From the South - 8:00 am at the Wendy's at the intersection of Hwy 24 and 67 in Woodland Park
From the North - 9:00 am at the footbridge of the Colorado Trail.
Scott H: 719-689-2383 Cell: 719-332-4055
I might be up for a quick run with you. You have any interest in giving Waterton a try this go around? Have you scouted it yet? I will let you know this evening if I can make it. Let me know about Waterton.
Waterton @700 is a pretty big step up from the Chutes. Personally, I do not agree with the ratings listed on EddyFlower...as I consider Waterton a step up from Foxton. Foxton is far less continuous and much more forgiving, and there are no drops in Foxton as big as the bottom 3 in Waterton (not even the boulder garden). There might be more moves to be made in Foxton, but everything goes much slower, so it's easy to make those moves. Waterton above 600 starts to get a bigger and pushier feel to it. I'm not trying to discourage either of you from running Waterton, it was my very first run (albeit at low water in a tuna boat), and I've obviously never seen either of you paddle, but don't think of going from Deckers to Waterton as going from a "Class III to a class III+" as a glance at EddyFlower would lead one to believe...it's more like going from a class II+ to a class IV-. River ratings are subjective, and that's just my .02.
^^^yeah, that. I agree that the ratings are bunk there.
FYI, there is a tree in the river on river left below the greenbridge rapid on Waterton. It's really easy to avoid, even for a swimmer. Foxton is at about 400 right now and is probably a more logical progression from Deckers. Putin near Foxton Road and float down as far as you want, to Dome Rock for example. It's all road scoutable. If you are intimidated by the rapids you see from the road on Foxton, Waterton would probably not be worth it.
I want to start this off with the acknowledgement that the users of the last two posts have much more paddling experience than I do. I have heard of people rating Waterton as more difficult than Foxton in the past. That being said, I would like to give my 2 cents; I disagree with the progression to Foxton before Waterton from a beginner's and consequences perspective.
As a beginner myself this year, I have run both stretches several times, and would have to say that Foxton was more difficult for me and my paddling partners. Maybe it is just my own progression in the sport, but the ability to effectively manuever the boat in technical situations has been the most challenging aspect of taking on paddling. Foxton requires this ability to a greater extent than Waterton (in my opinion), and I paid for my lack of skill by being flipped between 5 and 6 times during the initial run. The one skill that saved the day for me was a solid combat roll. Also, my buddy's boat got pinned on a rock when he swam, which took several hours to retrieve with the help of other kayakers in the area. Pinned boats seem to have been a fairly common scene on the Foxton stretch this year - I have witnessed four.
Waterton, on the other hand, allows for an easier scout of the entire run since it is so short. As a beginner, I would say the upper stretch is by far the most difficult, but it is rated in Eddy Flower as III/III+. It is continuous and strong, but doesn’t require a ton of technical maneuvering. The lower three rapids are rated as III+/IV-, but they are very short and allow for simpler combat rolls if you don't make it through upright. Earlier this year (well before I should have been there) I had a couple of swims in the upper stretch which were very short, and I was able to collect all my gear at the bottom before the spillway with relative ease. In short, a good brace was what got me through this run, even with a lack of maneuvering skills.
Scott - all that being said, I am not trying to convince you to run Waterton. This sport is supposed to be fun, and getting in too far above your skill level can suck the fun out of it - trust me, I know. I have only paddled the Chutes with you once, so I am in no position to suggest whether you are ready or not.
I am curious to hear what others think of Foxton vs. Waterton. I may be in the minority here....
Most of the posts seem to agree on two basics points which I also will go along with:
Foxton - More technical lines, more manuevering
Waterton - Bigger, faster, less technical (mostly)
I have seen plenty of pinned boats in both, and I think Foxton is more frequent as it normally has much less of a flow than Waterton and therefore more exposed rocks to snag on. I get a totally different feel from each section, and think they are great for what each is. I like Foxton cause it is more technical boating, love the Boulder Garden, and has enough drops to keep me interested throughout the run. Waterton has a bigger water feel to it, and the bottom three are fun to just lap, if only it were longer and my fat ass liked to hike with my boat.......
Flows would be my determining factor in deciding what is the best step up after Chutes. I would say at current levels Foxton below the Boulder Garden would be a better next step than Waterton. The best part is both are able to be scouted and wise decisions can be made by each person
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Scott, I might be intersted in joining you. Brandon I'd prolly be up for waterton after. I swam the top of waterton a while ago and have been wanting to get back on it.
Scott, I might be intersted in joining you. Brandon I'd prolly be up for waterton after. I swam the top of waterton a while ago and have been wanting to get back on it.
-leo
303-549-3140
It doesn't look like I am going to be heading up tomorrow, but I will be going for sure on Sunday. You are more than welcome to join if you would like.
I would say at current levels Foxton below the Boulder Garden would be a better next step than Waterton. The best part is both are able to be scouted and wise decisions can be made by each person
That's the way I see it for me and my style. Foxton looks like a natural progression to setting up to run the top of Waterton. If I were to start on Waterton I'd rather run the bottom drops and work my way up to the upper sections. And of course there is the roadside vs humping a boat out on your shoulder.
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