The Animas River measured at 4,910 cfs Sunday morning, enough to keep some professional guides searching for smoother sailing.
The reports are flooding in: a newly designed Smelter Rapid has been flipping full boats all weekend, making excitement for some with Animas River Days approaching but striking fear in the hearts of others.
Miles north of Smelter, two teenage boys became stranded on an island near Bakers Bridge, unable to swim to shore because of the Sunday afternoon’s sweeping current.
La Plata County Search and Rescue crews employed swift-water rescue experts to make contact the teenagers, who apparently were stranded after trying to help a friend out of the current. They were found unharmed and were rescued by boat, said Sgt. Brandon Tisher of La Plata County Sheriff’s Office.
Sunday morning, far form the Animas River, a boat carrying four passengers capsized on Vallecito Reservoir. All were saved by a nearby vessel and later treated for hypothermia, Tisher said.
While adventurous spirits rolled the dice with the high water, some seasoned outfitters are waiting it out.
Molly Mickel, owner of Mild to Wild, said they adjust their trips to the river conditions, simply avoiding the chances of someone getting hurt, often opting to put their raft trips in the river below Smelter Rapid.
“All of our rivers are really elevated right now,” she said. “Safety is always our biggest concern.”
She said the high water has changed the river’s character.
“It’s a different river than it has been in a few years,” Mickel said. “And Smelter is a different rapid.”
Troy McLoed, manager of Southwest Whitewater, said he sends only the most experienced raft guides when the river gets rough.
“They’re at instructor level,” he said about his guides. “Fifteen hundred river miles or more.”
Both McLoed and Mickel said caution should be first on the checklist when heading for the water.
“We’d hate to see anybody get hurt when the water gets like this,” Mickel said. “Make sure you know what you’re getting into.”
McLoed said if you have doubts, don’t do it.
And he said to be ready for anything.
“People are just jumping in,” he said. “Make sure you have the appropriate gear – a personal flotation device and a helmet. Make sure you hydrate very well and stay away from the alcohol. Three or four beers before you get in the water is definitely not going to help things.”
bmathis@durangoherald.com
For the day of June 1, the Animas River reached a record high of 8,120 cubic feet per second in 1920. An earlier version of this story made it seem as though 8,120 cfs was the record high of all time.
