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TexasEd

By TexasEd
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Spaulding Smails

Spaulding Smails 1552

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1 hour ago, PatrickMcHorn said:

Vodka, filtered river water, and Arnold palmer dissolving packets ftmfw.

Harrumph.  My alcohol choices have consisted of this (also substitute Gatorade packets instead of Arnold Palmer... you know for hydration purposes and whatnot).  Also good whiskey when it's cool out.  And you can't underestimate a nice box wine with your MRE.  Take it out of the box.  Tie about 10 ft of paracord to it and let it chill in the river.  

Ice is stupid to even mess with.  I tried it once with block ice and failed miserably.

 

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Spaulding Smails

Spaulding Smails 1552

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1 hour ago, Hank_Hill said:

Anybody have experience with those Life Straw water bottles?

Another friend that goes with us uses one and likes it.  I prefer to pump my water into a larger container so I don't have to dick with the straw every time I want to drink.  I use a Katadyn Hiker Pro.  About $80.

Also, make sure at least one of you has a jet boil.  Eating a warm meal in the evening beats the hell out of jerky.  And necessary for coffee.  I have a portable French press that I take.  Nothing better than sipping a hot cup of coffee watching the sun rise above the Devils.

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Spaulding Smails

Spaulding Smails 1552

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6 hours ago, Hank_Hill said:

Not sure about the outfitter but we will be renting kayaks through them for sure. Yea I’ve watched enough videos in the last 12 hours to know I’m not making the wrong decision, looks fucking amazing. Neither of them have done it though no.

Get as much knowledge from the outfitter as possible if you don't have anyone that's been.  I'm assuming you'll do a three day trip.  If you're putting in at Del Norte, Dolan Falls is only about 1.5 miles down river.  You can paddle upstream a bit that morning and not lose any time.  There's some springs there and the smallmouth fishing can be good.  Portage river right at Dolan.  Water will be low, so watch out for submerged boulders if you guys are swimming / diving off the bluff.  Three Tier can be worse when the flow is down.  I've seen that rapid tump more paddlers than anywhere else (myself included).  Stay river right if you try to run it.  You can camp just down river from Three Tier on some rocks (just past John Eddy's mansion) along the bank river left.  Or you can go a bit further to the new paddler camp at mile 20 river right.  On day 2, you'll encounter some reed banks.  Stay left on almost every single one.  Dandridge will be OK with a lower flow and is a really cool stretch of river.  That's where Blue Sage starts and you'll see quite a few houses.  We call the stretch below Dandridge "Lake Motherfucker" because it's always dead into the wind.  Side note... about half way down Lake Motherfucker, there's a submerged airplane engine.  No fuselage.  No propellers, but definitely a big V8 airplane engine.  We found it last year while snorkeling.  Nobody has any idea that it's there let alone how it got there.  See if you can find it.  Just right of center of the big lake at the start of Blue Sage.... 

Dry Devils Rapids can be tough too.  Mid-way through Blue Sage.  The lake below Dry Devils holds the biggest bass on the river, IMO.  Fish deep if you want to catch them that time of year.  Turkey Bluff is below that.  Look for the cave drawings river left to figure out why it's called Turkey Bluff.   You can either camp on rocks in the Narrows (Turkey Bluff is the start of the Narrows) or there's a paddler camp at mile 29.  I'd vote to enjoy the Narrows and camp there.  My favorite stretch of river from a beauty standpoint.  If you go all the way to the second paddler camp, it'll be a long day 2, then you'll just be dicking around at the Big Satan (Dan Hughes) take-out which is at mile 30.  It's easy to miss.  Not well marked, but river left across from the big bluff.  Fishing there can be decent.  You could paddle past that and come back up if you're feeling froggy.  We did that once and found some nice spots and some decent fish.

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PatrickMcHorn

PatrickMcHorn 376

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Therma rest are solid and compress down well. I've always just had one of those ozark trail pillows, which I've thought was fine.

They have different sizes depending on how big you are. If you're bringing a 1 man tent, just keep the footprint of the tent in mind and try to go bigger than you think you'll need.

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AnonymousInternetPoster

AnonymousInternetPoster 163

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Therma rest are solid and compress down well. I've always just had one of those ozark trail pillows, which I've thought was fine.

They have different sizes depending on how big you are. If you're bringing a 1 man tent, just keep the footprint of the tent in mind and try to go bigger than you think you'll need.

Love my thermarest!


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NotActuallyALonghorn

NotActuallyALonghorn 4974

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There are a lot of pads like the Thermarest NeoAir out there these days that pack down super small and provide plenty of support with a decent R value. They aren't self inflating, however the stuff bag is usually designed to be used as a pump to inflate them. If space is an issue, I would seriously consider one of those. That style pad is what most backpackers these days are using.

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  • 3 weeks later...
Damor

Damor 1236

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Cross-posting from the Pup thread for some requested info, hope the pics come out.

This was my new buddy Rupp's first outing.  He did pretty well, even though my yak doesn't have the best spot for a noob pup to sit (he settled on my drink holder, which obviously isn't going to work long term.

05f4c3347415540ccaf442d42fff6ba7.jpg31398181985c6d35548a8ef2333bffa2.jpg2f4561c91d70346d7a61ae78aff008ca.jpg

In answer to some inquiries, this was on Salado Creek, just upstream from the low-water crossing bridge (Mill Creek Dr).  It's low right now, but I assume that the trade off is more clarity as it's pretty much just spring-fed at present.  There is some decent fishing (I'm terrible at it, but even I can catch some Guads and small largemouths) and it's nice to look at.

The big drawback is that there are several areas you'd have to drag, especially as low as it is right now.  I'd guess the navigable stretch in those pics is only about a half mile.  I know there are some other floatable areas once you get out of town, but it's been years since I've been that way to know how much of a pain it would be.  So I don't know how good of a destination this would be as a day trip, unless you're just looking to relax and do some light fishing.

The good news is that this is literally in the middle of town.  One bank is a park, so there's easy access to put in.  And when you're done, you can stop for a beverage at Barrow.

Feel free to PM if you want any more info.

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hullabelew

hullabelew 3723

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I had to take two years off while I recovered from two hip replacements. Finally getting back in to it. Took the wife out for the first time in about 3 years and now she wants to buy 2 more so we can take others along.

Ordered 2 new Wilderness Pungo 120 kayaks. Pick them up tomorrow.

These pics are from last Sunday near Atlanta. We put in just below the Buford dam on the Chattahoochee for about a 10 miles ride. Lots of fly fisherman to get around, especially around the rapids. Just need to get the wife to learn how to not get stuck on the rocks. Or at least how to get unstuck.....or stay home.

d0e62843d5461656931fec3b692d918a.jpg79f4aa214f7edd323ea69f7b97aeada3.jpgdf46477899ac1e6384e603d4cdabf9d4.jpg

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hullabelew

hullabelew 3723

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Picked up the two new Pungo 120s at lunch.   They are the same kayaks we already had to nothing new to play with. Still kind of fun to have a couple of extras to take when others want to tag along.  

 

This is one of them. The other is the same color without the green. Now just need to figure out how to store the new ones in the garage.

949479b8401757ed13261c9e60a80551.jpg

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...
Ollie Slatt

Ollie Slatt 289

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Ditto the above.  More weight = more dragging.  

I have a 10' piece of thick rope tied to one end of the kayak. I tied it in a a big enough loop to easily throw over my shoulder.  You may also want a bit of rope to help lower the kayak down Dolan falls, depending on how you do that portage.  Some of the campsites have raccoons, so the rope can be handy for hanging your food too. 

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Spaulding Smails

Spaulding Smails 1552

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I agree with all of the above.  10-12' rope tied to the front.  Get a soft, nylon rope about 1/2" in diameter.  I actually throw one on the back as well and tuck it under my gear.  As @PatrickMcHorn mentioned, you may want to ease the boat ahead and hang onto it from behind.  

Don't bring a cooler.  Water is going to be super low.  Box wine (with the box removed aka "space bag") or whiskey in a flask is the correct answer.  When you set up camp, drop wine into the river and let it cool.  

IMG_2711.jpg 

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Hank_Hill

Hank_Hill 18785

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Waylp. There was a miscommunication/my friend kinda fucked up and looks like this costs like 4x what we initially thought so not going this weekend. They are letting us reschedule since our deposits are down and they offered to let us back out due to the river level earlier this month anyway. Suggestions for best time? Looking at Memorial  Day as of now. Guess god just wants me to watch Texas Football this weekend and actually be prepared for my test on Tuesday but damn, still a little bummed.

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Spaulding Smails

Spaulding Smails 1552

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What was the all-in cost?  The permits are cheap, but the outfitter to drop you off and pick you up can add up, especially if you have a smaller group.  Plus, kayak rental can add up.  I did the math on it, though, and those outfitters still aren't necessarily cutting a fat hog.  Those guys are in the truck for 4+ hours just to drop you off or pick you up.  

If you're re-scheduling, May is a great time (especially if there's some spring rain).  May and October are peak times.

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Spaulding Smails

Spaulding Smails 1552

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32 minutes ago, Hank_Hill said:

Actually 1065. Amistad I think? $65 a day for three days for 3 yaks and $480(!) for the shuttle. 

See if you can find three more to join you.  They can take six, and I think the increase in shuttle cost is nominal with more people.  You'll pay for extra permits and kayak rentals, but the increased shuttle cost won't be much.  

I think we were $120/man the last time we went.  That was permit, shuttle and tip for six guys.  We all had our own kayaks, though.  

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Spaulding Smails

Spaulding Smails 1552

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8 minutes ago, Ollie Slatt said:

Amistad is solid.  I have used them and would use them again.  The shuttle cost seems high until you see how far it is, how rough the roads are, etc. 

You're exactly right.  They are a great bunch.  Very professional.  And those vehicles take an absolute ass whipping.  I can't imagine the tires, suspensions, etc they go through.  And, you have to remember they are doing it twice.  Once to drop you off and another to get the hell out of there.

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