Nate O Taylor

Food, Fishing, and Outdoor Adventures

River of Sorrows

June 18, 2019 by n.taylor 1 Comment

El Rio de Nuestra SeƱora de Dolores, River of Our Lady of Sorrows, now commonly referred to simply as “The Dolores”.

 Map of Dolores River
Dolores River

The history of this river is as extensive and depressing as the name(s) would suggest. Explored in 1765 it has been the lifeblood of humans for thousands of years in the area. Today we grow lots of alfalfa and divert nearly the entire river basin for that purpose. With the construction of McPhee Dam in the late 1980’s the river and it’s history were written yet again. Today, when water managers allow, you can put in at Bradfield Bridge. An area that seems dilapidated, only because of the lack of use in the last twenty or so years.

Originally one of the west’s great multi-day trips, it is now a trip that occurs only during particularly wet weather cycles in the basin. You may only have the opportunity to run this river once or twice in a decade. If you do get the opportunity it will be on incredibly short notice (sometimes just days or a week) as the reservoir must legally fill, and then “spill” the excess inflows in order to make boatable flows.

2019 was not supposed to be one of those years. Particularly wet spring conditions dramatically altered the runoff projections. Water managers scrambled to adjust their calculations as unprecedented weather patterns took hold in Southern Colorado. For those not living here, we had two feet of snow fall on Rabbit Ear’s Pass on the summer solstice…

Evening on the Dolores

While we put on the river with flows approaching 1200 CFS, typically the flows range from 40-75 CFS. Fishing and recreation are all but a memory below McPhee, as such the facilities reflect the sterility of the water itself.

Launch at Bradfield

Campsites were hard to find, all of them having seen infrequent use since the late 1980’s. Most of them were overgrown and unrecognizable.

Looking for Camp
Trees Weren’t Small
Kitchen
Finished Lasagna

The most famous stretch of this river is Snaggletooth Rapid. When the river would run free, Snaggletooth was a name that would give even the most experienced boaters pause. It was a barometer, a test of ones skill. At one point the Dolores was the most heavily used whitewater run in the state of Colorado. Check out this footage from Rig to Flip. Amazing stuff.

High Water- Snaggletooth 1983- Dolores River

Think you've run all the Big #WhiteWater out West? Not Likely… Rare footage of the Dolores raging 1983. This footage was all shot alongside Snaggletooth Rapid by an unknown camera outfit who made the edit your seeing here. It survived to us by the hands of long time boaters who love the Dolores and knew it well before the dam. The footage is nearly a full 30 minutes, over 26 different runs of the highest water ever recorded on film of Snaggletooth Rapid. You won't find this anywhere else. #rigtoflipColorado American Whitewater Patagonia Dolores River Boating Advocates Colorado Outdoor Recreation Industry Office History Colorado NRS Astral Osprey Packs Bureau of Reclamation Bureau of Land Management – Colorado Bill Dvorak Jack's Plastic Welding Patagonia Telluride Upper Colorado River Private Boaters Assoc. Colorado Whitewater Association Stitches 'N Stuff Down River Equipment

Posted by Rig To Flip on Wednesday, February 15, 2017
Scouting Snaggle

The opportunity was one that I would not let pass. Was it worth it? Absolutely. I will go again when the chance occurs. Rafting down the Dolores was being surrounded by immense beauty, and at the same time, immense sadness. I hope that someday my children will be able to run this river, with far greater frequency that we are afforded today.

  • Desert Varnish
  • Scenery
  • Lower Dolores
  • Evenings
  • Lasagna
  • Chicken & Peanut Sauce

Filed Under: Summer Tagged With: Camping, Dolores, Floating, Overnight

South Fork Pt. 2: We Went Fishing

July 22, 2018 by n.taylor Leave a Comment

We awoke at our borrowed cabin space and prepared a quick breakfast using some of the supplies on hand. We patiently waited to see if our pack train would arrive, and it seemed as though all hope had been lost when we saw them in the distance trudging forward. While they’re lack of timeliness and propensity to elicit anxiety consumed us all night, the pure elation of their arrival quickly diminished all of our previous contention.

Better Late than Never

Morning Breakfast

We bandaged up the feet of those who were exhibiting the wounds of the day before and prepared for the short 5 mile jaunt to the waters edge. One among us needed no such bandages, and his secret was his old golf shoes.

Elite Footwear

The trip from this point forward wasn’t about hiking, it was about fishing, and for the next few days we did a lot of fishing.

Parachute Adams


Magic Hour


Beer Break


Lots of These


Fish Food


Fishing From the Gear Boat


Westslope Cutt


Obligatory Hero Shot

Captain Whitey


More Magic Hour


Fumble

The evenings were filled with food and drink, watching the sun disappear behind the mountains. A place without a road for 60 miles in any direction gives you an odd sense of freedom, and we cherished every moment of it. We would eventually stop at the Big Prairie Ranger Station and begin the second half of our journey. The small stream we were floating down would soon turn into a real river, and with it came people that we had come to forget the first few days. The upper section of the trip will occupy a special place in the minds of everyone, and will be the reason for a return. Our final camp on the upper half other river was poetic, a large beach on a dramatic bend of the river. The night was filled with laughter and alcohol, the only surviving memory a grainy photograph of all of us together. Just as it should be.

Home for the Night

A Night to Remember

Filed Under: Summer Tagged With: Camping, Floating, Montana, South Fork Flathead, The Bob, Wilderness

Late Summer Day in the Gorge

August 28, 2017 by n.taylor Leave a Comment

Welcome

It has been some years since I went down the Gunnison Gorge. In that time I feel as though I’ve matured (slightly) and am generally much more prepared to tackle logistical problems that places like the Gorge present. For instance, I’ve learned that the sun is hot on the Chukar Trail, and to leave early, so as to do your hike in the cool morning air, void of the relentless summer sun.

The Gear Going Down

My partner and I arrived at the trail, and despite the fact that we planned accordingly, we failed to take into account the cumbersome anatomy of your standard rowing frame. So while the first trip down was uneventful, the second trip proved to nearly break our spirits. In hindsight, those mules look like a heck of deal.

The Heavy Stuff

Campsites are a premium, and while you may have your pick if you’re early enough, experience is the only way to know which ones offer the best accommodations. This issue was of further importance to us as we had elected to use our hammocks once again. The Gunnison Gorge, while gorgeous isn’t exactly a thicket of pine trees, but rather a collection of small Juniper trees that can easily be mistaken for shrubbery. That being said, we picked the best option that we determined based on some Google Earth images. I get ahead of myself however, there was much that had to happen before we slept for the evening.

Someone Beat Us Down

 

 

The Put In

In an effort to curb the weight on our backs we only brought 2 beers and enough ice for cold cocktails at camp. After that hike that beer tasted so good.

Cold Smoke

Just Some Fishin’

We meandered through the upper canyon, this section is mellow in comparison to the lower half and allows for a more relaxing day of cocktails sight seeing. While the entire run is only 14 miles it is easily broken into a 2 or 3 day jaunt. Just due to the fact you have to carry your equipment down the mountain means you are investing almost half a day worth of effort to get started. Point being, don’t do it as a day trip as there is so much to see and do on the relatively short stretch down there.

Camp was pitched in the early evening, and our selection turned out to be fortuitous. Mature Juniper trees offered several hanging options, and a makeshift bench served as our table to prepare our freeze dried food selection.

Kitchen

Hammocks

Remember how we didn’t bring beer in order to save weight? Instead we put some ice in a Hydroflask to make some bourbon and cokes that evening. Best idea ever. Nothing like a cold drink after a long day in the woods.

Cocktail Hour

Sunset at Camp

Filed Under: Summer Tagged With: Camping, Floating, Gunnison Gorge, Gunnison River, Hammocks

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