[rg5hole]

Big thanks to the Ark valley for flooding this past weekend! With Durango in the suicide water level column, thankfully the Ark delivered yet another epic weekend!

Did any of you Ark Valley folks get to enjoy this? The Narrow Escape Crew & friends from Durango just came and poached all of your gems at 20 year flood levels...no scouts-just stouts! Thing is, where were you BV & Salida??? Do any of you kayak anymore? Surely you weren't in Bakers at 6K...
We did not see anyone paddling the Royal at nearly 6K!
Only 2 boaters on the #'s at 4K
And only saw about 10 people on Browns!

side question...Pine Creek Rapid into Triple drop...no takers in our crew...so, what's the highest that has been run? there was a good line in there, but no safety, and with any problem at all it would have been a total loss on gear with a high likelihood of flush drowning. That was a HUGE chunk of whitewater goodness! We got this at a respectable flow a few years ago (I think high 2's or 3K), but Sunday did not seem like our day after drinking all your beer and partying with all your women Saturday night.

This is mountain buzz right, we can still talk shit!!!!

 

[El Flaco]

"No scouts, just stouts"

.....and the one photo you posted was of your crew scouting.

 

[Ken Vanatta]

Big thanks to the Ark valley for flooding this past weekend! With Durango in the suicide water level column, thankfully the Ark delivered yet another epic weekend!

Did any of you Ark Valley folks get to enjoy this? The Narrow Escape Crew & friends from Durango just came and poached all of your gems at 20 year flood levels...no scouts-just stouts! Thing is, where were you BV & Salida??? Do any of you kayak anymore? Surely you weren't in Bakers at 6K...
We did not see anyone paddling the Royal at nearly 6K!
Only 2 boaters on the #'s at 4K
And only saw about 10 people on Browns!

side question...Pine Creek Rapid into Triple drop...no takers in our crew...so, what's the highest that has been run? there was a good line in there, but no safety, and with any problem at all it would have been a total loss on gear with a high likelihood of flush drowning. That was a HUGE chunk of whitewater goodness! We got this at a respectable flow a few years ago (I think high 2's or 3K), but Sunday did not seem like our day after drinking all your beer and partying with all your women Saturday night.

This is mountain buzz right, we can still talk shit!!!!

Ok, I'll bite. Things have been getting done here, but, you're right, there's not a lot of people out in forces. Nevertheless, the water will be high for possibly a few weeks here. And to answer about high Pine Creek levels ... a few of us use to boat it regularly pushing 5k back in the early 80s. Tom Nofzinger, John Paris, Cully Erdman, and some others use to hand paddle it upwards of 6k. However, we have seen flush drownings several times over the decades. In fact, below triple drop becomes arguably harder than above and we had named the lower "Chaos" back in the day. It becomes about a mile long at those levels. Now days, though, I am old and not sure the ride is worth my family's grief. Perhaps again after the kids are well independent and I have freedom to practice in it as the levels rise to get comfortable again. It does become the "white mile".

Stay safe, friend.
Cheers!
Ken

 

[Phil U.]

That's an awful lot of shit talking when the rio was 3300 and not 4K in the Numbers. I was flossing a new creek yesterday. Here are some of BV's best running Piney at 4K.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=11&v=iOZ8Sn70jzc

 

[joejacksonframing]

It was only 3,300 yesterday on numbers (thanks Phil), but still really fun. It was weird that nobody else was out there. Fine by me. I think everyone was busy driving around with their new SUP's looking for some calm water.

 

[sfornst]

I think the runs are so quick that you don't see anyone else. We saw a local crew at the Gorge put-in on Weds. for their after-work run; we started about 10 minutes later and didn't run into them again. Tried to play where we could catch waves, didn't scout, it seemed like we were moving but they were faster. Thursday it was just under 3 hours for Parkdale/Gorge, 19 miles. We weren't pushing it, the flows just aren't conducive to hanging out and running into other parties.
Phil U.: thanks for the video link. It's impressive how good the top boaters are. Mid 2k's last week looked plenty stout to me on Pine Creek.

 

[rg5hole]

Tony, hand paddlers at 5K in there, just sayin...

just curious what BV and Salida's cutoff is then if you're claiming 3300 and nobody was there, is it the 2200 like the sandbaggers guide to the whitewater says??? AHAHAHAHAH!!!!! We took Granite guage plus CCA, Pine Creek, and random waterfalls pouring out of solid granite rocks just like in heaven to get near 4K, of course they're your rivers, so 3300 works for us...but I was trying to give you a bit more credit over there in the Ivy League Valley.

Flaco, sorry about the photo, only time we stopped...#1.5 kickflop would have made Kayak Session for sure. There will be some GoBro footage of #4 that will be worth reliving, 8 colorful boats lined out evenly in absolute mayhem!!!

in the 80's boat designs huh Ken! Solid work!!!! We walked that beast in 2010 as well when that other video was taken...sooo good. One of the beefier pieces of runnable whitewater in the state at high flow. Such a gem!

In other news #1.5 launched me 15 feet in the air over to the right eddy where I landed upside down and backwards, a total spinout and flip to roll with air, dubbed KickFLOP as it was unintentional! Take that Ben Marr!!!

#4, wholly unforgettable in so many ways!

Sunshine, aside from the entry wave (which was magic) finally started to "wash out" down there. The Narrows on the other hand, well, you'll have to experience that yourselves! You guys know what they call it in France...Jorge Royal with Steeze!

 

[Nathan]

4100 a couple years ago was the highest I've been up there. I put in at the hole, Leif ran it all in his Nemesis. The play is good at those levels but I'm sure you hard ass Durango folks only brought the creekers. 3200 is the best level for the wave at 1.5.

Good to see your back healed up and you're getting out. Hope I run into you guys this summer.

 

[Phil U.]

Well... If you use the "Below Granite" gauge, located at the AHRA Numbers putin, you won't have to confuse yourself with all that addition.

http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?07087050

Our cutoff around here sometimes ain't about cfs but about out of town shit talkers.

 

[lmyers]

Thanks for making me feel bad for missing boating. I traveled to DC to lobby Congress to not cave to attempts from the far right to hobble the Antiquities Act (which was just used to protect Browns), but now I'm back and getting as much time on the water as possible. Glad you boys got to fire up some big water. Any high water CC or LC laps?

 

[DoStep]

I can't recall how many times I feel alone on an ARK float, yet somehow 200,000 people float it every year. Locals are boating, we just know when to go to avoid the out of towners. Come back soon y'all!

 

[Phil U.]

I can't recall how many times I feel alone on an ARK float, yet somehow 200,000 people float it every year. Locals are boating, we just know when to go to avoid the out of towners. Come back soon y'all!

Yuh... Boat the Ark 100 days a year and our group is alone on the rio more than half the time.

 

[Jahve]

Man I log on and find boring buzz has well one thread worth reading!

I spent a fair share of time over in Durango so I want to help you boys. For starters - it looks like you durangatangs must have left one of our valley's transplants over on your side for the weekend or at least one of you would have been firing it up...

It (piney) got ran (in playboats) the same evening after you boys looked at it then only used the front zipper in your dry suits. Yea in the little boats the "hardcore creeker" types only see on the tops of cars... Creek boats are for well creekin and you boys just waked the stouts on what many BV locals consider a play run... Next time after you are done save some face or - just head down to salider for the evenings as you will find have a lot of peers who love them big ass boats and dont like to take the full hike at piney...

My advice is next time you are thinking of coming up - buy beer, a simple eggs and toast breakfast, or get down on your knees to beg transplant Kev-o-boy to come over with ya to hold your hand, wispier sweet nothings in yor ear, or help show ya how it done up here.

No safety set? Never will be... #4 is so hectic it is to be run in a line like commercial rafts?? Never! #4 is just a couple play waves that were very good to great the past couple nights.. A scapegoat line is a kickflip in 1.5 as right now or 1.5 = blunt city a all day play wave auto service on river left... Do you boys even know the right right line in #3? Tooooo many other play spots to list right now well if you are not paddling a boat that resembles the Titanic but yea it is a lot easier and less pushy for the tourists at these water levels in a creek boats...

The next time you come up just remember to bring Kev at all costs as he PLAYS well with the locals. On a side note if you bring Kev you will pry also want to leave all the titanic size safety blankets at home as the only reason you would bring a creeker to BV right now is is for Lake Creek.. Well maybe a mellow lap of Clear.. Lake is at a relatively low 1100 cfs when compared to the 2200 that it got ran at a few years back by a group w kev in it - so unless you want to run lake - especially if you have Kev just open the mind, leave the creekers at home, and plan on a nice leisurely evening play run.

 

[DesertRatonIce]

I bet this kid talking shit just graduated from high school. The mis-usage of pro-nouns and verbs at best shows a ninth grade education level. I wouldn't be worried about us people from the Ark Valley running the brown. I would worry about your future as a productive member of society. hahaha. Just kiddng. Have fun out there everybody and enjoy this once in a 20 year flow! Glad you folks from down south got to run the best of what colorado has to offer.

 

[Philthy]

Pine Creek gets run all the time at these flows by BV and Salida locals, in play boats. Not to sure you guys should feel all that great about your Ark escapades.

But sure glad you enjoyed yourself on the high flows.

 

[deepsouthpaddler]

Thats a nice picture of you guys standing around. You probably want to frame that one.

 

[rg5hole]

I LOVE IT!

Nothing but crickets on the river over the weekend...were are these tourists you speak of??? Where are these mysterious groover boats you speak of in Pine Creek??? We got out to look because we thought we saw Sasquatch, turns out it was a huge picture of JMACK with his shirt off projected on the granite walls above PC. Damn you Deep South!!! DAMN YOU!!!!!

Jahve, this site needs a thumbs up button.
I can tell you this though, after the torrential rains of the week and weekend we couldn't get up to the put ins of LC and CCA...because the roads were muddy and we didn't want to get our subaru's dirty and the 4 priuses we brought get shitty gas mileage on dirt roads. Thing is, we saw no tracks up yonder either...you sally's haven't even dusted those jems off yet!!!!

I'm guessing a crew from Durango will be down soon to check all that "scary stuff" for wood for you! ahahahaha

 

[joejacksonframing]

RG5HOLE, Can you hand roll in the river if shit coming out of your mouth, or do you need a paddle?

 

[Mut]

Ha Ha Jahvea. Spot on!. Don't forget to mention that the playboater on pine is also pushing 40. Not some young punk who thinks the upper A at 1000 is "stout".

Durnago was not at suicide flows, it was prime time. I hear the playpark was finally worth driving for.

 

[tango]

If I hadna just moved to fucking Warshington I'd be lapping it up in the Ark valley, just like a few years back when flows were up at these splashy levels.

Hit LC below the reservoir if it's over a thousand. Boof the spillway waterfall if the gates out of Clear creek res are spilling. Get those weird lines that nobody touches. Run Pine Creek proper through the tunnel, under the tracks, and into Pine creek rapid if you're feeling sporty.


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