Good morning folks,
I'd love to join you for this. Do I need a creeker, or can I do this on my Jackson Fun?
I'm sure I can handle the difficulty level based on what I've read.
Cheers,
Stefan
Hi Stefan.
There's the old saying about the Coast Guard. To anyone calling them to ask if it's safe to go out to sea on a particular day, their answer is always 'no'. Someone who has to ask does not have the required knowledge and skills to make a decision him/herself, and likely does not have the knowledge and skills to be there safely. Since they have to rescue people who got in trouble, you can understand that policy.
Do not take this in the wrong way. If I did not have experience running steep, narrow, shallow runs, I would not be able to assess the difficulty of a run based only on what is written on the Internet. Taylorville is a Class III-IV shallow run where the consequences of missing a line can be quite bad, as we have seen over the years. Eagle is fully Class V, the waterfall at the end is actually the easiest part.
I would have to ask myself:
--Have I been paddling during most of the Spring and Summer?
--Do I own a creek boat that I am comfortable paddling?
--Can I roll approx. 100% of the time VERY QUICKLY in rocky shallow chaotic water, possibly while hitting rocks?
--Do I have experience paddling different rivers, usually without swimming?
--Am I comfortable catching eddies in Class III whitewater?
--Can I successfully boof a 2 m waterfall?
--Do I have enough experience to read a river and pick my way down a twisty rapid?
--Can I/do I want to depend on others for rescue in case of trouble?
Some experienced paddlers who know the river vey well may elect to do it in playboat. Personally, I would only use a creek boat.
It is also long drive if you end up watching only...
Have fun!
--Christian