Trip Report: Texas Water Safari

by Christy Long

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June 10, 2005, warm, sunny

I arrived in camp around 8:00 pm, set up tent, and then sat around and talked. Several arrived early enough to paddle a bit right there at Tom's. Rick Brunson baked a delicious peach cobbler and we had a warm mid-night snack around 10:30.

June 11, 2005, hot sunny day with little breeze, cooling off late night
San Marcos running at 220 cfs

Louis and Dana made pancakes and bacon for breakfast, others went out to breakfast, I ate with Louis and Dana. It was great. We were at Aquarena Springs around 8:00 am and got a good shot of the excitement that was coming from the participants and team supporters. Anna and I got so caught up in the excitement; we decided to enter the race in 2006. Others in our party reminisced with the current racers talking about races they had participated in and people they had raced with.

We drove to Rio Vista Rapid to watch the first racers run the rapid. Some portaged to the left, others to the right, and the brave ones right down the middle. Those that came down the middle had varying degrees of success. There are no real garage sales (scattered gear). Anna and I planned our strategy for 2006.

Next stop for us was Cotton Seed. The landowner on river left allowed spectators to enter his property for a donation to the Texas River Safari. We saw carnage at the top of Cotton Seed, in the middle, to river left, and at the end. Anna and I were beginning to have doubts because it was becoming obvious this race would not be as easy as it looked when we were at Aquarena Springs.

Around 11:30 am we drove back to Pecan Park Retreat for lunch and to begin our paddle on the San Marcos River. The group consisting of Anna King (K1), Dana Enos (OC1), Louis Aulbach (OC1), Rick Brunson (K1), Justin Ceterski (K1), Bob Price (OC1), John Orht (K1), and Christy Long (K1) played all the way down the river taking turns surfing the rapids.

For dinner some of the group broke camp and went to town and some of us stayed in camp for a camp stove dinner. Louis started the entrée while Dana chopped onions and bell pepper, I helped with the fresh green salad, and Justin mixed up pistachio pudding. Although I saw the ingredients for the jambalaya, Louis would not reveal the secret spices he added. I will have to buy the book. The sausage jambalaya and pistachio pudding were easy to make, were very filling and were made from ingredients from the pantry and fresh vegetables, can't wait to buy the book.

Around 9:30 pm I went to Palmetto State Campground where Anna, John, Bob, and Rick went to camp. This is the fourth check point and is 60 river miles into the race. I am told that at this time three boats had called it quits. I will not know until the results are in, if this is true. It was incrediblely dark and the racers knew we were on the bridge but could not judge the distance to the edge. We had to shine our lights on the castellations so they could see where to where to pull their boat onto the bridge. The racers would holler out their number and the support team would come forward to exchange water bottles and remove any unnecessary weight. This was a surprisingly quiet encounter between racer and team captain exchanging information about the race and the team captain making sure that the racer had what was necessary to make it to the next check point.

After seeing what fourteen hours and 60 river miles could do to a person I realized this race was not to be taken lightly and requires long term commitment from the racer and the support team. I applaud all the racers and the people who support them because each had an important part in the race. I thought about those racers on the dark water, paddling; as I lay comfortable in my dry sleeping bag.

Sunday 12, 2005 hot day, little breeze
Guadalupe running 420 cfs, San Marcos running 220 cfs

Louis and Dana cooked bacon, eggs, and hash browns for breakfast while Justin heated up some corn beef and hash. What a great way to begin the day. After we cleaned up breakfast and broke camp Louis and Dana headed for home. Justin and I paddled from Hueco to Gruene on the Guadalupe and although we stopped and played at all riffles and rapids we were on the road for home by 2:30. John reported that he, Anna, Rick and Bob paddled the stretch from Spencer's to Staples on the San Marcos and was on the road about the same time. As I drive home, I think about the fact that many of the racers were still on the river headed for Sea Drift, committed to finishing the race.

The only thing bad about this weekend–it was too short.

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