Rocky (CF) PFD Trip
| River: | Rocky |
| Skill: | Intermediate+ |
| Trip Date: | 02/27/2021 |
Many CCCers Flock to the Rocky after a rain to catch the elusive Rocky. Well today we had 8 paddlers in our group and 5 of us were running it for the first time. There was also some regulars that ran it right before us. Only John McDonald, Wayne Jones, and Mort Cone had previously run it and John was by far the most experienced. Of the PFDers were myself, Rick Higgins, Jeff Hatcher, Shane Brown, and Donnie Fleming. The level was near 600 CFS at the start and 500 CFS by the end. We all had a great time despite having 2 guys end up swimming during the day. The right channel was blocked by strainers after the second set of rapids at the broken dam so we had to take left channel but at that flow it was not an issue other than one of the swimmers decided to swim the right channel but John and Shane chased him down and helped him recover quickly so no issues there. There was also a river wide fallen tree prior to the last set of rapids that had to be portaged but it was easily done on river right. The last set of rapids turned out great for everyone and on a personal note I did get flipped at some point in the middle of the rapids but was able to roll up which was a huge relief to me after seeing 2 others swim earlier in the day and also because I have very few non intentional (practice)combat rolls under my belt. This was a great group to paddle with and a fun river. I would highly recommend it to any intermediate paddler who wants a fun scenic paddle local to the area.
William Holman
Safety Chair & Story Teller