fitness paddling: exercise, train, race by kayak & canoe

Traveling on the family plan is somewhat limiting for adventurous paddling and/or training. I did manage a few hours on the "middle" Animas River at Durango and on Lake Dillon last week.

I have paddled the Animas before and I have thought that it would make a good flatwater race course. Some sections for your future reference.

Bakers Bridge (CO 250) to Trimble Ln Bridge @ Dalton Golf Club - 6.7 miles. The put-in is steep but doable. (I think that Bakers Bridge marks the lower end of the Upper Animas Class III-V run). I checked this section with three local paddling shops and got a deer-in-headlights stare at each place. "What's there?" Answer: "We dunno. There be monsters!".

Well the first 3.5 miles turned out to be continous Class II rock gardens and standing waves. Would have been great fun in a kayak or skirted canoe. I would run this in an ICF K-1 with an overstern rudder. In an open Texas Water Safari canoe I had HELL! I walked the boat 8 or 9 times, tore the soles off of my genuine Nike Aquasocks (Thank God for duct tape) and sank the boat once in a standing wave train. Great Colorado scenery though. The last 3.2 miles flattened out to riffles and was a real joy. At decent water levels I think this would be a fun race course for the well-prepared.

Trimble Ln Bridge to 32nd Street Pocket Park. - 11.7 miles. I ran this twice. All flat, nice scenery. Enough (1.5 mph) current to run fairly fast w/o effort. I ran into one young muscled up tatoo-nation guy wind-milling a short plastic Prijon wildwater boat. He was none to happy when I passed him. in a canoe. Chiseled body, great effort, lousy equipment for flatwater. Wasn't very friendly or talkative at the take-out. I think that Texans love Colorado more than Colorado loves Texans. OK, we can't ski worth a hoot but who do you rather put up with? Texans or oil sheiks?

32nd street to Santa Rita Park. Tubers paradise. Not sure on mileage estimating 3 miles + or -. This is bony Class I-II. Again, it would be fun in a race if you have the right boat.

Santa Rita Park includes the Slalom course which I understand has been "enhanced" recently. My plastic boat didn't travel so I skipped the slalom course. Below the Park is another mile or two of fun stuff that the tubers and rafters seemed to be enjoying.

Durango to Farmington. 25 miles???? Again the local paddling shops were clueless but they seemed to believe that the river passes through the Southern Ute Indian reservation and that the Utes are all about taking scalps, e.g. beach your boat and lose it. My brother-in-law, a Durango Attorney confirmed this. The river appeared to be bony Class I-II. Would need good water and a confirmed take-out before attempting this run.

Lake Dillon: My third rodeo on Lake Dillon. If you can breathe at 9,100 ft. a man-made lake doesn't get any finer. Two years ago the lake was about 50' down and the islands were canyons. This time the lake was full. Frisco Marina to Dillon Marina is a 10 mile R/T. From Keystone to near Breckenridge would be longer. At 7 AM I shared the lake with two sculls, one kayak, Canadian geese and an occasional fish.

Rode my bike around the lake with my boys. The bike trails and local recreation clubs in Colorado are fantastic! Only complaint was too many empty-nester old farts in loud lycra outfits thinking they are Lance Armstrong with an attitude. I'm sorry, I'm 47 years old and pretty fit and I don't need to be seen in such attire. I think these people are all vacationers from California. Still, Colorado should enact, and enforce, a public decency law because some of us have impressionable small children.

"Serious Texas BBQ" - two locations in Durango. It's the real stuff, and pretty good (I would give it a "B"). Biggest complaint was too-dry brisket. I recommend ordering "cutter's choice" brisket (Rudy's BBQ knock-off), the Elgin Sausage (not my favorite but still the real deal). Pork Loin and baby-back ribs were excellent. Genuine Shiner Bock Beer! Despite a proliferation of Blue Bell Ice Cream cartons on display, none is available. Proprieters from Pflugerville, TX are trying to get Blue Bell.

"Erics Downstairs" - Breckenridge. I have pilgrimage the trip to Erics since 1990. Excellent pizza and about 25 beers on tap and more in bottles. There are some other good food in Dillon/Frisco/Silverthorne but Erics stands out. I used to like the Old Dillon Inn in Silverthorne for New Mexico style Mexican food but I was disappointed last time so we skipped it.

The "Boatyard" on Main in Frisco makes a nice post-paddle lunch. There is also a brew pub at the entrance to the Frisco Marina

Regretably I am back in Austin where my local paddling waters are flooded out and closed! 40 mile R/T this evening to find a small lake that is open.

Cheers,

Lee Deviney Austin, TX

I have a pretty long, though interesting, drive to Durango and the Animas from the northern Colorado. However, I would love to see a kayak race on Lake Dillon. I believe that some adventure races have paddling legs there.

Please remember about the Dotsero Race - 10 miles on the Colorado River in the Glenwood Canyon (3rd Sunday of August).

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