Ah, the familiar foamy brown latte that is the Santa Margarita River in flood. This trip was a last minute surprise. I was still sitting in bed contemplating a lazy Saturday of chores when texts came in from Keith that he had a couple people interested in running it, Ben and Chris. The flow would be 600 dropping to 500cfs, an ideal fun flow (Keith and my run from a month previous was a spicier 800-600cfs). I threw my gear together and was ready just in time when Keith swung by my house; I strapped on my uncomfortable facemask and we were off. Though it meant some waiting at the familiar Jack in the Box, Chris and Ben set shuttle for us which was appreciated. I was greatly surprised to see Rocky and a couple others show up for a paddle. Two groups the same day for the Santa Margarita? It probably has never happened before. More people meant more faffing around but eventually we all got on the water. It was an unusually social paddle for me and it was nice to chat, especially since several of the kayakers were uninitiated to packrafts and were curious.
I generally took the lead having the best recent memory of the run, which avoided the need for scouting. I had a lot of fun at this flow compared to a month ago and managed to not embarrass myself with any flips (at least until the end). Actually the kayakers seemed impressed with the capability of my boat and the ease with which I could get out to snap photos. They also seemed very impressed with the quality of the run.
The waterfalls were flowing more than I had ever seen and the native succulents were fat with water from all the recent rains. The temperature was a stunningly warm day. We ever saw a beaver. It was a great day out! This truly is one of the more special places I know of in southern California.
More whitewater ensued. The larger group meant more opportunities for me to sneak out ahead to snap photos and so I probably got better photos on this trip than I have before.
Happily the rock sieve portage cleaned up as a little boulder slide drop. It wasn't until the very end of the gorge in one of the last rapids that I managed to catch a lateral wave which flipped me. I had high hopes for a no flip run but was happy at my performance overall! Keith, Ben, Chris, and I took out at the Stagecoach Road where the gorge ends and several miles of mazy willows began. The others floated on to the bridge but sounds like they had a nice enough time.
Running the "portage"
It was a beautiful day and so I went for a double header. Once home I packed up my paragliding kit, hiked from my front door to my launch and got a nice flight in. It felt amazing to get outside and get a couple sports in. Thanks to Keith for a great little trip. I usually don't like repeating runs but Temecula Gorge is my local at this point.
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