Our Operation Manager’s Perspective on Rafting, the Arizona Drought, and the Changing Seasons
By: Jack Gunckle – Operations Manager
As Wilderness Aware’s river operation manager I am back in the office after an all too short visit to the Salt River in Arizona last month. In early Spring I normally find myself sleeping under the stars in the Sonoran desert for a month at the start of the Salt River commercial rafting season, but this year is a little different. As much as I enjoy Colorado winters, I can’t wait for the river season(and all it entails) to be a part of my everyday life again as the snow melts and the sun shines for a little longer each day.
Unfortunately, due to strong La Nina conditions in the Southwest, Arizona is an even drier place than usual this year. The Upper Salt River is a wild river, which means there are no dams to control the flow of the river; it is entirely up to Mother Nature and the snow she deposits on Arizona’s White Mountains. Without enough snowfall the river does not flow high enough to take our guests rafting, and that is the case this year.
After months of watching weather forecasts, snowpack reports, and crunching the snowpack and river flow numbers, it became clear (not quite crystal) that a commercial rafting season would not be viable on the Salt River this year. It was not an easy call to make as we have worked hard to establish ourselves in Arizona and we enjoy rafting with our guests as much as our guests look forward to rafting with us. Escaping the heat and the hustle and bustle of the city, even for just a ½ or full day of rafting can be the highlight of the year for our guests. Don’t worry everyone; we’ll be back next year!
So, in early March when I am normally helping set up our commercial operation at the bottom of the Salt River Canyon, I found myself driving south with a much slimmer agenda… to hire new raft guides.
On our first day in Arizona, before heading to Phoenix to pick up our 11 candidates for our traditional on-river 5-day interview trip, Joe, Brad, Jimbo and I ran the Upper Canyon of the Salt River in inflatable kayaks. The river was flowing only at about 200cfs. That’s not much water considering we need about 500 cfs float rafts on the upper canyon, but the sun was shining and the river was calling our name! It didn’t take long to feel back at home on the Salt River. With the low, crystal clear water we noticed that we were outnumbered by carp, the now abundant year-round inhabitants of the river. Around the next bend we kept our eyes out for the peregrine falcons that are known to patrol the cliffs below Grumman Rapid, but they eluded us on this trip.
It’s always great to see the river at different flows, even this low flow. After last year’s epically high water, it was interesting to see the rocks that are normally just under the surface and create such amazing rapids. It was a fun day of boating and a great welcome back to Arizona.
On our second day in Arizona after picking up our interviewees at the Phoenix airport, it was back to the Salt for some rafting. We launched our five day interview trip from Gleason Flats instead of our normal spot that is 14 miles upriver. The river had come up just enough for us to navigate with relative ease. We were not able to run a couple of my favorite rapids, Black Rock or Corkscrew, with our gear-laden boats, but that really just added to the adventure. Fortunately, with a little creativity, we were able to line/heave the boats around, over, and through the rocks without unloading them. Thanks to the help from our 11 aspiring river guides!
Despite the low water, the trip was a blast with plenty of time in camp each night for fun and games, exploring the desert, and good food. We even had time to do a side hike up Hess Canyon.
Even though we didn’t have a season on the Salt this year it was great to get down to AZ and get on the river. I think the trip will hold me over until May when the summer rafting season starts on the Arkansas River in Colorado.
Browns Canyon Takeout Gets a Facelift
The Hecla Junction River Access Point is the ending point for many of Wilderness Aware’s Arkansas River Browns Canyon trips. River users recently benefited from a $1.2 million makeover that will make Hecla Junction more convenient for rafters and will protect it from flood damage. This site is the most heavily used access point on the Arkansas River. In an average year, over 90,000 people take out boats at the recreation site which is managed Colorado State Parks as part of the Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area.
The boat ramp is located in the bottom of a dry wash that periodically floods. Erosion of the boat ramp has made Hecla Junction impassable for vehicles in the past. Large loads of sediment has also damaged trout habitat in the river. In 2006 and 2007 there were two different 500 year flood events due to huge thunderstorms that each deposited up to 3.5 inches of rain in nearby Centerville. River flow in the Arkansas River at the mouth of Hecla Junction jumped from 700 cfs to over 4,000 cfs in a matter of hours. These storms severely damaged the site and led to an insurance damage settlements of $330,000.
State Parks used the insurance settlements as an impetus to seek grant funding for this pilot sedimentation abatement and damage control project. A successful Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment grant of $425,000 and a Colorado State Parks Funding led to design work by Ayers Associates, an engineering firm with offices in Westminster Colorado. Other tributaries on the Arkansas River may benefit in the future if this project successfully reduces sediment going into the river.
Langston Concrete of Pueblo sent a crew of over 25 men and large contingent of machinery to the site and completed the project in only 100 days which was 80 days ahead of schedule. The crew poured 570 yards of concrete on the boat landing apron. They also laid Armor Flex below the high water line, a network of cinder block like tiles that are connected by a mesh structure. This non skid surface is a relatively new product for use in river boat ramps. A large boulder retaining wall and a bridge leading out of the area rounded out the project.
Wilderness Aware is excited to begin using the site in the spring of 2011. The improved ramp and parking area will improve safety for our guests and speed the loading of boats for a quick return to our headquarters after a great day of rafting on Browns Canyon of the Arkansas River. Hats off to Colorado State Parks, Ayers Associates, and Langston Concrete!
Hecla Junction Before Construction
Hecla Junction After Construction- Note the new bridge behind the backhoe, large concrete apron and parking area on the right, tri-level retaining wall on the left side of apron, and the rock lined sediment settling areas near the backhoe and on the far left.
Concrete and non slip Armor Flex apron where boats will land. River is very low in picture and will nearly cover the Armor Flex for most of the season.
A friendly fox at our Buena Vista, CO rafting office
During the summer months at our whitewater rafting office in Buena Vista, Colorado there is non-stop activity nearly 24 hours a day, seven days a week. There are rafting customers coming in and out of the front doors, guides loading boats in the backyard, music playing over the loud speakers, and rafting buses loaded with boats and guests pulling in and out of the parking lot. During this time we don’t get much in the way of visiting critters, with the exception of the mysterious and little seen raccoon that thinks our trash can is an all-you-can-eat buffet. During the winter, it is much different. No rafting guests, very few cars in the parking lot, and a handful of staff in the office. Needless to say, our outdoor friends are not as shy.
This winter we had a one visitor in particular that made his presence known. As we were sitting in the main office, we looked out and saw a full size fox taking his time roaming around the landscaping right outside the windows. As quickly as we could, we grabbed the camera and snapped a few photos of our new friend. As we took photos, the fox would not look at the camera…but then he jumped up on the wall just outside the front doors, gracefully sat down, and posed for the camera.
The next moment, he stood, jumped down and ran out of sight. Since that day, he hasn’t come so close, though we catch an occasional glimpse of him under the boat trailers at the back of the property. We don’t know what possessed him to show off for us the day he did, but we are grateful for his visit because it makes us stop for a moment and be thankful that we live and work in the beautiful Colorado high country…amongst the skunks, rabbits, deer and occasional friendly fox.
