According to McPhee Reservoir officials, the Dolores River was supposed to run 800 to 1200 cfs until May 25th.  Good news, several SAPC members made a quick escape to CO to catch the river at runnable levels and planned a 150-mile week-long run from Cahone to Gateway, CO.  After the first two days on the river it was obvious that the officials changed their minds and had reduced the release to around 400 cfs without warning anyone on the river.  The river became very rocky and the usually tame rapids began to show their teeth, especially at Little and Big Snaggletooth.  By day three our group decided to run the last part of the first 50-mile section from the Bradford Bridge putin to below the Pumphouse campground east of Dove Creek.  It was a 7-mile no-shuttle run to Snaggletooth rapid.  The rocky sections to Little Snag were run by everyone but after scouting Big Snag there was no way it could be run by anyone since the low water level had changed this rapid from a challenging class 4 to a dangerous class V.  Included below are several unique photos of the Snaggletooth rocks which are very rarely seen by river runners at higher water levels.  The consequences of unannounced river control on the Dolores could have led to very risky situations for river runners caught in the more remote wilderness areas of the lower sections.  We had to leave our boats above Big Snaggletooth and walk back the 7-mile stretch on a very muddy 4WD road back to camp.  Next morning it was a slow drive to get the boats and get back.  A storm front had come in and it was time to leave the area.  Steve Kanner decided to stay in Colorado to run parts of the Animas, Piedra and upper San Juan where he and other rafters saved a stranded baby elk in the swollen river.  Read his account in another report on this site.

Photo contributions by Volker Beer and Norma Miller