Rafting the River

  Gunnison, Colorado, United States
Thursday, August 30, 2007

It was damn cold this morning when we got up.  We decided to kill a little time by hiking up the river.  It was really pretty country.  Then about noon we put into the river at our campsite.  It was a pretty fun trip.  I had to portage my raft a few times when the rapids were too big, but I also got to run some decent ones.  The first one we came to had me worried, but after doing that, I was fairly confident the rest of the way.  All in all, Id say a

Taylor River

good introduction to whitewater.  Everyone else seemed to have a good time too.  They said I did well, that I read water really well, which I think is probably attributable to doing a bunch of canoeing with my dad.  I dont think I'll get into whitewater rafting or kayaking though.  I much prefer to be able to have a few beers while Im on a river which is almost impossible in whitewater.  Theres just no rest from paddling.  So I'll probably stick to canoeing for the most part.  After a few beers around the camp fire, I was out for the night.

Tin Cup

The next day, the guys decided to run the same stretch of river again.  Dick and I decided to pass for the day, and took our car up into the hills.  We passed through the little town of Tin Cup, which didnt have gas, and really didnt have much else.  From there we went about 3 miles north, to Mirror Lake, a little lake in the middle of the mountains.  The road up to it was maybe the worst I've ever been on, huge ruts, big rocks in the middle of the road, and then it started raining too.  Luckily, we made it there and back ok.  After that, we headed for the town of Taylor and gassed up.  While I was paying, I noticed pictures of enormous fish on the walls.  Apparently they can be caught in the Taylor resevoir in early June.  Lake trout they called them.  

Near Spring Creek

From Taylor, we basically drove a loop through the area.  First over to the Spring Creek Resevoir, then down along Spring Creek, and back into camp.  There were some great views to be had the entire way.  The rest of the group got back just before us, and they all seemed to have had a good time on the river.  We stayed up late drinking and telling jokes around the fire.