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Below
Pushbutton (the last section of The Lorne), the river presents two
options. The first leads left around a boulder pile which extends from the point
of land lying immediately in front of you. This is a shallow, rocky channel
which
turns into a dead end. The second swings hard right and enters a narrow section
of flat (but moving), swirly water. The walls become
steep here, an indication of just how much water is being squeezed between them.
Shortly, the river swings left and broadens out at the lip of the next big
rapid, appropriately named the Butcher's Knife. The name comes from the thin
veins of quartz which are inlaid in the rock of the right wall - as the eons
allowed the softer rock around it to be eroded, the quartz remained and took
on
razor-blade like qualities. A brush against the wall can slice you very deeply;
neoprene and nylon are no protection. Those knives have been known to damage
hypalon rafts (pretty tough boats by anyone's standards).
The good news here is that the line of choice for squirts runs down the center-left
side of
the rapid, winding around the left side of a big meaty hole affectionately
named
The Chopping Block by locals. This is actually not a bad playhole at some
levels, but those working it should be wary of flushing out as the current
behind it tends to push towards the right wall. There is a line down the right
side, but the consequences of contacting rock could be serious. It's tough
to
squeeze a proper first aid kit into a squirt boat, so most tend to opt for
the
safe option and go left. |
