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General question... How do you answer these questions from someone who you've never paddled with? It's great to suggest a series of rivers to build up your skills, but saying "yes you're ready" to someone online seems risky. Just because they have paddled a certain run doesn't necessarily indicate a skill level or the general experience that comes with time on the water. They may have paddled the run once, with trouble, but saying "I've paddled Bailey or Gore" doesn't indicate that.
I think the best idea is to ask your close paddling buddies, those who are better paddlers than you, and NOT those whose standard answer is "you'll be fine" or "you've got balls don't you". The thing with creeking, is that the sh*t hits the fan fast, everything is sped up. It's an entirely different style of boating.
And even if you are totally prepared for a run, consequences can be bad for a small mistake. I broke my back on OBJ last year and I know of several other paddlers, FAR better paddlers than myself, who have done the same. Beforehand, everyone I talked to thought I'd clean that run, until they were dragging my sorry but out of the canyon. I think it's really a personal thing, and the suggestions to work up slowly, doing IV moves on III rapids, etc., is really the way to go. And keep in mind that as the class goes up so do the consequences.
Also, it's a huge difference if you cannot portage major drops - that's my deciding factor, after 8 years of boating I still won't run solid V unless I always have the option to portage.
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