# Westwater - at 3500 in mid March, advice?



## DanCan (Jul 22, 2011)

3400 CFS, 50 degree water. Wear your dry suit, don't fall out of the boat, miss the rocks and have lots of fun!


Seriously, fun water level but the cold water is an issue so be prepared for that.


Skull rock will be exposed, Funnel will be narrow, magnetic rock will be present and the rock in Last Chance will have a huge hole behind it. Sock It To Me will be the most treacherous of the rapids.


None of which will give you a huge amount of trouble at this water level if you keep the boat pointed in the right direction. 


DanCan


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## daairguy (Nov 11, 2013)

DanCan said:


> Sock It To Me will be the most treacherous of the rapids.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Sock it to me always packs a punch!


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## DanCan (Jul 22, 2011)

I always struggle with Sock It To Me... I think it is often because I am so focused on Skull that I "relax" and then dive in to Sock It To Me and it bites me.


DanCan


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## Panama Red (Feb 10, 2015)

Funnel follow the train, skull left to right, and run tight right at the sock.

I'd take that deal n crawfish, then drill that ole devil in the ass.


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## Noodle Arms (Nov 18, 2015)

Any thoughts on launch time? We are planning on meeting a group who is running Ruby Friday/Sat. Planning on launching from WW around noon. Is that too late?


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## Panama Red (Feb 10, 2015)

Earlier the better that blowy stuff kicks up in the p.m.

We'll be there the following weekend. Never really had terrible weather just that blowy stuff.

I'd take that deal n crawfish, then drill that ole devil in the ass.


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## Panama Red (Feb 10, 2015)

Launch time depends on a few things. 
Rapids 1St day?
Motor?


I'd take that deal n crawfish, then drill that ole devil in the ass.


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## Andy H. (Oct 13, 2003)

Noodle Arms said:


> Any thoughts on launch time? We are planning on meeting a group who is running Ruby Friday/Sat. Planning on launching from WW around noon. Is that too late?


For a day trip or an overnight?

If part of the group will be floating from R/HT, be ready to launch late unless they're real go-getters and can get on the river super early. 

If you're planning on camping above the rapids you should be fine launching at noon. If you'll be running the rapids the day you launch, a late launch will cut your safety margin considerably. Consider that if you have a mishap, you may be righting a boat in shade, dealing with hypothermic swimmers after the sun is below the canyon rim, and getting to camp at dusk.

Whatever you do, take a thermos of hot tea with you on the rapids day, if you don't need it to warm up a swimmer, then someone will probably enjoy it after Last Chance.

And DanCan is spot on about SITM. After they run Skull (a Class II move, Class IV consequences) folks get complacent and get their asses handed to them at SITM... 

Rig to flip, dress to swim, bring some warm, extra gear just in case, read the regulations and be ready for the ranger check.

Have a great trip!

-AH


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## Noodle Arms (Nov 18, 2015)

Thanks, Andy. We are doing an over nighter, but not running rapids until Sunday. So, we are not in a rush to get on early. I appreciate the SITM tip, I will not get complacent once we get through skull


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## dogalot (Jul 6, 2005)

Panama Red said:


> Funnel follow the train, skull left to right, and run tight right at the sock.


Panama Red - I've always run Skull right to left.


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## zbaird (Oct 11, 2003)

hey noodle, are you running with chelsea, shaylin and ben?


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## wildh2onriver (Jul 21, 2009)

dogalot said:


> Panama Red - I've always run Skull right to left.



You are indeed correct. I'm sure that's what he meant.


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## Panama Red (Feb 10, 2015)

dogalot said:


> Panama Red - I've always run Skull right to left.


What he said. 

Bow to Stern.

I'd take that deal n crawfish, then drill that ole devil in the ass.


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## Noodle Arms (Nov 18, 2015)

zbaird said:


> hey noodle, are you running with chelsea, shaylin and ben?


zbaird. I am not. Could be a busy run this weekend. Probably run into a few groups. Looking forward to meeting some new friends, though


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## duct tape (Aug 25, 2009)

dogalot said:


> Panama Red - I've always run Skull right to left.


Was thinking the same thing. Unless goal is to eddy out in the Room:shock:


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## Andy H. (Oct 13, 2003)

duct tape said:


> Was thinking the same thing. Unless goal is to eddy out in the Room:shock:


The Room of Doom's a fine place to eddy out up to about 5K or 6K cfs, then it starts to get sticky to get out of. As long as there's not a dead cow floating around in there, or a fencepost with a nail sticking out of it...

Should be a great trip, enjoy!

-AH


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## DanCan (Jul 22, 2011)

Been there, done that with the dead cow. Some of the people with us thought it was not so nice. 

DanCan



Andy H. said:


> The Room of Doom's a fine place to eddy out up to about 5K or 6K cfs, then it starts to get sticky to get out of. As long as there's not a dead cow floating around in there, or a fencepost with a nail sticking out of it...
> 
> Should be a great trip, enjoy!
> 
> -AH


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## duct tape (Aug 25, 2009)

Andy H. said:


> The Room of Doom's a fine place to eddy out up to about 5K or 6K cfs, then it starts to get sticky to get out of. As long as there's not a dead cow floating around in there, or a fencepost with a nail sticking out of it...
> 
> Should be a great trip, enjoy!
> 
> -AH


Last time I went by (successfully missing that detour) it was filled with logs and other stuff. Not plan A in my kayak!


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## LochsaIdaho (Jun 25, 2012)

That dead cow in the Room story will never die. Be honest, has anybody every seen one? Cuz I never have one my 50 or so trips through... But I've heard that story more than that many times.


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## raftguide08 (Mar 7, 2016)

I've seen dead floating cows, but never seen on in the Room of Doom. Always lots of debris though. Used to be a right of passage to get a Doom Stick from a low water voyage into it.


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## Gremlin (Jun 24, 2010)

I haven't seen a cow but I saw a spaceship. Seriously, I think. It was red and it was completely circular and it spun clockwise like a top. It's axis barely strayed. I watched it until I saw a 10 foot curl off the right wall falling onto the front of my cat. I needed to pull away and leave the spaceship behind before further exploration.


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## Electric-Mayhem (Jan 19, 2004)

Like others, I've definitely seen a dead cow in the river but not in the Room. I had one guy tell me a story about a dead dude being in there after an accident at high water. No idea if it was true...it was probably a decade ago that I heard the story. I vaguely remember the guy talking about assisting the rangers with extracting it.


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## wildh2onriver (Jul 21, 2009)

I have seen a carcass of a bloated dog in there a long time ago.

Speaking of cows: I saw 15-20 dead cows on a Yampa trip some years ago. It seemed like every bend in the river we saw a dead cow. Evidently, they fell through ice the prior late winter and drowned. I read an article afterwards about the ranchers loss that early spring/winter.


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## John the welder (May 2, 2009)

We did the Muddy from I-70 down a few years ago and counted 13 dead cows in or next to the river. 


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## Roddy (Sep 8, 2011)

I have seen a dead cow in the Room, all rigor mortis and bloated. I was glad I was not sharing the room. Nasty. Made an impression on me as a kid. It was probably 25ish years ago.


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## whip (Oct 23, 2003)

Back on topic " Run Last Chance left!"


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## catwoman (Jun 22, 2009)

Should be an awesome trip.

I have never seen a dead cow in room of doom, but I have seen one on WW, and a few on other rivers, and finding one in the room would not surprise me.

I think I heard that some folks found a human leg in the room some years ago, and paddled out with it to give to the authorities. 


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## kazak4x4 (May 25, 2009)

I am surprised no one mentioned Little D hole at low water, that hole has given a lot of people trouble at lower flow and since it's the first real rapid on the river, it's good to pay attention to it.

Usually yakers are playing in it, giving you a good idea where the hole is. I usually go to the left of it and then miss the crazy eddie lines.


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## DanCan (Jul 22, 2011)

I believe my rafting partner has a picture of a dead cow in the RofD... I will ask him and if so I will scan it and post it. 


DanCan


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## Andy H. (Oct 13, 2003)

DanCan said:


> I believe my rafting partner has a picture of a dead cow in the RofD... I will ask him and if so I will scan it and post it.


Really, I'll take your word for it....


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## Noodle Arms (Nov 18, 2015)

Well, we made it through successfully. We perhaps did a little swimming at Little D rapid, but no big deal. Loved every minute of it. The rapids are a little bumpy at that water level, eh? No cows, trees or human legs in the room of doom

Overall, I would say the trip was super duper cool. Thanks all for the advice


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## kazak4x4 (May 25, 2009)

Noodle Arms said:


> Well, we made it through successfully. We perhaps did a little swimming at Little D rapid, but no big deal. Loved every minute of it. The rapids are a little bumpy at that water level, eh? No cows, trees or human legs in the room of doom
> 
> Overall, I would say the trip was super duper cool. Thanks all for the advice


Ya at <5,000 cfs Little D and Sock It To Me are the hardest rapids for WW newbies. Glad you had a great trip!

FYI, at 5-9k, Funnel and Skull (if you mess up the line) are the hardest rapids. 
at 10-16k, everything is a mess and you just white knuckle until you pass Last Chance


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## duct tape (Aug 25, 2009)

Andy H. said:


> Really, I'll take your word for it....


That was good.


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