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4 Day Rio Grande Boat Trip

This looks like a great trip …

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4 days & 4 nights, A kayaking self support, 65 miles-class 2-5

This June, Cameron, Joe, Amos and I did a 4 day self support kayak trip on the Rio Grande from the Colorado border to the county line below the Racecourse. 65 miles of class 2-5. Great times, 1 lost kayaker, lost whiskey, carnage, fishing and a trip that is etched in my memory of good times forever.

I had been wanting to do this trip for the last 10 years. I could never rope fellow boaters into it. I guess the concept of lots of class 2 and beautiful scenery didn't excite the "core" paddlers around. Luckily, I have some great bros that love kayaking regardless of the grade level and they joined me. We had flows of about 950cfs, tons of gear in our kayaks, a good attitude and actually paddled some whitewater during the trip. Sections that we kayaked were, Ute Mountain, Razorblades, Upper Box, la Hunta, Lower Box, State park, and Racecourse. I would recommend this 4 day self support trip to anyone that loves an adventure. We had an absolute blast. The wildlife was abundant, the scenery unbelievable, the winds way strong, and the whitewater was a blast. One of the best trips I have ever done. Oh ya, The Everest rules as a multi-day kayak. I think this trip will become an annual event. Stay tuned for next years episode and feel free to join us if you can break away from the "stout" for 4 days. It will do you good.

2009 Bourbon City Challenge Results

Here are the results from this past Sunday's adventure race, the Bourbon City Challenge:

SOLO MALE

1. Matt Hoyes (1 hr. 46 min.)
2. Shane Crady (1 hr. 50 min.)
3. Michael Downs (2 hrs.)

SOLO FEMALE

1. Mary Moore (2 hr. 26 min.)
2. Leslie Seymour (2 hr. 39 min.)
3. Karen Scout (3 hr. 20 min.)

RELAY TEAM

1. All Stars - Brian Bauman, Bradley Medley (1 hr. 55 min.)
2. Morons - Rich Hardin, Thad Hardin, Addison Wheatley (1 hr. 56 min.)
3. Missing in Action - Mark Ashby, Michael Glasscock, Terry Hodge, Nick Boone (2 hr. 5 min)

Song of the Moment

Happy Gauley Fest everyone. Here is the song of the moment to help you kick off the weekend.

Pearl Jam's new one. Just Breathe off of Backspacer.

A Mexican/American Classic: Canoeing the Lower Canyons of the Rio Grande

By Axel Thomsen
American Whitewater

I would like to nominate the Lower Canyons of the Rio Grande as the best multi-day backcountry whitewater canoe trip in the United States. It has the distance to make the trip long enough: 84 miles, to be done in 6-8 days—long enough to forget about the world for a while. Long enough that you’d really need to carry lots of food and gear. But then it often does not have the water to be paddled by rafts. When we did it we had 250 cfs at the put-in. That leaves a touring kayak or a canoe, and the whitewater difficulty is just right for open boating. So especially if you like to eat well in the wilderness, getting together a small group of canoeists for a week to head down the Lower Canyons of the Rio Grande is about as good as it gets. Yet few people venture out to experience this run, so let me tell the story of our trip and compare it to a run more people may know.

The character of the run is that of a desert canyon—the Grand Canyon of the Colorado comes to mind, but there are a few differences. So let me describe the river in terms that the Grand Canyon paddler is familiar with. First the permit. Instead of a lifetime wait, we simply register with the Park Rangers at Big Bend and in 10 minutes we are good to go. If you arrive after hours, you self-register.

The put in is opposite the ghost town of La Linda, Mexico, abandoned maybe 30 years ago when the mine closed. Maybe in 100 years it will look like the Lee’s Ferry historical district. The first day of the trip is spent on fairly flat water in open country. Gravel bars form rapids at this low water, since often there is only 250 cfs of flow and not the 25,000 cfs the canyon runner may be used to. We paddle through minor canyons, the big walls are farther away from the river. Furnace Flats comes to mind.

Day two continues in this way, until finally near the end of the day the canyon walls start closing in. Wonderful sandy beaches await paddlers, just like in the Grand Canyon. Unlike your average Canyon trip though, no other groups have been seen so far, and this is the busy season— spring break. During the third day we are now in the depth of the canyon. The walls are rising 1500 feet—short of the 5000 feet of the more famous Canyon, yet still very impressive. We pull in for an early stop because we have reached Silber Canyon and Asa Jones pumphouse. Silber Canyon makes for a neat exploration with some serious climbing—Silver Grotto comes to mind. Across the river is a hot springs. Everyone soothes paddling muscles and we replenish our water supply. This surely beats the lukewarm murky waters of Pumpkin Springs. Next to and above our campsite are the ruins of an old wax making operation. The candelaria plant was boiled here to extract wax. Commercially more successful than Beamers mining attempts in the Grand Canyon.

On day 4 we soon get to the first major rapid – Hot Springs rapid. It is very rocky at this low water so we decide to line. After all, a loaded tandem canoe is very hard to unpin and we are right in the middle of the canyon. A Grand Canyon equivalent? Hance comes to mind, being kind of rocky, or Crystal, being the second hardest rapid on the run. A solo canoeist successfully negotiates the left side chute. After we successfully line our three loaded boats, we enjoy a soak in the hot springs. There are two other groups in camp so later in the day we continue on. The section from here down to San Francisco Canyon is the nicest part, kind of like the roaring 20s—20 miles with seven rapids of Class II and above. And remember, Class II for a loaded open boat is really like a Class IV for a raft or a kayak—lots of fun, but not too hairy. After all, this place is very, very remote. We paddle down to the Bullis Fold through Bullis Fold rapid, a Class II rapids with lots of boulders requiring a good line. The geology in this area is impressive, the rock strata look bent and tortured. Another campsite on a wonderful sandbar is right below.

The next day we paddle through Las Palmas rapid, then a little later Rodeo rapid. What looks like a simple ledge drop is rough enough to fill up one of our loaded canoes and sink it. And a few miles later we arrive at Upper Madison Falls. Being the hardest rapid on the run, the comparison has to be Lava Falls. We have the same excitement as we approach the falls, but it is a big rock jumble and there is not sufficient water to paddle our canoes through. The intrepid solo canoeist manages to run the rapid, but it is not pretty as he grinds over many rocks. We scout for a while. Then we go through the standard procedure of eddying out right above the entrance rapid, letting kids and wives walk from here, then paddling the boats to the middle bay from where we can portage 200 yards past the crux of the rapid. Everything has to come out of the boat, and be carried over a rocky trail to an eddy below. It is an hour of hard hot labor. Later we watch as another group successfully lines their emptied boats through the jumble. The only Grand Canyon comparison for this was when we had to flip over a fully loaded raft at House Rock rapid and could only do it after un- loading it while upside down. Memorable and fun in retrospect…. We camp right below Upper Madison.

The next morning a few of us do what I would consider the best hike on the Rio Grande, up Burro Bluff. From there you have a view down onto Upper Madison falls from 1000 feet above. Very cool. Not quite as cool as my favorite Grand Can- yon hike—to Thunder River—I have to admit. Three miles below Upper Madison we have Lower Madison, and again the low water makes it very risky to run. Horn Creek comes to mind, a rapid that requires a precise entry and making the right move. Fortunately the lining looks easy, too, so that is what we do (not a good place to pin a boat!).

We have a few more fun rapids, another night in the depth of the canyon, another side canyon to explore. It still feels like the middle of the trip. Yet when we paddle on the next morning the canyon walls drop noticeably. Two more Class IIs are negoti- ated and by the late afternoon we reach the take out at Dryden Crossing. Our shuttle drivers delivered the car to this place in the middle of nowhere. An hour on a dirt road takes us to Dryden—kind of like the drive from Diamond Creek to Peach Springs… and a few hours later we are back home.

So, when your number didn’t come up for the Grand Canyon yet again, there is a fun place to go to experience the beauty of a remote desert canyon. Load up your canoe and head down the Lower Canyons. Only if the water is too high, take a raft instead.

Thanks to Louis Aulbach for an excellent guidebook and Ted Thayer for shuttle ser- vice. Note that the 2008 Rio Grande flood changed the Rio Grande Village gauge sig- nificantly, so all old rules about proper wa- ter levels need to be adjusted. I’d say canoe between 200 and 1000 cfs.

Little Miami Off Limits

So much for running the Wild and Scenic portion of the Little Miami.

This reach is illegal to run, based on the following:

http://boatertalk.com/forum/BoaterTalk/427547

Thank you for your email requesting information about Clifton Gorge State Nature Preserve and Little Miami National and State Scenic River.

In your email, it appears as if you would like to film kayakers traveling through "The Narrows" within the state nature preserve. This area has been closed to boating by Special Notice issued by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Natural Areas and Preserves. This notice was issued under Ohio Administrative Code 1501:17-11-05 prior to 1982 by Richard Moseley, Division Chief, and was prepared due to the extreme danger of travel through this area. (A copy of this noticed is posted at the state nature preserve.) In addition, state nature preserve regulations require that visitors to Clifton Gorge remain on the designated trails at all times. This rule would prohibit any portaging around "The Narrows" and "The Falls of the Little Miami" or stationing people on the bank. During normal water conditions, it would be nearly impossible to travel this area, and during flood conditions, the danger of the area increases.

We respect your credentials but the Division cannot issue a permit for kayaking in the gorge. Clifton Gorge is visited by over 500,000 people annually. The rules that we enforce are designated to protect the resource and the visitor. The Division of Natural Areas and Preserves is charged with protecting remnants of Ohio's natural landscape. Our mission is first and foremost protection. Even though we have hiking trails and interpretive facilities, the division is not recreation oriented.

Thank you for your inquiry.

Nancy
Nancy Strayer, Acting Chief
Ohio Department of Natural Resources
Division of Natural Areas & Preserves

Little Miami Wild and Scenic River

This looks to be a great canoe and camping, trip.

The Little Miami originates near Clifton Gorge State Nature Preserve and National Natural Landmark. Flowing through a deep gorge, wooded bluffs, and rolling farmlands, it is located between Dayton and Cincinnati, placing it within an hour's drive of over 3 million people.

Cumberland Falls Via Houseboat

~1500cfs
While at a bachelor party on Lake Cumberland, I snuck away on Sunday to run Cumberland Below the Falls with some of the Viking Canoe Club. This was after Jay failed to join me on Saturday for our originally planned run. (Sorry to Kevin on that front. We'll have to try again soon.) The water level was up and the CBF was beefy. Screaming Right was an auto mystery move, but didn't suck you into the hole. Surfers was pretty sticky, especially on river right. The paddle out was long, seemed longer than normal. But it was a great run and a great addition to relaxing at the lake all weekend.

City seeks additional water source

Feasibility study being done on Salt River

With the plentiful rainfall this summer, Bardstown's source of water, Sympson Lake, has been overflowing. But such was not the case last summer and the summer before, when dry weather had some wondering if the city's water supply was sufficient.

To prepare for future droughts and to meet the demand for water in a growing community, the city has hired engineering firm Kenvirons to do a feasibility study on drawing water from Salt River near the Bullitt County-Spencer County line and pumping it to North Bardstown.

Bardstown City Council recently agreed to pay a $212,000 stream mitigation fee to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for harm the Corps believes will come to a stream during expansion of the water treatment plant. The Council, therefore, is conscious of possibly having to pay for any environmental impact perceived to result from a new source of water, Mayor Dick Heaton said. A reservoir or dam could be financially impractical because of fees that might be incurred, he said.

The Salt River study will be compared to previous studies on alternative sources of water to see which is the most feasible, City Engineer Larry Hamilton said. Sympson Lake is adequate at this point, but the city needs to plan for growth, he said.

The study will cost $21,000. The Corps of Engineers will have to review it, which will cost an additional $20,000. Congressman Brett Guthrie helped the city secure a grant to cover the Corps fee, Heaton said.

The Flood – 2009

Storm-fed flash floods hit Kentucky, Indiana

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Heavy thunderstorms fed floods in Kentucky and Indiana on Tuesday, shutting down a university campus in Louisville, closing highways and cutting power to thousands of people.

The storm shut down the University of Louisville, where about a dozen buildings were without power and a dozen more had some flooding on the main campus, said university spokesman Mark Hebert. Dozens of university of employees were evacuated, he said.

Floodwaters gushed over guardrails on Interstate 65, bringing traffic to a standstill in Clark County, Ind., across the Ohio River from Louisville.

National Weather Service hydrologist Mike Callahan said the Rubbertown area in western Louisville was swamped by more than 6 inches of rain in three hours Tuesday morning. Callahan said the slow-moving storm "went right into Louisville and just sat there."

Craig Buthod, director of Louisville's public library system, said 3 1/2 feet of water inundated the main library's lower level. He said tens of thousands of books were lost and the library was forced to close. He said staff vehicles and bookmobiles were also flooded.

City officials said there had been no reports of significant injuries.

In Indiana, police and state conservation officers rescued several people, mostly stranded motorists caught in high waters, said spokesman John Erickson of the Indiana Department of Homeland Security.

Duke Energy reported more than 24,000 customers without power just after noon, including nearly 14,000 in western Indiana.

A flash flood warning was in effect into the afternoon for Louisville and other parts of the metro area, and forecasters said the region could be hit by more thunderstorms in the afternoon.

Whitewater boaters rejoiced.