Floating through Phoenix Plus a quick 80 miles on the San Fransisco

 With all the water in the high country of Arizona due to a winter that will be long remembered, Andrew and i took advantage to do something i never thought i would do: float the Salt River through Phoenix. This strech is always a treat to see flowing, but in my 25 or so years in Phoenix i can only remember it having any water of significance for a handful of days. 

Andrew ready and psyched

A week before, a pulse of 40kcfs came through due to a rain on snow event high in the Verde system. Surely this had cleared most of the shit out of the river channel (needles, homeless shelters, cars, who knows what else), and with 5k on the guage now was the time! 

We did 8 miles in a quick 2 hours, from Priest to Central, right by the airport. The float was generally swift with a few rapids up to cl2+ going right by the airport. I would have loved to take it farther but the looming knowledge of a riverwide lowhead dam at 19th ave had us worried. 

The weekend prior andrew and i had just completed a run of the San Fransico through to the Gila box- some 80 miles in 2.5 beautiful days with a quick stop in Clifton for a burrito at Andrews favorite place to go while he was working in the area. Cant wait to go back and tag a few other rivers in the area when they flow again!

Spring was springing!

Burriot bound

Just starting out on the San Fransisco

Edited to add:

With the pulse of water from a prodigous spring season in the southwest still maing its way through the Gila system, we went back to see what the Gila looked like below painted rock. I think the gila is currently flowing into the colorado right now with natural flow! we didnt quite have the time to see it but we did float ~20 miles of river below painted rock. Its clear that this area hasnt seen water in a long time. There was no riperian corridor, it was more or less a river floating through open desert, but it is amazing how quickly bird life will return to an area, and it was certainly abundant where we were!

here is a vid andrew put together:

https://www.facebook.com/reel/583655273863477