River Education- Clear Creek in Golden

I love the water and rivers, in particular, hold a special place in heart.  In my early teens my dad and I took a whitewater canoeing course in Columbia, SC. That course taught me about eddy's (fluid dynamics-aka. the calm places of water behind rocks to pull out of the main flow of water) and safety (don't attempt to stand in fast moving current. There is a good chance your foot could become wedged between rocks and the strong water will push your upper body and head downstream and under water. Instead, float on your back with your feet in front of you to protect you from rocks until you get in a position to get out of the main current )I have tubed and enjoyed that river countless times since then.  From low water levels to when the alarms where going off and lights flashing (indicating a significant surge of water coming down from the dam).

Here in Colorado I have also enjoyed the rivers.  Clear Creek in Golden is a favorite because of it's close proximity to where I currently live.  I discovered this little gym last summer.  It is a relatively narrow river with several fun rapids.  Perfect for adventure tubing (versus relaxing float tubing).  About a week ago, a few friends and I took a trip to Clear Creek for some tubing fun.  The first thing I noticed was the water higher and faster.  In my anticipation of the first tubing run of the season I interpreted this as a wonderful bonus.  I consider myself an experienced 'river rat'.  I believe my confidence led me to temporarily forget my normal respectfulness of fast moving water.  My first clue should have been the absence of any other tubers on this section of river.

 After a pre-tubing photo-op, a few of us hopped in the frigid water.  (My guess now is the ones who stayed on shore may possess a slightly sharper intellect than the rest of us.) We didn't make it much more than a 100 yds before we were desperately seeking refuge out of the raging waters.  We had entered the current one by one.  Which resulted in each person being whisked away quickly, not allowing anyone to be near the other. I was second in the drop in.  I was flipped out backwards in the first series of rapids, losing my gatorade bottle and sunglasses.  Reflexively grabbing my tube, so as not to lose it and to assist me getting out the current. I made it to the side and calmer waters. Then others were coming behind me and those of us that went first became rescuers of sorts. This is were I sustained the cuts and bruises to my shins and ankle.  Standing in waist deep water on the cusp of the rapids while leaning out and retrieving shoes and people, my feet were trying to gain purchase on the uneven river bed of large, sharp boulders.  Once everyone was safely out of the river we decided to go to the lower section, which was only marginally better.  Four of us rode the river down from about midpoint, which was much better, but technically difficult to really control in a tube.  We just clung to our tubes and rode the river.

Since this trip, I have wondered what was so different and why.  Besides the obvious of the water being higher and faster. So I have done a little research. Here is what I have found.

So what was the water level when we went.  Here is what I found.
http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?cb_00065=on&cb_00060=on&format=gif_stats&period=&begin_date=2013-06-08&end_date=2013-06-15&site_no=06719505



The yellow triangle represents the 38 average.  Clear Creek was at 1000cfm pretty much all last week.

From the website:
 http://whitewatertubing.com/river-information/where-to-go-tubing/clear-creek/

Flow Range:40cfs to 100cfs is a good mellow to moderate level for tubing in the whitewater park
100-500cfs is a great level for tubing from Tunnel 1 to the whitewater park
500-1000cfs is best for kayaking or canoeing by experienced paddlers. The river starts to move pretty fast for tubing.
1,000 cfs: experienced paddlers only

Water Temperature: During May and June the water is typically pretty cold. When the water is over 300 cfs, it’s usually in peak snow melt time. That means, you guessed it, cold water. We rent wetsuits. The water usually starts warming up when the snowmelt is winding down.

When is it running?: Clear creek is usually floatable from April through August. Weather and snow pack are different every year. You don’t need much water to float in the Golden whitewater park. The whitewater park has man made features that help channelize and pool up the water, making it fun even at very low water. It’s a great place to swim at low water too.

Difficulty: 200cfs=easy/moderate ; 200cfs=moderate ; 500cfs=advanced
Closures: Clear Creek may be closed to tubers at high water, which would be around 1,000 cfs.

Here is a chart of the averages,(http://waterdata.usgs.gov/usa/nwis/dvstat/?site_no=06719505&por_06719505_5=344693,00060,5) showing that June is the highest flow month (snow melt off the mountains). I didn't discover Clear Creek until late summer.  Which explains why I didn't see these high water levels last year. (click to enlarge pic)

I am satisfied that I understand Clear Creek a little better and with this information I will be planning my tubing trips appropriately.