CO Day Six

Wednesday, June 24

Another hot, sunny day on tap. I decided to take the morning off from yakking, and offered to give M&J rides to run numbers. But J thinks the level is too high for a fun and/or successful run. So they decided to run Fractions instead. I loaded up the dogs and gear for a hike and we set off around 9:30. We stopped to look at the take-out first, mostly so I could get it into Karen as a point of interest to get back to. There was a fully developed park (3 or 4 playholes in the river) and a bridge across the river to many hiking trails in the mountain. So I decided that I would just come back there to hike after dropping off M&J. We drove to the put-in. There was a guy with a kayak hanging about, looking to get in on a shuttle. Unfortunate for him that I was being the shuttle bunny, because that meant we wouldn’t be coming back to the put-in. But as it turns out, he had a dirt bike with him. So he asked if I’d take the dirt bike back in the truck with me and then he would just bike back for his car after the run. I agreed, and so it was that M&J had a paddling partner. I didn’t get his name, so we’ll call him X (Kurt was his name ed.Missy). I left the put-in around 10:45 and headed back to the take-out.

I loaded up my backpack with water for me and the dogs (have a collapsible water dish) hooked up the double dog leash to the belt and took off around 11. It was mostly sunny, and it must have been at if not over 80. So hot! We hiked up the mountain on a dirt bike trail. It was so narrow and windy, I was kinda worried that someone would come careening down the hill and hit us before we could move. But luckily we saw no bikers. The dogs were clearly not used to hiking in the mountains in the heat. We went for about 20 minutes and then took a water break. They could not wait for me to get their bowl out and filled with water. A couple of families passed us, and all had a comment about how cute the pooches were. I went up for another 10 minutes, before heading back down. I wasn’t too sure how long the run would take, so I thought I’d assume for an hour. At one point the dogs were about 50 yards ahead of me, so I stopped to climb up a huge set of boulders. The dogs couldn’t see me, so I guess they assumed I somehow got ahead of them down the path? They sprinted ahead to another group and then looked mighty concerned when it wasn’t me. So then I whistled and they whipped around. Their concern was not to such a degree that they were willing to climb up to where I was. (Side note: Buddy is doing awesome off-leash at camp. There’s an RV right next to us that has a German Sheppard and a Black Lab. He didn’t even growl or initiate a fight at the first meeting, and now he’s totally fine with those 2 dogs wandering around our camp. On leash…he’s still a Cujo, but at least his making noted improvements).

We made our way back to the put-in. Both dogs raced down the boat ramp and into the water. It was so hot, they spent a few minutes in the cold water. I went down to the edge, planning on sitting on a rock with my feet in the water. I couldn’t even last 1 minute in that cold water. After they cooled off, we walked up river on a path that was built for fisherman. We sat in some shade and waited for M&J. All of a sudden, Cassie perked up and made a hunter’s motion to cross the river. Buddy was ready and willing to follow her. It turns out there was a prairie dog colony right across the river, and the dogs could clearly see the critters running about. I barely got Cassie into a sit-stay so I could get her leashed. That stupid dog would have certainly tried to cross the river and been swept downstream. The critters tortured the dogs for the entire 30 minutes that we were waiting for M&J. Or, maybe it was just good Dog TV?

M&J&X pulled into the take-out at around 12:30. M said the first bit was really hard: lots of hard paddling to punch through holes. She said it wasn’t very fun and more like work. She was relieved that the holey section let up and it was normal Colorado rapids after that. Anything else about the run, you’d have to ask M or J.

Went back to camp for lunch and naps. In the afternoon, J&I got ready to run the river from our campsite down to the Rincon takeout. I am giving up on the Jackson boats. I just can’t seem to get the outfitting right, and never felt “right” paddling either. So I got out my trusty Juice. It was strange paddling it again at first. I was certainly used to the boat, but not in the fast moving water. I was tense and nervous. We got to the big eddy, and after practicing a few rolls, I felt up to snuff. We headed back out and had fun on the run. Plenty of waves (although not as big and as constant as Browns). J was surprised at how much fun it was at this level (2650 cfs),. When he ran it on his last trip, I think he said the level was around 1100, and so the run was just boring moving water. I tried using J’s modified low brace and I can see how it could be useful in the big water. It feels very stabilizing. But, like with the learning the sliding draw, there is a learning curve. I was trying the brace out through a big wave and the fast water caught the blade and wrestled it from my control. Over I went. But I rolled quickly and now have a little more experience chalked up.

M met us at the takeout and we headed back to camp for dinner. We had just started to eat when J got a call. He didn’t recognize the number…it was some guy who said he had J’s paddle!!! J said there must have been some mistake, he wasn’t missing a paddle. But, that was not the case. We ran out to the truck, and sure enough, his paddle AND my paddle were gone! Crap! J asked the guy if he’d seen my paddle on the road, and the guy said he saw some other car stop and get it. So J got the guys’s address and had to drive out to Buena Vista. I got out my cell phone and turned it on, hoping I’d get a call about my paddle. We waited about 45 minutes, and then my phone rang! It was Lamar, calling to tell me he had my paddle. I got his address (in Howard), thanked him profusely, and said we’d be able to get it in an hour or so after J got back from Buena Vista. I called J, and he graciously offered to go get my paddle. So after a couple of hours of driving, J was back with both our paddles by 9:30. Lesson learned? You’d hope so, but sadly these sort of CFs and boondoggles seem to be our lot in life. At least this one had a happy ending!

-Tina