# Beta: Dirty Devil Logistics



## mikesee (Aug 4, 2012)

restrac2000 said:


> I am gonna keep me gear ready to go for the next 2 weeks if the conditions look right. More snowpack in the headwaters than I thought and I have some time, despite it being highly tentative. Curious of a few things:
> 
> 1) Minimum flow at Poison Springs: Thoughts from firsthand trips the last few years? Prepared for dragging above Twin Box (at least to there) but wondering when it gets to be ridiculous flow-wise.
> 
> ...


Lots of answers, direct and indirect, here:

Big Wheel Building: Filthy.


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## restrac2000 (Mar 6, 2008)

mikesee said:


> Lots of answers, direct and indirect, here:
> 
> Big Wheel Building: Filthy.


Thanks, mate. Hadn't found your site yet. The pack/bike combos people like you are doing in the last decade are wild.

The impetus to buy a pack raft is there, now if the $$ would just follow.

Phillip


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## lmyers (Jun 10, 2008)

Great video. Thank you for sharing. Watching that was a great way to start my Sunday. Now I'm itching to do something similar...


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## Toshkya (Nov 26, 2012)

So the dirty devil is one of my favorite trips we do it every year. If ur going this early i wouldn't worry about how high the water is. Anything around a100 is ok. By ok, i mean you will be doing a lot of dragging but you'll make it. once you're past no mans canyon it gets easier.
I don't pack very light when i go, the mud bars always seem to stop you no matter what. So i bring the luxurys of camp. I dont really worry about weight.
Water, I bring what i need to make it to Angel cove. At Angel cove i fill up enough water for the rest of the trip. There's more water sources out there but i think this is the easiest thing to do.
Don't miss happy canyon. No man's has a nice swimming hole to wash of the mud. Every canyon is great to hike.
Shuttle is a pretty easy hitch hike. The chevron by the put in rips people of with there shuttle price, but it is a option. I'll be at the takeout April 13 if you wanted a ride then.

I'm leaving Thursday morning should be on the river by 2. I'm going to spend 18 days on the river. I'm brining backpacking gear and canyoneering gear. 75 backpacking miles 9 technical canyons and 80 river miles. Oh I love me some dirty devil. 
I have a lot of info if you have any other questions.


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## mikesee (Aug 4, 2012)

One of the guys that I did the above trip with was back in there last weekend. Said that last fall's monsoons really changed the riverbed--lots more sharp rock exposed than before, to the point that they all put holes in their floors.

As mentioned in the above linked post, I consider 300 to be base flow--below that and I'd rather go elsewhere. The enjoyment, for me, of that canyon is in the walls, and at less than 300 I have to spend too much time focused on mudbars and line choice, and end up dragging and walking regardless.


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## restrac2000 (Mar 6, 2008)

Thanks folks. Appreciate the mention of sharp rocks and floor damage....something worth considering since I would be taking my wife's relatively new IK. Did they say where they had the most problems?



> Don't miss happy canyon. No man's has a nice swimming hole to wash of the mud. Every canyon is great to hike.
> Shuttle is a pretty easy hitch hike. The chevron by the put in rips people of with there shuttle price, but it is a option. I'll be at the takeout April 13 if you wanted a ride then.
> 
> I'm leaving Thursday morning should be on the river by 2. I'm going to spend 18 days on the river. I'm brining backpacking gear and canyoneering gear. 75 backpacking miles 9 technical canyons and 80 river miles. Oh I love me some dirty devil.
> I have a lot of info if you have any other questions.


Sounds like a great trip. I spent a month living in my old 14 foot travel trailer at the head of the canyons, mostly South Fork spring, one November. Explored technical canyons to my hearts delight. Part of me misses those dirtbag days but most of me is glad not to be living out a small space with no place to call home.

Happy is an amazing place. We were skunked for technical canyons once from a monsoon storm in the area so we hiked down from the south side of the river into Happy when it was flashing. Amazing to watch. We went in after the storms peak and just sat in a spot and watched it ebb over a few hours. Its one of my favorites memories from my old canyoneering guiding and exploring days. 

This will be mostly a float trip with maybe a few side excursions. I just love being in a boat of any sort nowadays. Even if it means "boat assisted hiking" like some describe the Devil. 

Phillip


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## Bigdrops (Feb 28, 2013)

*"Is that a trout stream?"*

I ran the Dirty Devil a few years back. It was the most suffering I have ever experienced on a river trip. We put our canoe in at 190 cfs, and by the end of the day it dropped to 80 cfs, and stayed that way. We only planned on 4 days... It took us 5 days to drag our boat to the lake. The section below poison springs was my favorite, until we encountered the mud flats. If you choose the wrong channel you will get stuck, if you get out of your boat you would get stuck. Some tamarisk groves grew right through the main channel and we were forced to just blast through them with our canoe, which was the most dangerous part of the trip. The skin on my legs had dried out really bad and scaled like alligator skin, burned a lot. I would not drink the river water. 
I am also watching the gauge hoping to run it again. I won't put in below 200, and will take a hard shell craft...canoe or kayak for their tamarisk piercing qualities.


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## mattvogt7 (Mar 15, 2009)

Hey - I just returned from an 8 day self supported Packraft trip, putting in at Lower Sand slide, taking out at the bathroom and it was incredibly enjoyable. Flows were fine after Twin Corral Box (never getting >105cfs) and we floated unimpeded the last 14ish miles. I've never run it before so I can't compare the nature of the river vs. previous years but I'd say go for it, especially in your boat. I ran stuff I thought for sure would shred my Alpacka but I have nothing but a few scratches. Am an avid boater and this was one of the most incredible and rewarding trips I've ever been lucky enough to do. Tons more specific beta off line via email if you want to chat. Go for it!


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## Bigdrops (Feb 28, 2013)

" taking out at the bathroom and it was incredibly enjoyable."

are the mud flats dry down to the river? and are you still required to blast through the tamarisk?


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