Jobless Summer 2019 Roadtrip - Day 24a:
This morning, I had a little work I needed to complete, so I woke up early and did the work while Diane slept in. Just as I finished my meetings and Diane stirred out of bed, Gerard comes riding up. Turns out he went for a 3,000 ft ascent and downhill ride to start the day off. We then decided to keep riding, so we packed up our bikes and headed towards Carpenter Creek to ride along that for a bit. This creek is kayakable with one exception, a super tight gorge where the water ricochets off the wall and then goes under a canyon blocking chalk stone. After finishing that bike ride, we decided… he lets keep riding. So we drove up to the top of the climb Gerard did that morning and did the 3,000 ft descent on single track back down to camp. I gotta admit, BC blue is much harder than Tennessee blue!
Finally, now at 4 pm or so, and 18 miles of biking later, it was time to kayak. So we drove up Wilson Creek with plans to take out where we camped the night before.
This river has three optional put-ins, each creating an easier option as you work your way down. The upper run from the 11 km bridge is the hardest, though, it is actually super mellow except for two rapids, but those two rapids are class IV+ for sure if not V- perhaps at higher flow. Below, you quickly get to the 7 km section.
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Mi 0.15:
- Fitzstubbs Creek enters on the right and provides more water. There apparently is a nice section of class V whitewater up there too. It was too low when we were there though. The boogie is chill, just class II to III from here to the gorge.
- Entrance (IV- to IV). The first sign of real whitewater is a nice long section of sliding, banking, s-turns. Just got with the flow and dodge the holes that are sprinkled throughout. Eddy out left to scout the falls.
- The Waterfall (IV to IV+). There is a small lead in, we had to go far right of a small center rock island due to a log in the line on the left. The easier line is off the shallow rock shelf on the right. The harder line is only for lower flows and is a boof of the middle poor over.
- Double Drop (IV+). On the other side of the pool below The Waterfall is this drop. Scout right. It has two tiers, the first is a ramping rock/hole strewn drop that drops you against the right wall and through a small hole. We ran far right of the main center channel, with more water I think the far right channel is a good option. Below, the river then drops into a small hole as it bounces left off of the wall, we ran far right to just ride the bounce.
Boogie (I to II). It was then pretty much just chill to the start of the next section.
Take-out: From New Denver, head north on BC-6 for 5 km. As you enter the town of Rosebery, take a right onto Wilson Creed Rd just before crossing the creek. Park immediately on the left.
Put-in: Continue up Wilson Creek Rd for 11.5 km. Park just before the bridge over the river. Access is under the bridge on the downstream side.
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