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Doing
so will take you past the Chopping Block, down through a series of big waves
with some neat mush-move options to either side, and on to the
end of the rapid. As the rapid plays out, it is constricted by two points of
land coming out from either side. On the left side, it actually pours at a
diagonal over the shelf of rock which creates a very big eddy behind it. Those
who have paddled the New River in WV will recognize the architecture of
this
spot well - it is best described as being a steroidal version of the Halls of
Karma. The downward-spiralling seam created by the pourover/eddy generates huge
whirlpools 10-12' across. Named Brain Douche by Eric Lindberg and Whitney
Shields (they christened it so because of the thorough purge it gave to the
sinuses), this powerful seam will readily take rodeo boats several feet deep.
Mysterying here is a dangerous but tempting proposition. Just playing with this
seam, hitting the up button after only a couple of feet, it becomes readily
apparent that only a fraction of the available power is being harnessed. This
is one place
where a double-suck is a truly terrifying proposition, as the river is extremely
deep here and the volume being pumped out is huge. There have been some very
scary accidents at Brain Douche over the years, enough to cause locals to search
out less-crazed venues for their downtime.
For those who would enjoy Brain Douche vicariously, without putting themselves
at the mercy of the river fates, there is a rock beach behind the shelf
which
creates the pourover where one can watch as surface boaters get caught off
guard
passing too close to the seam.
Below Butcher's Knife, the river broadens out and travels across an area of
relatively low gradient, passing by a tower of rock where the rafting companies
stop and sacrifice willing clients to the River Gods. When the danger of falling
bodies is not present, there is a decent seam open to a talented few. Short
mysteries are available here to those with good timing and solid control.
The
rest of this section is full of small seams, reversals, and mid-current
microeddies that offer a cornucopia of downstream delights to the curious
squirt
boater. A big sandy beach is available on river right (known as Miami Beach)
-
campers at the Log and Lantern Campground will come down to the beach and
watch
the rafts and kayakers go by, and some are generous with their "refreshments".
Putting back in and heading downstream, you will eventually come to the top
of
the next big set - The Norman's, followed closely by Coliseum. |
