Sweetwater Creek

Sweetwater Creek is quite possibly the worst run in Colorado. Worst run that I have actually run at least. The fact that it took an entire day is what really kills me. Despite the deadly combination of singletrack boogie water and constant log chokes, the run started off with a really fun drop. So fun, that we hiked back up and dropped it again. Stay left on the flake or you'll careen sideways off a block and end up upside down and backwards as I quickly learned while trying to improve upon my nearly perfect boof the first time.


A different angle shows its character a bit more. Quite fun.
The fun didn't last long. 30 yards downstream was the first portage. The drop could have been runnable against the right wall, but there was just too much wood. After this the river picked up and we dodged rocks and trees in half blocked channels. We came across the next wood choked rapid and Tanner decided it was all good. Famous last words. The picture below is the second log in a three log series.

Just below is another 3/4 blocked channel. I actually had to wade out and grab Tanner's paddle so he could hold on and pull his skirt. If he tried to flush and roll and missed it be would have been screwed as we figured out when we washed close to it after he pulled. It wasn't really that bad, because Tanner told me take a photo and we wouldn't have had the chance to talk with the angry rooster and his Billy Goat friend.


we negotiated the ruffled rooster without incident and put in just below this third log and I headed down to the next bend, the left channel looked clean. Oh man, was I wrong. I tried to grab an eddy and check the next rapid but it wasn't happening. I flushed out the back and saw the next log blocking my path. In horror, I whipped my boat around again facing upstream and started clutching at the willows and rocks. I finally got purchase on some precarious twig. It was a balancing act until I got my left arm on a rock and was able to pop out and get to shore. I tried to tell Tanner the right line was rocky but clean, but he decided to portage as well.

A couple of dozen more tentative trips around blind corners and we came upon a man-made diversion that we decided had too much wood, not to mention a log we would have to ram and boof in the runout. we were right beside the road at this point and decided that was the end of this adventure. Tanner hitched back to the car and I walked down the next gorge to scout. I saw 3 more wood portages in my short walk before Tanner picked me up.