Homestake Creek - Homestake

Description

For a mere 1/4 mile long stretch of manky high country steep creek boating, Homestake holds several distinctions.  Homestake is part of the Teva Games extreme race and attracts racers from around the world to compete every year.  It's also an optional class V espresso start to Gilman Gorge.  These combined sections are the goto run for Summit and Eagle county boaters looking to fine tune their creeking skills.  Since it tends to run earlier than most in Colorado, it makes for a great early season opportunity for boaters throughout the state.

Regardless of your reason for being there, Homestake is a surprisingly memorable section of whitewater considering its short length.  Most people divide it into three sections:

1. the steep continuous top section
2. the pool drop middle section
3. the rarely run POS (Piece of Shit) bottom section.  

For all but the most seasoned class V boaters, the gradient and sharp rock will start the butterflies churning and leave one in want of a more mellow warmup.  The good news is that this section generally boats better than it looks.  The bad news is, it's been the site of plenty of carnage.  If it's your first time down, convince your buddy to go first (I always use photo taking as an excuse).  It helps to see how it boats before you decide to put on.

By all means, carry on and run the Gilman Gorge section below.  If Homestake is runnable, Gilman Gorge on the Eagle will almost always have sufficient water as well.