We start at the Boy Scout put-in. The portage is shortened by about 10 yards by higher water than I've ever seen. This is the one "reservoired" section of the river that will run a current. The two sections above are both larger while the section below is tidewater. We turn upriver against a 2:1 current. Our goal is to go up below the dam and play a bit in a short section of rocky class 1 whitewater, but I know the crux will come where there an underwater shelf that accelerates the current. Besides the faster current at that spot, the shelf runs bank to bank with no eddies to rest in - you have to paddle right through it for about 75 yards. We keep going because I'm hoping that water will have backed up enough to flood out the shelf... things you can't learn without looking.
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| In the last eddy below the shelf |
A nice long eddy has formed on the river left bank. This lets us take a breather and coast up to the fast water. Then, we head out into the current and power paddle. S thinks we're making headway, but you have to ignore the water and watch the bank. We are making headway - about 2 inches for every paddle stroke. I know this isn't going to let up - we'll be past the shelf sometime next week. So, we veer off and ride the current back.
It's an easy downstream paddle. The current is a bit faster than a fast walk. It'll be a short trip as the Admiral Mimosa has ordered the Mai Tai Navy to set sail. Three pontoon boats and some other flotsam pass by. We wonder what marketing wizard decided to name a brand of pontoon boats, "Aqua Patio". That just couldn't have helped sales.
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