Jesse Burns - Professional Raft Guide blog

FIBArk 2012!

thelocalyokel — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 03:41:28 +0000

Just a few days away, free music and carny food, a cherished summer tradition. Friday night Motet covering the Talking Heads will be the show to see! Can’t wait!

FIBArk 2012

http://fibark.net/

Low Water, High Spirits

thelocalyokel — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 03:27:49 +0000

As fun as high water is here on the Arkansas River, low water is turning about to be a blast as well. I’ve been running a lot of trips in the Numbers as well as Brown’s and guests have been thrilled about both. The scenery hasn’t changed and I’ll tell you what, the Numbers definitely still drops 85′ a mile. You can feel every foot of that drop at 400cfs as it turns into a giant game of shoots and ladders. The fishing has also been exceptional, and easy, a key component for me.

Playing on the rocks

Pimp ‘N Ho Rodeo 2012

thelocalyokel — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 14:20:41 +0000

Once again CKS and NRS sponsered the pre Disco Night, Pimp N’ Ho raft rodeo in the downtown Buena Vista playpark. This year Margo, Kathryn, Kelly and I got after it with a superhero theme and a kick-ass attitude. The play hole was considerably lower and definitely a little easier to stay in. We tried a couple different strategies including back-loading and ‘cafe’ style. We spun, we flipped and we got after it. Once again however we were just too gangster for the competition and the judges gave us second place.

Gettin’ it with the back-load, we flipped shortly after

That’s my leg and arm and true colors, USA!

Buffalo Joe Guide School Training

thelocalyokel — Wed, 30 May 2012 19:01:28 +0000

I just spent the last 10 days with our new guide training class. A lot of time was spent bouncing off rocks and practicing highsides through Pinball, however I have been quite impressed with this class compared to others. Guide school consists of rafting everyday; learning everything from paddle techniques and commands and boat rigging, whitewater swimming and flipping to outdoor cooking and Leave No Trace practices. During out first phase of training, qualified trainers (Curtis and I) are on the boats with them everyday teaching, commenting and sometimes relaxing. The second phase of training will include lots of ‘turkey boats’ (just the rooks by themselves) and ride-a-longs with senior guides. Give these kids another couple weeks and we’ll make raft guide out of them yet!

Buffalo Joe’s Rookies and Trainers 2012

Scouting Seidel’s Suckhole with Curtis before their first attempt at running it

Practicing ‘paddle talks’ before launching

Our outdoor kitchen during dinner prep

Rooks gettin after the surf wave in Salida

Rooks gettin out of it in the surf wave in Salida!

1st Buffalo Joe’s trip of the season!

thelocalyokel — Sun, 06 May 2012 01:40:44 +0000

Beautiful weather and an astounding rise in cfs in the last two days made our first trip of the season a great success. A two-boat AM half day from Fisherman’s Bridge to Hecla Junction at about 580 cfs. It was real nice to be on the water again!

Brown’s Canyon

A quick rise in cfs the last 2 days

Westwater Wood-Boner Engagement Float, yeah that’s for real

thelocalyokel — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 04:03:45 +0000

Yes, the engaged couple I live with are the Wood and Boner and we just had any amazing float in the desert. Perfect way to kick off the summer season, tan and happy. The section we floated is from Loma, CO to Cisco, UT and goes about 50 mi on the Colorado River and through three canyons. Ruby and Horsethief Canyons are quite flat, but Westwater Canyon contains about 4 mi of super fun, big water rapids, waves and holes, waves and holes.

Ruby Canyon, full of black rocks

The only shade is on the boat

Side hike!

It was a good winter…

thelocalyokel — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 03:44:40 +0000

I imagine it comes as no surprise that we had a below average snowfall this year in the Arkansas Valley. March was really warm and full of awesome spring skiing and parties, however no snow. Monarch closed a week early but with dignity and better snow than most places in the state. The San Juans got hammered a few times this winter so there will be some water in the southwest. Idaho also got hit. I definitely got my fair share of powder days and anyone who says they didn’t, didn’t try hard enough.

As far as summer rafting goes; the powers, the monkeys, whoever it is that pushes the buttons on the three dams that is the Arkansas River hopefully have learned a lot in the 10 years since the last drought winter of 2002. That year the river peaked at a diabolic 666 cfs and finished up Labor Day Weekend right around 220. I imagine we will sit right around 700 cfs all most of the summer until August when it will get ramped down to fall levels, 500ish. That would be ideal, rain is good, global wierding might help us out with some flash flooding or freak snowstorms. Regardless though I’m pumped for whitewater in any form; lots of fishing trips and swimming in the river, two things we’ve really missed out on these high water years.

Leap Day pow skiing at Monarch

Getting after it on what turned out to be one of the last big powder days of the season.

We got some pretty good snow as well of the course of a couple days at the Lost Wonder Hut near Garfield, CO. It was beautiful out there regardless.

The Lost Wonder Hut

Wolf Creek on a 17in day, that was nice.

Sunshine gettin' it on Monarch Pass

3200 on the Gauley?? :)

thelocalyokel — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 05:59:19 +0000

It appears that the Army Corps of Engineers has decided that there is enough water in the Summersville Lake to release a little more water this year. 3200 cfs, instead of 2800 for the last 4 weeks. There will also be a couple 6-7 day release weeks as described in this link, Sept. 19-Oct 3. I believe this is the year the lake will be drained. Lost Gauley anyone? the section traditionally underwater and ‘lost.’

http://www.lrh-wc.usace.army.mil/wc/wwsched.html

High Water!!

Hurricane Irene

thelocalyokel — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 16:25:05 +0000

When hurricanes make landfall on the east coast, things can go bad for a lot of folks I’m sorry for this. But when these hurricanes make landfall and if they make their way to WV, we usually get several days of steady rain. This rain can shoot the Gauley and New Rivers up by thousands of cfs in a very short time. These large flows often stay for a while too.

The Meadow River is the main source of high water for the upper Gauley. The Meadow joins the Gauley just before Lost Paddle Rapid, the longest and most dangerous class V rapid. Typically in a high water situation, 2000-3000+++ coming out of the Meadow, the Corp of Engineers at the Summersville dam will only release 1800- from the dam. This unfortunately ruins Pillow Rock rapid, yet when Iron Ring is at 3500+ it is a thing of dreams!

If North Carolina gets hits by Hurricane Irene, which is now moving towards the US coast, the New River will surely rise. The origins of the New are in NC, the river then flows north through Virginia to WV where the goods are. The New will flow anywhere from 2000-120,000 cfs! The commercial cut-off is 35,000, pretty damn big. Cross your fingers for high water!

Getting Fired up for Gauley!

thelocalyokel — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 00:29:26 +0000

I was just checkin’ some Gauley raft porn, I would encourage it upon anyone interested in gettin’ down this fall!

NARR promo video by my hommie Casey

Carnage is good for the soul

Hollar