But the flowing water they slid their ships into late on a warm Monday afternoon isn’t Verde, Salt, or Colorado. Instead, it’s a mighty-flowing Rio Defrag, and their boat launch is Wheeler Park.

Meltwater from the mountains around Flagstaff continues to feed Rio Defrag, flooding several streets throughout the city and leaving some residents like Conley and Trumpinski near record-breaking humidity counts. The launch was made because people began to find new ways to enjoy .

A few days later, Conley reported that the two had paddled to where Rio passed under Interstate 40 and left the country club before the water cut eastward. Conley added that paddling swollen creeks and creeks had become his habit during these two weeks.

“I’ve been paddling for eight days straight now and it’s a lot of fun because it’s so new and it makes me feel so special. ‘ said Conley. “It’s like the challenging, low-result type of paddling.”

Conley and his friends aren’t the only ones making this attempt. Partly inspired by their efforts, Flagstaff resident Mike Kaiser also tried it, with somewhat less success.

On Sunday afternoon, Kaiser and his wife pulled the deflated kayak after a leak and climbed the steep bank of the Rio River just below the crossroads with West Beale Road. I also entered the ditch pool.

“I couldn’t stop laughing the whole time. It was fun. It wasn’t as scary as I expected – which is a good thing. I wanted to reach the bridge under and 66, but the Chamber of Commerce is there, and that was my goal, but the kayak flew off.”

Kaiser said he had been thinking about running the Rio since he heard about a friend rowing it in high school. But Kaiser said he wasn’t sure he could actually do it until he saw Conley and Trumpinski kayaking at Wheeler Park.

Flagstaff city emergency manager Stacey Brechler-Naggs, who has worked to address the risks of spills and floods, said the practice was more common when she first started it in the city in the 1980s. He said it was a sight.

“I started working at City Hall in 1984, and City Hall had just been built, and I saw the level rise, the Rio rise, and people kayaking down. “We haven’t seen it in a long time,” said Brechler-Knaggs. It’s crazy. Now we’re seeing it again.”

Conley said he had been thinking about what it would be like to paddle Rio for a long time, and as soon as he saw how the water was flowing, he wanted to try it.

“In Arizona, we don’t have a lot of water, so it’s always a water chasing game,” said Conley. “So when I saw Rio playing, I was immediately intrigued.”

Conley, Trumpinski, and two others tried the water for the first time earlier last week, putting them near the pool in the ditch just after the water peaked and began to descend. Just a few days ago, the city of Flagstaff announced that his three large reservoirs under Schultz Creek had reached 100% of his capacity, causing flooding in several areas.

Since then, the water has certainly continued to drop.

“Each run you can see the water level is a little bit lower than the last time I ran it,” Conley said.

Kaiser said he and his wife would like to try it again, this time in a rigid tandem kayak. Last time she jogged with him on an urban trail he tried.

But as exciting as paddling was, for Conley, the experience proved to be much more than simple fun, making him even more connected to Flagstaff, its history, and the surrounding environment. I feel

“I’ve lived here for 12 years, but I didn’t really know where the Rio de Flaga was in town,” he said. – A deep experience of the river, our local watershed. I feel a connection between where we live and the cycles of nature that are drowned out by city life. ”