Cadron or Lower richland friday Dec 23

[cole m]

any takers

[Cowper]

Cole already knows I'm in.

[SteveGabbard]

If you decide on the Cadron just post a time and i'll be there.

[cole m]

noon under the hwy 65 bridge

[SteveGabbard]

Perfect. See you then.

[Karla]

Darn, I would have been ready for the Cadron as I am off tomorrow but waiting for nose to heal completely before on the rivers again. Ya'll have fun and BE SAFE! All and all still had fun paddling with ya'll last week.

Karla

[Waterman]

I am in. See you at the bridge at noon.

[justanovice]

Cowper (or others that know my son),
I paddled this stretch once last Spring with a small group. I don't recall what the water level at the time was, and I didn't bring Noah because he hadn't floated his XP9 much yet. Do you think this stretch would be a good choice for him at the current water level, or would we be better to sit this one out? I'm not even sure we could locate/gather all of our gear in time, but I'm really wanting to float over Christmas break. If it's not a good choice for his ability-level though, I'd be grateful for some honest feedback.
Thanks in advance,
Sandy

[Wildwood]

Are y'all putting in at the bridge, taking out at 285?

[Cowper]

Jan: Probably taking out at Hwy 65.

Sandy: I haven't had a chance to see your son in a "river" type situation, but some factors to consider are:

1) Temperature - High of 44 predicted. If your son doesn’t have a drysuit, then is he warm blooded, or does he chill easily?

2) Water level - 3.79 and falling. A good level, and still more than 2 feet below the level the OWP marks as "high". So no worries due to water level.

3) The company - this is shaping up to be a pretty strong crew - essentially the same crew we had on a much more difficult river four days ago. This is a major plus.

4) Will your son quickly follow instructions if one of the more experienced paddlers tells him to do something? If someone yells "paddle hard", he needs to do that right away, not freeze up or stop to think about it while trying to figure out why.

Summarizing, this is a relatively easy run, with an experienced crew, but you need to be sure you're properly equipped for the tempertures we'll see.

[Roger]

Suffering from torn meniscus.

[justanovice]

Cowper,
Thanks so much for your informative response. As a newbie, it's good to have experienced paddlers for guidance.

All sounds good with one major exception. Caitlin and I have double-tunneled dry-tops, but we just haven't put down the money for Noah's yet. At this point, he only has a wetsuit. And while the rest of us have plenty of padding (sadly), he doesn't have an ounce of fat to keep him warm. I'll keep my eye on the board for a future float when/if the temps warm up a little. Have fun and be safe out there today.

Thanks again,
Sandy

[Half Ton]

Roger and Karla, I hate to hear of your injuries, as I broke a finger 6 weeks ago in such a way that I had to keep it out of creek water for the whole time.... During which many great runs were available.

Hopefully, yalls injuries can keep the rain coming for a while until y'all heal on up.

[SteveGabbard]

Sorry guys. Just found a nail in the sidewall of my tire. Thought about rolling the dice but one epic trip a week is enough for me.

Ya'll have fun and i'll see you next time.

[Cowper]

Thought about rolling the dice but one epic trip a week is enough for me.

Almost sounds like a challenge!

(but with the low temps, we're going to try to keep this one un-eventful for the new folks)