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It is indeed very tight. In both 2023 and 2024 it ran for < 3 days each year. The gauge below the dam is also miscalibrated, so the only way to really know true flows is to be in contact with the flow master at the dam upstream, and both the past years we've been VERY fortunate to have flows possible thanks to him. If it does go, it is absolutely worth calling off everything the next day and doing it. I've driven 3+ hours the next day from Gunnison for it the past two years. It's that good. The South Fork is a good run. There's still maybe a mile between the big cascades and where we've put on that we haven't checked out yet, as well as the canyon above the cascades too. Gorgeous area, I didn't make it back this year but I will in the future for sure. Saguache is a beautiful place but it's definitely hella remote with a narrow flow window, and unfortunately, sharp rock. There is some more exploring to be done yet in that area, but it almost needs to be in hardshells thanks to the sharp ass volcanic rock that is so prevalent down there. Thanks for watching! Its folks like you that I make these videos for!! 🙂

Another one to add to your list in the area to check out should be Red Mountain Creek near Creede- its hard to monitor as no gauge but when it runs it's a single track hooter. Short but gets intermediate level "full on". Look for the DIFFERENCE between the Rio G @ 30 Mile and Rio G @ Wagon Wheel to be over 1,000 cfs, and then it /should/ be in. I've got a vid up on my channel somewhere of it.

Not Kit but I have a similar boat [ its immediate predecessor ]. I have used gorilla tape to cover some small rips and its held pretty well. For any bigger tears I would glue on a piece of patch material that comes with the repair kit.

@@bearfoot6910 This day I had a ride from my pops lined up. Setting up a ride ahead of time is the best way to do it, but you can also hitchhike on the road, or just good ole fashioned hiking.

@@bearfoot6910 This is the best time of year to learn. I would start with Big Bend to Salida on the Arkansas River. Then work up by adding Stone Bridge and Salida East. Then work up to the Milk Run, and then do Salida to Rincon. If you can manage these sections by the end of the summer, you should be able to build a decent skill set to set yourself up for next summer.

@@yetigonecrazy great. thanks for the pointers.

@@yetigonecrazy We did a guided trip this weekend on Saturday from Hecla to Stone Bridge. It was great. Then on Sunday we did Stone Bridge to Salida on our own. That was lazy river style at the cfs level. But still super fun. We stopped and had drinks at the river side bar and they had a music festival going. I know I have inundated you with questions, but I have another as I prepare for next season. What do you think is the max cfs that a newbie should run Browns in a ducky?

@@bearfoot6910 Its hard to say, Brown's is interesting in that some of the drops get easier as the water comes up and some get more difficult as the water goes down. I don't think I'd want more than 1,000 cfs, with 750-850 being a good first time level. It would beneficial to run from Salida to Rincon a few times before attempting Brown's. There are definitely some big boy rapids in Brown's that are a large step up from anything between Stone Bridge and Salida East. If you can paddle Salida to Rincon with little trouble, then consider bumping up to Browns.

Nope, never really liked them so I paddle without!

@@bearfoot6910 Awesome! RMR makes a good boat. This section of water is definitely approachable for strong beginners, as long as you've got some good leadership and a willingness to hike!

@@yetigonecrazy we hiked most of the trail yesterday just to scope it out. The flow is obviously down right now, and it looked like a lot of obstacles to maneuver this time of year.

so, I'm assuming you hiked upper cheesman trailhead. Where did you take out? and how did you get back to your vehicle?

@@bearfoot6910 The current flow (239 cfs) is right at the lower end of what's worth it. I did this section at 270 cfs a couple years ago and everything was paddle-able, but I remember thinking I wouldn't want any less. 350 to 400 is a perfect spot. The best gauge to use for this section is "So. Platte below Cheesman Dam", (dwr.state.co.us/Tools/Stations/PLACHECO?params=DISCHRG), which is flow literally at the put in. Two vehicles are critical to this run otherwise you end up hiking A LOT. Drop one car at the Lower Cheesman lot (the one right off the Deckers-Buffalo Creek Rd), and then park at the Upper Cheesman Lot (the uphill one of the two right at the lake). It's a 1.8 mile hike in; it's a steep climb to begin but then it levels out and wanders over small hill tops and ridges until a steep finish that drops you in the heart of the gorge right below the dam. Don't run the weir at the bottom of the dam b/c of it's nasty hydraulic. There is a slot drop to start, two easy rapids, and then a portage. That is the end of the mini gorge, and then it turns a corner and opens up into the main canyon. This whole gorge can be portaged if wanted. There is a sketchy rapid about 2/3rd the way down (The Penalty Box), scout right. There's also a big boulder jumble that looks no-go in there, but go right and you will find either a portage route and/or a runnable channel over there. At the end, when you see the fences of the Wigwam Club, take out on the left. A trail goes up the hill (this short ascent sucks), then back down through some gullies down to the Lower Lot and your other vehicle. It's 0.8 miles from river to parking lot. Get to the Lower lot early if you want any hope of parking. Like, 8:00 AM early.

​@@bearfoot6910 I have a video from earlier this summer that's also got a lot of video of the run. It's from a higher level (400ish) but can see everything well -> ruclips.net/video/hQqMB7NP-g4/видео.html

At the flows we had (around 3,300 @ Salida), it was class II+ whitewater but it definitely took class III paddling skills. There were a lot of crazy currents and weird eddy lines that needed lots of attention. Plus, avoiding all the big holes and rocks in the river, and trees that are floating down with you.

If it rises maybe 2 meters, then yes it would!

Make sure you are all fairly solid before you go- the whitewater isn't hard but there's a lot of it and it's remote (as you know). Unprepared paddlers will make for a /very/ long day. We had 175-200 cfs. The gauge below the reservoir is currently out of calibration, so its not the correct flow that it says. Yes, we put in below DeWeese. There is a fence at the put in, I will intentionally be vague about what we did and what you should do. There are at least 5 fences spread out over the entire 12.5 miles, too, so be heads up. The first one is at the put in, but expect 2 more within the first few miles. Another one exists in the middle of the huge open park section (Dead Mule Park) about halfway down, and then another sits at the head of the Hellgate/Fence Gorge, which is the last one you come too about 3/4 of the way down.

Between 175 and 200 cfs

@@rlpatton1970 Its more busy and active than Deckers but definitely not as zesty as Foxton. It's a shame it's not a couple of miles longer, it would be a classic if it was.

Yeah done both or really foxton waterton a lot .. moved to westcliffe so this is halfway close as grape when it runs

Thanks Erica!! I appreciate your kind words ❤

Also I’d watch a video series that’s just “Kit Chats with Animals”

@@ElDoctorJanItor They were sooooo intrigued by us! I didn't get any clips of it but pretty quick after that clip, we pulled over to top off and the whole crowd came over to see us. They were definitely very interested in us and what we were doing. Sniffing our boats and paddles and us as well. Friendly too, a couple of them were quite receptive to some head scratches.

@@glenpetersen9030 Thanks for watching and the kind words! The Flare is a good boat. I had one for six years and took it down 1,500+ miles on two continents, 30+ first descents in Vietnam. It took scraping along a piece of volcanic glass to finally cut it, and it also got my buddies (non Solstice) boat too, so it wasn't a lack of quality on my boat issue. On my second one now, a year in and I love it. My favorite boat I've ever owned!

Thanks for watching! No outfitter, just private trips with friends.

@@ElDoctorJanItor Thanks buddy! It was a lot of fun, and always nice to get something checked off the list!

@@MrDestormfan1 Thanks for watching!

Thanks for the kind words! Definitely take two cars or you hike a lot more than what's worth it. Drop one car at the lower Cheesman Canyon Fishermens Lot, shuttle up to the Upper Cheesman Lot. Not the one closest to the lake, but the upper lot. Hike in 1.8 miles to the put it below the gauging station weir. Don't run the weir. First gorge has a slot drop, two easy rapids, and then a portage. Paddle the next 3.5ish miles and takeout at the fence line to the Wigwam Club property. Hike out to your car 0.8 miles. Don't boat into Wigwam Club property, not worth it. It's a great easy adventure loop!

No worries! It's still going right now. 700 cfs this morning, we only had like 530 cfs in the video. It will go down to around 500 cfs on the Anthracite abv mouth nr Somerset gauge. Might be able to get it this weekend but thats likely to be it.

It is gorgeous in there, feels like California granite at times!

Thanks matey! I don't mind how many people do or don't watch, I just enjoy making them!

Thanks buddy! Appreciate the kind words!

~700 cfs difference between Conejos gauges, so it should still be in, maybe a little low, but get it now because the bottom is going to fall out quick! The Snotel sites on Cumbres and Lily Lake are both dwindling rapidly.

@@yetigonecrazy Sweet Thanks! We appreciate you posting about this run.

Whatever you're imagining, lower the quality by a full notch or two, and you are getting close

The "standard" takeout for this run (and the only for those with rafts) is still The Gate CG. The four miles between our takeout (the BLM fishermen's trail) and The Gate CG is plagued by some private property issues, so we wanted to test out this hiking exit and see if it would work!

Thanks matey!!

Thanks for the kind words! If your previous experience is limited to class I and a few II's, I would not suggest you paddle this stream. It's faster than you'd imagine, the water is murky so it's hard to see the countless hidden sleepers under the surface, and even if you don't run the last half mile, there are still several rapids that are solid class III's. This section very much requires class 3 paddling skills to descend properly and safely. I would suggest running all the sections of the Colorado from Palisade to Loma, and then as many sections of the Gunnison as you can between Delta and Redlands Dam. There are many, many miles of class I and II on both of these rivers that would be great for you!

Thanks buddy!! Wish you could have been there with us!

You as well! And thanks for the footage!!

Thanks Justin! I definitely want to start adding more content like that into my videos. People have overwhelmingly liked it!

+1 for the history from me

Thanks man! Appreciate it. Jack only started packrafting a few years back and he is already one of the best I know at it. But his rapid progression does come with some "oops" moments along the way ha ha ha

Thanks buddy!

Thanks mate! Hope you are well ❤

Awesome!! Thanks for doing that mate! I really appreciate you!!!!

@yetigonecrazy have you thought about recording any of your trips with a garmin watch and uploading them to Strava? It would be great to see your routes, amount of time it took you, pace, start/finish locatio, etc. You could link to the Strava activity with each video. I watch a guy (Gatewood Brown) that makes great video but he never records the trips with a GPS device.

@@OurBengals I used to do that with my phone on motobike rides when I lived in Asia. I guess I haven't thought about it here because most of the rivers and creeks are fairly known. Something I guess I hadn't considered! Thanks for the idea, might have to look into it.

Thanks mate! When you make it out west give us a shout and we'll get on some water. The boat with the deck is the Alpaca Valkyrie. It's probably the best packraft on the market at the moment but they are pricey!

Considering a lot of us were coming from snow bound places at our homes, it sure was nice to get down amongst the Ponderosas and the cacti!

Appreciate the input but I've been duckyin for 20+ years and pretty set in the ways. Thanks though!

Thanks Ivan! I was a blast. Definitely looking forward to the next one.

Like I said in the video, the weather forecast was a lot better when we originally set down the trip, but it deteriorated every day until the day of the trip and this is what we got. Still, apart from some chilly hands and feet, it really wasn't too bad. That's a nice solo loop by using the Miners Trail; we talked about doing that to cut down on the big shuttle up through Questa, but it cuts out a bunch of the rapids, including the ¾ mile leading up to La Junta Rapid, which is a lot of fun, as well as a couple between there and the Miners Access. We had plenty of vehicles so it was an easy call for us to drive a bit more for the extra gain in whitewater.

Good point about the rapids at the top part of the la junta run, they look fun and worth it! I'm hoping to do the ute mountain run someday too

@@Huhha704 Amen to that friend! I've heard they only issue one permit a day for that section. Definitely high on my list for sure.