Well, this was just one of those trips. I think in all my years boating, I have never gotten down a river that was so low. We all knew it when we got to the put-in, but hey, we were there. Why not give it a go? "Crazy not to," as Mikey might say.

Mikey grimaces at the low water at the put-in.

The river started off boney, with a few channels that made the shallow river, even more shallow. In places, we'd have to get out and pull the raft through rock paths, almost too narrow for a kayaker, let alone a raft. There was decent gradient, but just not enough water. The first rapid of notice came when the river bent sharply left as it crashed into a rocky wall. Because of the water, we were forced uncomfortably close to the wall. We slid by, but it was a tight squeeze. There were a few rocks at the bottom, creating potential holes or other at higher flows.

Looking back up at the rocky corner rapid.

Beyond the rocky corner were more shallow rapids. The guests were a little disconcerted by all of the stoping to get out and pull, but we calmly assured them it was all part of the adventure.

Mikey pushes another duckie through a shallow rock garden.

The only other rapid of note was Superman, a barely Class III drop with a hole on the left side of the channel. This rapid is visible from above, and can be run just about anywhere. It was about 3 miles from there down to the takeout below the hanging car bridge. There was a small surfwave below the bridge, but not very retentive.

daysontheriver.com

All content © Jonathan Blum, 2004-2008 • Contact webmaster
No part of this page may be reproduced, copied, sold, or used for promotional materials without the express written permission of Daysontheriver.com.