Vallecito

Vallecito is a run that has always made me nervous. With a mile of boxed in Class V in an inescapable gorge and stories of great boaters getting humbled, this is a run that deserves respect. Also deserving consideration is the water level. The photos in this post were taken at 2.05 feet (about 290 cfs), which everyone seems to agree is a padded but not terrifying level. I would not want to go in much higher primarily because of the boil/backcut cave at Entrance Falls. But many people do go in higher, so it is definitely possible.

Big thanks to Cruise, Danny, Shawn and Cody for thinking that taking five newbies in at once (for a total group size of nine) was a good idea. It would have been a much more stressful day without their beta.

Crowded put-in.



Cruise stomping the everliving crap out of Entrance Falls.



Famous John coming through entrance.



Big Eric entering Trash Can. Wonder how it got that name.



If you look closely, you can see the log jammed deep in Fuzzy Bunny- bummer.



The view downstream from Fuzzy Bunny.



Cody demonstrating the manky Boufant sneak- note the logs on the left blocking the normal line.



Cody styling Paddle Bitch.



Issues in Paddle Bitch.



As you have probably gathered, the wood situation in Vallecito is not so great right now. There are three problem spots with big logs that probably cannot be removed until the water drops. But they will be out eventually, and the run is still really good, even with these issues. All in all, this is an amazing run in an amazing canyon, but not to be taken lightly. I can't wait to get a few more runs and get the lines a bit more dialed.