in the middle. enter in the center and head right. What yeti is calling raft ripper has always been known to me as pinball. I have taken rafts through over 40 times and have never had a problem here. Just big haystacks that take you on a short roller coaster ride. And the last rapid yeti calls last chance (aka Lunch Box) is big and easy on the left. The river keeps going here but you should probably get out unless you want to paddle all the way to the lake and through a huge log jam.

Along the whole section be wary of the left bank. There are a few pushy under cut walls. I would take a boat with a nice flat tail becouse the eddy line play is really good along the entire stretch.

yetigonecrazy · 06-07-2006

^ do you work for one of the rafting companies in the valley? they all seem to have different names for everything.

theres actually two class III's between Last Chance/Lunch Box and the lake but theyre really small, and you gotta hike back a quarter of a mile or so.

cadster · 06-07-2006

The tricky part of Rattlesnake at current flows is right after the big boulder with wood above on river right. The wave there is the biggest of the rapid and the river left cliff wall behind this wave is undercut. The approach to Rattlesnake is also pushy and the runout bumpy.

&d · 06-07-2006

woopsrepeat

&d · 06-07-2006

The tricky part of Rattlesnake at current flows is right after the big boulder with wood above on river right. The wave there is the biggest of the rapid and the river left cliff wall behind this wave is undercut. The approach to Rattlesnake is also pushy and the runout bumpy.

Really? My partner a couple weeks ago hit it upside down and pillowed off of it, have you ever seen anything go down there?

LF kicks ass, i gota agree about onebaked about the eddylines, and the splats on that run, with the fat old boils, someone told me there is a ton of mining debris in the riverbed, i sincerely hope this isnt true. 30% of the rocks are definate undercuts, being that soft volcanic clay stuff

cadster · 06-07-2006

The day I was at Rattlesnake, a boater got pinned on the upstream part of the cliff, but pushed himself off. I saw another boater hit the wall and go over, no pillow was evident. He continued to slide down the wall upside down. I didnt come close to the wall after taking on the wave in the middle. I had also punched the two laterals before the big wave. I saw a couple of boaters brace off the laterals which pushes you left and sets you up to be close to the cliff wall.

yetigonecrazy · 06-07-2006

Really? My partner a couple weeks ago hit it upside down and pillowed off of it, have you ever seen anything go down there?

LF kicks ass, i gota agree about onebaked about the eddylines, and the splats on that run, with the fat old boils, someone told me there is a ton of mining debris in the riverbed, i sincerely hope this isnt true. 30% of the rocks are definate undercuts, being that soft volcanic clay stuff[/quote]

theres no actual debris in the river (no rebar or metal or wood or anything), but all the rocks in the riverbed are jagged, thanks to the construction of the railroad grade that is now the road. thats why i said use a little caution with rafts in raft ripper/strawberry patch/pinball...its not an everytime occurence, but it is something to keep you eyes open for

onebakedpotato · 06-08-2006

The names I have for the Lake Fork were given to me on my first run in 1991 by the Pike Boys who used to own Tenderfoot Rafting.

Suprise, Ratlesnake, Pinball, Lunch Box ("because it will eat your lunch"-Steve Pike. I was a customer and he was really trying to get me psyched. I always thought it was a funny line)

If you have time start up at The Gate (Where the 2 cliff walls get really high and close together up the road a few miles closer to Lake city). There are no big rapids but is a nice float with a few waves. A really good one is under a little bridge. The land owners hate it but it is your right to float. We shouldn't let them get too comfortable. I think the agreement is that below 700 CFS the land owners may put up some fences accross the river to stop cattle from wandering too much.