The Numbers!

I finally kayaked the Numbers section on the Arkansas River after 7 seasons of fearing the class IV run! Here I am celebrating after rapid number 1 went extremely smoothly.

It was a beautiful, warm, sunny day in the Arkansas River valley which was in stark contrast to the cool, rainy months that characterized Colorado kayaking for most of 2009. The river was flowing at 1160 cfs, which was a nice, manageable level for the first time down this classic stretch of water. Our solid group of kayakers chugged through rapids 1 through 6 and all of the intermediate “boogy water” with no issues to speak of. The combination of 42 days of kayaking this year, my commitment to my roll during the late winter months, and the Colorado Whitewater boating class I took late in the spring led to a wonderful first experience and the satisfaction of fulfilling one of my New Year’s Resolutions! It was so much fun that I plan to do it again this weekend!

Check out the photo album from rapid Number 6.

 

 

 

 

And how can I not mention the run down the Taylor River that we did on Saturday? I think the Taylor River is my favorite river in Colorado! It is a quintessential mountain river with large boulders strewn throughout and shores that rise steeply into cliffs, pines, and aspen. The water is fun class III+ at the 400 cfs level that we experienced and I think it would be even more fun with some extra water. There is no doubt in my mind that I will be returning to the Taylor in the future!

The Numbers Photo Album