HCC Paddling Forum

More information for Bruce Bodson's Brazos River trip on Saturday.

Sorry to say I am being challenged again in posting information about this trip on the HCC Event Calendar.  You should sign up there so Bruce knows you are coming, but let me add a few paragraphs of information he provided and that I can't get the Event Calendar to show:

Brazos River from SH 159 to FM 529

This is a 19.1 mile paddle on the Brazos River.  This section contains some good flows but at normal levels, no rapids.  There may be a few obstructions and a couple of rock shelves. Usually excellent fossil hunting on the bars and rock exposures, and a number of freshwater mussel species.  The current is pretty good, and there are quite a number of interesting sand bars to stop on.  This section contains the hard bottom crossing at Bernardo Plantation, and a couple other rocky exposures, but normally no rapids.  Plan is to do this in approximately thirds, with nice breaks and time for exploring.  Depending on participation levels, we may move the meeting place up to SH 159 and shuttle down.

 

Skill Level:  Novice.  Generally flat water, and for one of these paddles, not overly long.  Could be some more interesting things exposed at really low flows though.

 

Time for another fun run on the Brazos, this one from SH159, to FM 529.  The distance is a scaled 19.1 miles, which will likely translate to 21.0 paddling.  Most of this stretch has some current and there are some very nice sand bars and rock outcrops, including the old hard bottom ford at Bernardo plantation. 

The plan is to use the new protocol and paddle the trip in thirds, with nice breaks on bars every third or so, more often if things look interesting to explore.  Meeting will be 0800 and wrap up when we get there.  The put in and take out both look pretty entertaining.  Current plan is to meet at the bottom and shuttle up, but if we get enough participants, we'll reverse that.

"He who hears the rippling of rivers in these degenerate days will not utterly despair." H.D. Thoreau