Grade III+
Class: 1 port, 3 V-, 1 IV, some III with mostly class II- between
Length: ~3km, 4hr total
Put In: Drive to Pincher Creek Shell plant between Pincher
Creek and Waterton. Drive past the shell plant. Turn left halfway down a hill
by an artificial lake. Continue straight at a T instersection to a gate. Hike
to the end of the road with your boat. 3km.
North Drywood is one of the 3 or 4 short season low volume creeks that are found on the front range mountains by the Pincher Creek shell plant. This valley is also a popular rock climbing area, or at least as popular as climbing areas get around here. Getting to the put in requires a 3km or so hike up a good gravel road. Flows are normally only good for a 2 week stretch in the spring. The run is very low volume. 30cms on the Drywood guage probably means 2cms at the put in and 4cms or so at the end. The first few week of June in normally good.
This run has a different character from the big drops in the Red argillite canyon of South Drywood. This creek has more continutity to it. Most likely this is beacuse it is a bit narrower and keeping an eye out for potential wood keeps one on edge.The run also has more submerged boulder gardens than south drywood. A creek boat, while not necessary on south drywood would be a good idea here.
At the put in there is a sizeable falls whose lines are quite questionable. Start just below this. Things are mellow until you get to an easy class III chute. Below? this is an easier class II chute. There are few rapids until you get to the stromatolite canyon. Get out for this section. There is an easy looking lead in to a nasty looking drop. It is hard to say if this drop will go. The necessary move looks tough and it is hard to say whether the landing is undrcut or not.
After his comes a small (3 foot) ledge next to an undercut rock. You can put in for this drop, or below for the next class V- ledges. The top ledge has a tight move on the right. The second has a shallow landing. After these drops, things mellow out for a while. There is one small ledge that has a deceptive undercut to it. A wahsed out beaver damn is just below it.
The last section of rapids occurs right next to an open gully that comes in from river right. A scout is a good idea. The top drop is a fun low anlged side along some ledges (10ft or so vertical). Just below this is another slidey drop. The right side is somewhat directed to a slightly undercut boulder. At the end of the drop is a large boulder that looks dangerous from above, but is actually quite safe. The speed you pick up on this rapid tends to mean everything runs together like a roller coaster.
After this the rapids are over. I think there may be a couple more class III, but not much else. The river keeps moving fast over a gravel bed. You get to sneak through one culvert. There are some sweepers along the way, but at ideal flows you never need to get out of your boat. I took 1 hour for the walk in and 2.5 hours for the run with scouting.
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