Cancelled Colorado River Trip
May 27-28, 2016
by Christy Long
FM969 and Colorado River to Fisherman's Park in Bastrop (14 miles)
USGS-08159200 Bastrop
Rainy and Stormy
Participants: Malcolm Le Fevre, Fran Wilcox, Harmon Everett, Terry Herdlicka, Kelly L. Motter, Joe Coker, Kent Walters, Robert Trout, Kim Newberry, Cyndi Cannon, Craig Walker, Robert Killian, and Christy Long.
I was looking forward to this overnight trip on the Colorado River. Packing my camping gear, kitchen, water, food, and clothes in the boat. Paddling down the river to the island we scouted the weekend before and setting up camp for the night. I was planning on a campfire after dinner and on a big breakfast in the morning.
We had talked about the swimming we would do as we paddled to the island on Saturday and to the take out on Sunday.
The river had been running around 10,000 cfs when I planned the trip, but I just knew it would be runnable for the trip.
The rains started early in the week and the river level kept rising. Friday noon I cancelled the trip because the level was at 10,000 cfs and rising. As the graph shows the level rose to 35,000 at Bastrop by midnight Friday.
We are an active group and hard to keep down. Most of us found a safe alternative for the long weekend.
I bottled my blackberry wine on Saturday, paddled the Gaudalupe river on Sunday, and entertained my family on Monday.
Kelly Motter said; "I ran a 10K race in Spring."
Kent Walters reported, “On Saturday morning I went to Luce Bayou with HASK, postulating that this relatively protected area would offer more resistance to the effects of all of the liquid sunshine. Alas, after paddling upstream about a quarter of a mile, the trip leader determined that the flow was too swift for safety. This was confirmed a little later when an industrial refrigerator came roaring downstream and got caught under the bridge next to us with a loud crunch. We explored a couple of side channels where we saw one good-sized snake, and then took out for an early lunch at the marina on 1960 and the east side of lake Houston. The outer deck of the marina was flooding while we were eating there.”
Harmon wrote, “Terry and I went sightseeing to Jesse Jones Park and Pundt Park. The water at both of them was beyond their front gates, some 30 feet higher, and half a mile away from where Spring Creek normally is. If you want, I can send pictures. I went back later over near 59 crossing West Fork of San Jacinto and got caught in the rerouted traffic because the feeder roads were blocked due to high water. A normal 20 minute trip took an hour and a half. Today we practiced putting up our new Tarp Tent to use when we go ultra-light backpacking.”
Robert Killian said, “I was on a road-bike all three morning's getting in some long rides in the nice weather. I also got work done around the house and mowed the yard in preparation for heading to the Hill Country tomorrow.”
Fran Wilcox wrote; “Cyndi and I rode bikes.”
We stayed safe so that we can paddle another day.
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| The author, Christy Long |