近距离内射合集

Those who made the decision to promote water-related activities in New Mexico know that sometimes you have to roll with the punches.

鈥淚 tell my friends I run a rafting company in the middle of a desert in the middle of a drought,鈥� quips Los Rios River Runners president Cisco Guevara. 鈥淲hat was I thinking?鈥�

Even by the normal standards, it鈥檚 been an abnormally dry season in the Land of Enchantment, and as a result, water levels in rivers throughout the state are well below average. In whitewater rafting terms, this is monitored through cubic feet per second, which measures the volume of water passing through a particular point of a river at any given second. Across the board, CFS measurements have historically been low in New Mexican rivers for the first part of the summer.

鈥淲e鈥檙e at this really, really low level,鈥� says Kokopelli Rafting Adventures river manager Judah Horowitz. 鈥淐FS, that means if you stretch a string across the river and you measure how much water goes underneath your string in one second鈥�that鈥檚 generally how rivers are measured. So you'll say the river is at 200 CFS cubic feet per second. We鈥檝e been down this season (on the Rio Grande) as low as a 139 that I saw, which is ultra low.鈥�

Those conditions are low enough that in some areas, rafting trips haven鈥檛 been running at all. This includes the Taos Box, a popular section for advanced rafters that includes Class 4 and Class 5 rapids and flows through the Rio Grande Gorge.

鈥淢y heyday when I was out every single day in the Taos Box with the big water, we regularly saw 2,000 to 3,000 CFS every year 鈥� sometimes (up to) 6,000 every year,鈥� Guevara said. 鈥淎nd we actually would stop running the river when it got down below 1,000. Which by today's standards, that鈥檚 ludicrous.鈥�

It鈥檚 not all gloom and doom in whitewater rafting country, however. New Mexico River Adventures owner Matt Gontram points out that with low flows in hotspots such as Colorado鈥檚 Arkansas River and Brown鈥檚 Canyon, the region is struggling as a whole. However, since New Mexico鈥檚 whitewater rafting business is no stranger to droughts, it is quite resilient.

鈥淭he rafting industry in general across the western U.S. is down. There鈥檚 just no denying that it's a historic low water season on all western rivers,鈥� Gontram said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e seen these conditions before. You know it is one of the lowest water seasons certainly that I've seen 鈥� But at the end of the day, we鈥檙e still able to run the (Rio Grande) racecourse section and the full day that is included with it.鈥�

While the Rio Grande is generally regarded as the most reliable river for commercial rafting, the Rio Chama is quite consistent as well thanks to weekend water releases from El Vado Reservoir that allow for runs later into the season.

鈥淐hama is the place to be,鈥� Guevara said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 got good water on the weekends 鈥� the multi-day start on Friday and the day trips start on Saturday and Sunday.鈥�

鈥淲e鈥檙e guaranteed recreation releases annually from mid-July through Labor Day, and there's no difference this year,鈥� Gontram said. 鈥淲e saw low flows in May, and that is atypical of the Chama鈥�We had to adapt and we did and we were able to operate almost all of our trips.鈥�

There鈥檚 also a silver lining to having lower water levels throughout the state: It provides a different type of challenge to veteran rafters while simultaneously being more accessible for the less-experienced demographic.

鈥淟ow water is fun water. It's cleaner, warmer, slower. So it鈥檚 a different kind of experience,鈥� Guevara said. 鈥淚n the rapid sections like the Race Course, we tell people it鈥檚 more like a wet bumper car ride than the rollercoaster 鈥� up and down the big waves.

鈥淵ou鈥檙e not going to see big waves crashing over your head, threatening to wash you out of the raft. They鈥檙e gone. The rocks that made those waves are now sticking up out of the river and you have to paddle around them. So it鈥檚 very technical, very active. It鈥檚 a different kind of fun. Not for everybody, but the people that have been going have really been having a blast.鈥�

Inflatable kayaks, also known as 鈥渇unyaks鈥� or 鈥渄uckies,鈥� tend to be more prevalent in the current conditions. They are more stable and forgiving than a regular kayak and can squeeze through the tight spaces between rocks.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a greater sense of engagement often with the customers because at high water you just gotta go down the middle and paddle the boat,鈥� Horowitz said. 鈥淏ut in low water, the customers often have to shift around a lot on the boat, move your weight to the left or to the right. Sometimes you have to get out of the boat, lift one side鈥� So I think this year, even with all its challenges, there鈥檚 a very fun and unique experience that the customers got to have on the river.鈥�

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