Start of rafting season on Poudre River brings excitement, concern
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- Created on Friday, 13 May 2011 18:28
- Written by Nathan
By DAN ENGLAND, GREELEY TRIBUNE
When veteran boaters of the Poudre River try to imagine what this season could bring, they think back to 1983.
John Moran of Fort Collins still dreams about it the way a child might dream of a chocolate castle in cotton candy clouds. That year was his fourth on the Poudre. The Gray Rock bridge was under water. At a couple of spots you could look at car passengers in the eye. The boating lasted until September. Rides of a lifetime were common.
But Moran also remembers the lower narrows. He saw the line and, therefore, briefly considered riding it, until he saw a full-sized pine tree rip through it, disappear briefly and then rocket out of the river 30 yards downstream. He took a pass that day.
This season, boaters expect water levels may even surpass that 1983 record of just under 6,000 cubic feet per second. Those are water levels that bring elation from experienced boaters, concern from law enforcement and rescue personnel and a mix of the two from rafting companies.
The snowpack is as high as 175 percent of normal (and still growing, given this week's dumping at Cameron Pass), and it's already showing benefits for boats: The season for private boaters started at least a week ago, which is early. The commercial season starts Saturday.
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