This is a story from our friend and mentor Brian Tuten. Brian lives in Arizona with his very large family. By trade he is an Avionics Software Engineer but his calling is leading people into the Wilds.
There we were, four intrepid adventurers contemplating our next move and at least this time we had options. The last two days had been a grueling display of perseverance and intestinal fortitude. Always on the hunt for a new adventure, I had been researching all the information I could find on the Black Canyon of the Gunnison in Colorado. Everything I had found described an epic two day expedition whitewater kayaking adventure, full of class III-IV rapids and the infamous poison ivy alley. We had been preparing for weeks and were finally ready. What we did not have was enough beta on what the current drought would do to the water levels and how that would shape our unforgettable fun. I was told that anything between 300-600 cfs would be a great introduction to the run, then anything higher would guarantee an epic story.
The last water reading I had was from two days prior, 350 cfs, the perfect first timer level. As we got to the put-in, the water coming out from under the dam looked to be a tad more than what we were expecting. We unloaded the boats in silence and started gearing up. Tony saw the the sign board with the current water reading first, 1800 cfs! After much group discussion, it was decided that 1800 cfs would mean triple the fun. I had talked with other kayak groups that had done the run up to 2000 cfs and was assured we could portage anything that frightened us.
That decision lead us into two very full days of high quality class V paddling and even more insane class VI portaging; and we were not even half way to the end. With the higher water the rapids were stacked one right on top of the other, never ending. We would run one rapid and then have to portage the next two as any mistakes would have severe consequences. Our boats were also full of all our expedition gear, making them 60-75lbs.
We were all exhausted and the next rapid was a 25ft waterfall or a multi-hour portage up and over a cliff around it. Being this whole adventure was my idea, or as my friends endearingly termed it yet one more Tuten Sufferfest, I volunteered to go first. I flew off the lip and landed peacefully at the bottom in the midst of the chaos. Pierre came next, being twice my size with a heavier boat, so when he landed he completely disappeared from view for several LONG seconds before his submarine finally came up launching itself out of the water bow first. After seeing Pierre’s run, Jim and Tony decided the multi-hour portage was best for them, giving Pierre and me hours to relax and enjoy the surrounding beauty.
All together again with only a couple hours before nightfall we decided to at least start the 1.5 mile portage through poison ivy alley. We climbed over and crawled under boulders the size of large houses with our heavily loaded boats for the next four hours until dark, all the while having six foot high poison ivy bushes touch us on all sides and in every crevice. We bedded down that night in the middle of the poison ivy field with the 2000+ft canyon walls towering over us.
In the middle of the night the ring tail cats got lonely. They found my food bag and took it back to their lair to feast. To make sure there were no hard feelings, they left one ring tail cat behind who decided to sleep in the crease of my neck. I woke once or twice and tried to shoo the thing away, but each time it would screech loudly in my ear. We both just wanted to sleep and so we did. In the morning my bed buddy had left me with both a smile and a memory.
It would take three more days for us to reach the end of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. Plus another two weeks to finish the last of our poison ivy souvenirs. Looking back now on the experience, would I do it again? Absolutely.
- Brian Tuten
Recent Comments