The Upper Elkhead

The Upper Elkhead

RouttCountyRiver Enforcement Strikes Again….

By: Dan Piano

Cobra Squad members Adam Mayo, Kevin Thompson, Joe Carberry, Mike Geary, and myself uncovered yet another Colorado classic. Adam Mayo; local attorney and logistics coordinator lead the charge for a first descent of the Elkhead River in West Routt. We all made some educated guesses and everything finally came up millhouse for our crew; another class V epic in Colorado discovered.

This eleven-hour journey started behind Johnny B’s in the Paddler Magazine parking lot at 7:00 AM on May 29th. The five of us had an idea of what we were about to encounter but know one knew for sure. Using the latest mapping technologies to figure out the gradient our crew came to the conclusion that the Upper Elkhead was worthy of floating. After a six-mile snowmobile shuttle we found ourselves in California Park. The snow on the road conveniently ended at the put in. From here we descended first creek for about 7 miles and ultimately found ourselves paddling into the Upper Elkhead. As soon as we hit the Elkhead the plot thickened as the gradient increased along with our heart rates. The elusive 290ft. per mile section was coming. Every corner I rounded I couldn’t help from thinking about possible waterfalls with awful landings and massive logs blocking the river waiting to tuck us in for the big sleep.

The first canyon was fun class IV, it reminded me of Willow Creek in North Routt but with more scrub brush along the banks. The Elkhead began to drop out as we rounded an abrupt right-hand corner that lead us into the second gorge. This is where things got interesting. We all went on separate scouting missions to check out the blind gorge below. After about forty minutes of scouting Mike and Joe decided to step it up and run first rapid which we named the Enforcer. Joe came in hot around the corner above the main drop; hit a submerged rock, which sent him off the drop switch. Joe stayed calm and styled the rest of the mank backwards. Mike G, the “Enforcer” of Routt County River Enforcement was up next. Everything was going perfect for Mike until he dropped the falls that Joe just went over backwards. Mike hit an enormous diagonal hole that caused him to flip and ultimately swim one of the nastiest sections of water on the river.

The team pulled through and got Mike out of the water. Mike was ok, but Mike was also boat-less, paddle-less, helmet-less, and 8 miles from anything. The crew regrouped while Mike went downstream to look for his gear. As the team roped up gear out of the canyon, Mike was downstream overwhelmed with elation; he found his boat. This is when all the stars aligned. This is when we got lucky. Joe had a spare paddle and we MacGyvered a helmet out of elbow pads and duct tape.

At this point we rallied and pushed down the rest of the gorge. Joe once again stepped it up ad dialed another stout class V named “Good Times”. The exit of the gorge greeted us with approximately seven more miles of fun class III-IV boating all the way to the take-out. From the take-out we rallied back to the sleds for another frigid flip-flop shuttle and then promptly to the Highway Bar in Craig for some beers at 9:30PM.

Sometimes in life everything just comes together way better than it should. This was certainly one of those times. This mission was only completed because of new technology, solid planning, and a very experienced crew. If you ever go to the Upper Elkhead be prepared for a long day, and a big smile plastered to your face for the next five.