Great video! I wanna do this run but it seems like a really tight window when the gauge is high enough to make the run. appreciate you shedding light on so many obscure runs. I live by the conejos and hoping to hike up/float down the south fork of it next year after seeing your other vid. Also you piqued my interest in saguache, very intriguing indeed at the possibility of these new runs 🤘
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.
@@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.
Great video. I live in Cañon City. Years ago some of us put in where you took out and ran our hard shell kayaks down to Temple Canyon. But now me, the wife, and several friends all have duckies and will probably check this upper section out. What was your cfs flow? Did you pit in right below Deweese Reservoir damn?
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.
Nice Work, On and off screen Kit!
Great video! I wanna do this run but it seems like a really tight window when the gauge is high enough to make the run. appreciate you shedding light on so many obscure runs. I live by the conejos and hoping to hike up/float down the south fork of it next year after seeing your other vid. Also you piqued my interest in saguache, very intriguing indeed at the possibility of these new runs 🤘
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.
This looks awesome and you make it look easy!
Thanks Erica!! I appreciate your kind words ❤
That looks sweet!
Pioneering another classic
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.
Great video. I live in Cañon City. Years ago some of us put in where you took out and ran our hard shell kayaks down to Temple Canyon. But now me, the wife, and several friends all have duckies and will probably check this upper section out. What was your cfs flow? Did you pit in right below Deweese Reservoir damn?
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.
awesome --- what is the flow?
Between 175 and 200 cfs
so when the water raise about 2, 3 feet higher, does it turn into a big giant ELF flows ocean?
If it rises maybe 2 meters, then yes it would!