1999
by Dan Tallman
I didn't know we had rapids in eastern South Dakota. However, yesterday I ran a creek without a name that drains the lake country around Waubay and runs west, down the prairie hills and eventually into the James River. My two companions indicated that there was more water earlier in the season and that this river only runs once every 80 years or so. The lakes in the Waubay area are 5-10 feet over full. Indeed, the state hunting map shows this creek but with no outlet. It feeds Hickman Lake, about 12 miles south of Bristol and near Langford, South Dakota. The creek is narrow, but 4-6 feet deep in places. We didn't hit too many rocks.
Anyway, we ran a continual rapid for two miles, often with 1-2 foot plunges. We were in inflatable kayaks (purchased from REI). We did not use canoes because my companions had wrapped a rented aluminum canoe around a rock on an earlier trip. So I guess this must be a Class II creek. I have never kayaked (but do have whitewater canoeing experience), so the creek may have been more of a thrill for me than it would have been for someone with experience.
"The best shod for the most part travel with wet feet"-Thoreau
