# Eagle County Kayakers, WTF?



## Mut (Dec 2, 2004)

I moved here a little over a year ago. I was pumped that I was moving to a new area with new potential kayaking friends. Well sadly to say, I have been seriously disappointed. What the fuck is going on Eagle County? Where are all the boaters? I have done countless laps on Dowd and seen not even a single boater, not even a god damn raft! I have been up in Gilman with Nate, Ben and Scotty and we haven't seen anyone. I even imported J-BO from Glenwood to help me find some folks. We haven't seen anyone.

Before I moved here I heard tails of folks running all sorts of shiat... High water Gilman, dowd at 7 feet, Homestake at at 500, Gore at 3,000+, trips to CB, blah, blah, blah. I heard of some dude named Hobie who was supposed to be some sort of Eagle County legend. Well I am calling bullshit. With the exception of a few (like 4 of us), there is no one kayaking around here. Eagle County Kayaking seems to have been canceled. The real wake up call came the one time I spotted Hobie on the river. Unfortunately for him it was when I was passing him in the Gore Creek race.

The reality is, Hobie is still looking for his shit up on Gilman after he swam at 200cfs (and he must not of found it since he is spending his time hanging 10 at the G-wave), Dowd seems to be at "flood stage" at 3', and upper Gore Creek is considered hair boating for the rest of you Yogi wannabe stretch pants. 

Seriously Eagle County, take your boat off your Tundra and stop pretending. Fake it till you make it is over and Eagle County local kayaking has been canceled. 

Oh, if you do kayak, meet at the Gilman takeout at 2 tomorrow. I need someone to run safety...


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## D. Hippie (Feb 18, 2008)

Bahahahaha! I thought everyone knew there weren't any boaters in Vail. I live in Eagle county. It's basalt but you weren't very specific. (Not that I've got to paddle much anyways). Vail season consists of the 2 weeks a year Gilman is running. And no JD, 200cfs is not running. Good to hear a nice, old fashioned rant on the buzz though. I would highly recommend moving back to Glenwood


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## mattman (Jan 30, 2015)

Laughing my ass off!
This place was getting kinda boring lately.


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## GAtoCSU (Apr 18, 2005)

I'd rally again with you. Just gotta give me more than an 8 minute heads up through Mtn Buzz. Lets boat tomorrow! If you're interested in an early morning run I'm down for 8am if I manage to get some sleep tonight while at work. 

Scott


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## BruceB (Jun 8, 2010)

It's not just Vail and advanced boaters. There have been virtually no private boaters on the Poudre most evenings, even on weekends. Drove all the way down the river at 6PM Saturday and NO ONE was on the river, or at the takeouts, except for Filter Plant, the three mile long milk run. No kayaers, no rafters. It has been that way other nights too. Worse every year. And at all water levels. Pretty quiet during the day too, although the commercial outfits seem to have lots of customers.

So while it is nice to have the river all to myself, there are fewer and fewer people to boat with.

I guess everyone is out shopping or staring at Mountainbuzz - 400 views for this thread in the first 12 hours. 1,100 views for racoons on the Upper Colorado. People are on here but not posting or boating - so lame. No cooler talk, no 2017 swim board, no one has lost a contact lens in Clear Creek lately BAHAHAHAHA.


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## Mut (Dec 2, 2004)

D. Hippie- I should have been more specific. Basalt is in Eagle County and appears to suffer the same fate. You guys have what looks like an epic play hole and NO ONE goes in there. All we hear about is the rafters talking about how gggnarly it is.


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## D. Hippie (Feb 18, 2008)

Chances are I will never paddle at the Basalt wave as a protest to whoever decided to put it above the Pan. Who gives a crap if there is a playhole when everything else is running. Although my shitty attitude may be partially to blame for the reason I end up doing narrows laps by myself most days I paddle. Kind of makes me feel like less of a tool that other people have trouble finding people to paddle with though. I just assumed it was because I want to run things like Toltec, upper Yule and Ruby Anthracite. Oh well. Maybe next year lol


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## ENDOMADNESS (Jun 21, 2005)

MUT you are correct. At first i thought this was a 1999 - 2004 Chunderboy rant about Hobie and Solomon (vail boaters heckling).
But it is the truth. I think kayaking in general has really peaked (1997-2005?) and now many more people raft or gave it up.
The millenials have differing activities (no idea what they are...mtn biking ?).

I know once i got married and had kids i get in the kayak 4-5 times per year after my balls shrunk and I got busy. 

Dowd Chute used to have many people at lunch to run with and 5pm was a fun circus, with people lined up at the old play wave below Tysons.


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## Pizzle (Jun 26, 2007)

Hey Mutt, if you need someone to watch you carp. I can be at the take out by 2pm. All my Garfield County boaters bailed on me this am.


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## Managan (Mar 9, 2015)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_to_Win_Friends_and_Influence_People


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## jalthage (May 11, 2006)

I think the great SUP/Kayak war of 2016 really thinned out the yak crowd. SUP'ers are a force to be reckoned with and will not hesitate to turn the eagle and colorado waters red with yak blood if you interrupt them during a class 3+ "Halasana" or "Vriksasana" pose. Most kayakers AND rafters that I know have been intimidated to the point of full on conversion to the dark side that is SUPing. I steer clear of tuff's like that on the water, you never know when one lotus positioning SUPer is going to pounce and tear your face off. They're right up there with the honey badger. Mean and don't give a shit.
lol.. I made myself laugh. Happy Thursday!


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## tango (Feb 1, 2006)

303 has better kayakers and more babes. West slope can suck it.


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## GAtoCSU (Apr 18, 2005)

I rescued someone on Shoshone today. Does that count? I even got a free lunch out of it!


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## WhiteLightning (Apr 21, 2004)

SUP murdered kayaking, and adventurous rafting. RIP. All the kayaking dirtbags grew up, made babies, and now either raft, or got their balls chopped off and had to move to the 303 to paddle cubicles. All the young dirtbags moving to the mountains, as Jalthage pointed out, are paddling each others' buttholes on SUPs in in lakes or class I while they stroke their man buns. Namaste.


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## lmyers (Jun 10, 2008)

WhiteLightning said:


> SUP murdered kayaking, and adventurous rafting. RIP. All the kayaking dirtbags grew up, made babies, and now either raft, or got their balls chopped off and had to move to the 303 to paddle cubicles. All the young dirtbags moving to the mountains, as Jalthage pointed out, are paddling each others' buttholes on SUPs in in lakes or class I while they stroke their man buns. Namaste.


It's unfortunate that you have this going on in Eagle County, but not entirely unexpected.... The Arkansas Valley has a solid contingent of 30, 40, 50 year old and on up kayakers that get after it daily. Including a Tuesday Numbers race that has been getting 20+ people consistently each week. Even at 3000 and up......


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## Seeker Of Fish (May 23, 2017)

Im fat and old, i remember when 303 coverd the whole state.


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## Fumble (May 23, 2013)

Seeker Of Fish said:


> Im fat and old, i remember when 303 coverd the whole state.


My rotary phone is harder to dial because of the 10 digits


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## jalthage (May 11, 2006)

To be fair, I've been on a SUP.. those fucking things are hard. Hat's off to the folks that rock 'em through the big stuff.


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## CSHolt (Jun 4, 2011)

jalthage said:


> I think the great SUP/Kayak war of 2016 really thinned out the yak crowd. SUP'ers are a force to be reckoned with and will not hesitate to turn the eagle and colorado waters red with yak blood if you interrupt them during a class 3+ "Halasana" or "Vriksasana" pose. Most kayakers AND rafters that I know have been intimidated to the point of full on conversion to the dark side that is SUPing. I steer clear of tuff's like that on the water, you never know when one lotus positioning SUPer is going to pounce and tear your face off. They're right up there with the honey badger. Mean and don't give a shit.
> lol.. I made myself laugh. Happy Thursday!


 
This literally made me spew coffee all over my key board! Cheers to you for keeping it real and giving the new guys (SUPers) some much needed shit.... Who wants to run the eagle tomorrow... im a rafter so probably wrong thread


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## UofARy (Dec 27, 2006)

tango said:


> 303 has better kayakers and more babes. West slope can suck it.


Rosy Palms doesn't count Tango.


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## Crazy Nate (Aug 29, 2008)

Sooo...anybody wanna run Gilman tomorrow then? 


Sent from my iPhone using Mountain Buzz


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## nmiller (May 11, 2015)

Mut said:


> I moved here a little over a year ago. I was pumped that I was moving to a new area with new potential kayaking friends. Well sadly to say, I have been seriously disappointed. What the fuck is going on Eagle County? Where are all the boaters? I have done countless laps on Dowd and seen not even a single boater, not even a god damn raft! I have been up in Gilman with Nate, Ben and Scotty and we haven't seen anyone. I even imported J-BO from Glenwood to help me find some folks. We haven't seen anyone.
> 
> Before I moved here I heard tails of folks running all sorts of shiat... High water Gilman, dowd at 7 feet, Homestake at at 500, Gore at 3,000+, trips to CB, blah, blah, blah. I heard of some dude named Hobie who was supposed to be some sort of Eagle County legend. Well I am calling bullshit. With the exception of a few (like 4 of us), there is no one kayaking around here. Eagle County Kayaking seems to have been canceled. The real wake up call came the one time I spotted Hobie on the river. Unfortunately for him it was when I was passing him in the Gore Creek race.
> 
> ...


Haha , Mut, you're a ******. I know plenty of guys, including myself that get out daily. Although, I will agree that a lot of the people in this area are flakey. The real underlying problem here, is that you need to remove the stick out of your ass and make some paddling buddies you salty fuck. Fortunately for me, I got to know you with out meeting you, and I can happily say I won't be one of your paddling buddies.


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## Phil U. (Feb 7, 2009)

nmiller said:


> Haha , Mut, you're a ******. I know plenty of guys, including myself that get out daily. Although, I will agree that a lot of the people in this area are flakey. The real underlying problem here, is that you need to remove the stick out of your ass and make some paddling buddies you salty fuck. Fortunately for me, I got to know you with out meeting you, and I can happily say I won't be one of your paddling buddies.


Nice. Such a quality diss, not. SMH


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## Mut (Dec 2, 2004)

Ah Nick's an internet tough guy. Did I strike a nerve with you? 

We've met. You're a scrawny dude. Pipe down.


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## nmiller (May 11, 2015)

Mut said:


> Ah Nick's an internet tough guy. Did I strike a nerve with you?
> 
> We've met. You're a scrawny dude. Pipe down.


Haha. See you around, Mut


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## RiverCowboy (Mar 14, 2011)

*Even hardcore rafters are hard to find*

Holy shit, I am dying. Kinda in the same boat, I cut my teeth here a decade ago on the Upper C. This year, being back down from Montana/Idaho with an 11 foot paddle cat and a whole different bag of tricks, I'm wondering why the hell nobody wants to go fire it up R2 - what's the big deal with flipping little boats and stacking up the '17 Swim Team roster?

I don't know that I'm totally up for Gore over 2K just yet, but if you wanna try and hook up with some rubber for a teen-hundreds run someday, I'll be there...just need to find a second. Or nut up and learn to R1 it...


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## Lyfe_Elevated (Apr 12, 2017)

Great rant! 

A little help in finding people, although we are over in Summit is the facebook group "Summit County Paddle". Always people on there making runs in Summit/Eagle or further away. Almost everyday you can find someone to boat with somewhere.


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## Tim Kennedy (May 28, 2004)

*Winning friends and influencing others...*

This is why I choose not to find paddling partners through the internet. Also, after spending my first six years paddling in the Mid-Atlantic/Appalachia, I really enjoy the lack of crowds on the rivers here in CO.


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## aman (Apr 24, 2017)

Tim Kennedy said:


> This is why I choose not to find paddling partners through the internet






Feelings are just visitors. Let them come and go.


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