“The perfect rafting day for me is not a one-day trip, but at least a two day trip when the San Miguel is running high and we put in at Bilk Creek, camp that night and then take out at Piñon Bridge near the Ledges the next day,” says local rafter Brad Blackwell. Why not at least two days? Blackwell and his friends have perfected the art of aprés-river rafting, where a full bar is promptly erected, boccee ball and horseshoes are played by pros, and supper is a five-star meal cooked on a dual Coleman grill of which most restaurants would be envious. However, these skills didn't appear overnight. Blackwell has been working on them since the summer of 1997 when he first started rafting.
Telluride Outside, one of the local rafting outfits gave Blackwell his chance to become a guide after he realized his desire to spend more time on the water. “We used to run the lower 50 miles of the Dolores (Class II) a lot for practice and then the San Miguel (Class III). We'd run the Miguel two or three times a day or until we felt comfortable on it. People underestimate that river.” After numerous summers guiding, the next logical step was to purchase the boat of his dreams; so he bought a 13-foot Riken Pioneer that he still uses today. “My boat is light and slender which is good for carrying into gorges and running tighter rivers like the San Miguel,” said Brad.
Another favorite of Blackwell’s is the Dolores below McPhee Reservoir which he hasn't been able to raft since 1999 due to less than optimal precipitation during the winter months. “It's only a two-hour drive from Telluride, it's 100 miles, no permit is required and you can camp anywhere. We like to do it in seven days. There's a rumor that it's going to run this May. Let's hope it keeps snowing.”
A lack of snow in the Rockies doesn't seem to slow Blackwell down. When he isn't gunning people out at first base on the softball field or custom painting homes, he searches out adventure on the water elsewhere. He recently returned from a rafting trip to Argentina on the Rio Pueblo and makes an annual pilgrimage up to Idaho. “I love Idaho. The Middle Fork of the Salmon is amazing. Big canyons, hot springs and abundant wildlife, right through the heart of the Frank Church wilderness.”
Over the years, Blackwell’s rafting prowess has left him relatively unscathed as far as “epics” are concerned. His friends, who have learned the hard way, tell him that he's “way over due,” to either flip his boat, get it pinned or suffer any other number of rafting calamities, but he's the first one to admit he's been very lucky. While the Cincinnati native’s skills have improved, Blackwell says that he's “still learning and can't wait to get outside this summer, away from the rat race with some great friends and on some great white water.”
Imagine you're a leaf floating down a rain pumping gutter. The strong current forces you underneath a twig that tries to stop you, around an empty pack of cigarettes that wants to pin you and just when you think you've passed the crux of your journey and can relax, you hear the distant rumble of whitewater. Before you have time to blink, you see a horizon line that stretches for what seems like miles which, unfortunately for you, funnels into the local sewer. You feel helpless, that is, unless you have a paddle, because there's a sneak (a way around) that bypasses the manmade waterfall on gutter right. With a strong stroke, you can make your line and avoid plunging into the stench filled abyss.
Telluride local Dennis Overly likes to describe kayaking this way: “It's not a static sport. When you stop the river doesn't.” This is one of the prime lures of the growing phenomenon. Kayaking works in the same fashion Ritalin suppresses ADD. Focus becomes paramount. Your mind can't wander to thoughts of another ramen dinner, calling the female whose number you coaxed the previous evening, or if next winter will be the big one. There is so much going on that physically or mentally to take your eyes off the task at hand can leave you vulnerable to a well-deserved spanking from Mother Nature’s hand.
The San Miguel and Dolores Rivers are to local kayakers what whiskey is to someone from Kentucky. Accessible, an acquired taste, and able to send your spirit to another world. The San Miguel is a mostly Class II/III (the difficulty scale is Class I thru VI) that begins high above Telluride and flows 80 miles north through scenic sandstone canyons before meeting at a confluence with the Dolores. “The San Miguel makes a lot of people stop kayaking after their first or second time because it's shallow and rocky,” says Overly, who speaks from experience. Early in his boating career, which started in 1989 with a 12-foot Perception kayak, missed his roll at the infamous Sawpit rapid and had to swim escaping “cold, bleeding and bruised.” Tracy Sage, another longtime local who persevered through the San Miguel learning curve, as well says the San Miguel is “not your typical Class II/III river because it's so shallow and fast moving.” However, once the nerves settle and your confidence grows, the San Miguel offers plenty of fun; a quick down valley run after work, a day-trip through Norwood Canyon or an afternoon surfing the classic Ledges. A series of ledge holes that are great for honing your side surfing skills. Steven Steinberg likes to go to the Ledges in late March to "warm up" for the ensuing season.
Warmth is apropos when mentioning either river, as both like to dish out ice cream headaches regularly. However, the cold isn't much of a deterrent for people when running the Dolores. A 150-mile river that stretches from the Rockies and dumps into the Colorado just over the Utah border. Skull caps, numerous layers and poagies (used for keeping hands warm) are common dress for the crystal-clear water that sees little sun after descending from 14,000 foot mountain tops. A favorite section of the river near Stoner is what both Overly and Steinberg state as “the best play boating” in the state of Colorado. The section is three miles long and offers thrilling river features with names more synonymous with riots and warfare. The Stampede Hole and Torpedo Wave have been local favorites since the mid-90s, when smaller boats and flat-hulls began surfacing, enabling kayakers to surf super steep and shorter waves, which are abundant. Sixteen years later, Dennis Overly now kayaks the Dolores in a six-foot boat, half the size of his first.
Other local adventures for those whose adrenaline threshold is still not satiated can give Keystone Canyon, Rico Falls, Leopard Creek or Bilk Creek, among others, a try. These are less traveled stretches of water because of their Class V/VI ratings, but with good scouting and an understanding of consequence, people are navigating water that 10 years ago was deemed impossible if even considered.
Tracy Sage loves “the sensation of surfing a wave while the water feels like it's passing me going a million miles an hour.” Dennis Overly enjoys kayaking “remote canyons that only have access by boat,” and a perfect run for Steven Steinberg is “navigating continuous Class IV.” All three kayakers have stayed interested in and on top of the sport for numerous reasons, but a common bond they all share is learning to kayak around Telluride. This is where their passion began. No matter what your age or ability, there are plenty of options for everyone in the region, whether it be relaxing Class I or all the way up to heart-pumping Class VI. The important thing is to get out on the water and feel the pulse of the planet.
