When veteran boaters of the Poudre River try to imagine what this season could bring, they think back to 1983.
John Moran of Fort Collins still dreams about it. That year was his fourth on the Poudre. The Gray Rock bridge was under water. At a couple of spots you could look at car passengers in the eye. The boating lasted until September. Rides of a lifetime were common.
But Moran also remembers the lower narrows. He saw the line and, therefore, briefly considered riding it, until he saw a full-sized pine tree rip through it, disappear briefly and then rocket out of the river 30 yards downstream. He took a pass that day.
This season, boaters expect water levels may even surpass that 1983 record of just under 6,000 cubic feet per second. Those are water levels that bring elation from experienced boaters, concern from law enforcement and rescue personnel and a mix of the two from rafting companies.
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