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.
