Selway Day 3: The big stuff

OK, I've calmed down. So back to the trip. We had been camped at Tony Point campground, which seems like where everyone camps before running the big rapids. Just upstream from the confluence with Moose Creek, Tony Point is a great camping area, though the landing kind of sucks. Moose Creek is big. It just about doubles the flow of the Selway, and makes the river much less like a mountain stream and more like a big water river. This bears keeping in mind for those who haven't been down there before.

I didn't keep that in mind, and just about paid the price for my inattentiveness.

The first big rapid of the day was called "Double Drop." Looking at it from the left bank, It looked pretty nasty. For both CB and me, the initial impression was to do a center-working-left kind of run whereas to avoid the absolutely huge hole at the bottom right of the drop. But both of us had heard/read that the best run was a powerful right to left run thereby taking the top rocks out of play. So we decided to trust someone else's expertise, and went right.

That was a mistake.

There was so much current pushing to the right after the initial drop, neither one of us had a chance to avoid the hole. We both opted to run it backwards to take advantage of the greater power available when pulling on the oars (though I have to admit, I went backwards as much because I really thought I was going to flip, and I just didn't want to look at the hole: once I started dropping into it, I never did look anywhere except straight ahead (back upstream)).

What little downstream momentum I was able to develop by rowing backwards (I think) made the difference: I definitely got stood up, stalled and momentarily surfed, but I hit it straight on (pretty good for not looking), and was able to power my way over the top of the backwash. CB, who was right behind me, didn't have enough time to change plans, so he ended up doing pretty much the same thing.

Meanwhile, everyone else was still standing on the rock on the left above the rapid watching to see how to do it. We showed them how not to do it, and through a complicated set of hand signals, expressed our belief that the center run would probably be better. Still, they stood there, pondering something for quite a while.

Finally, Sparky stepped up to the plate, and took her cat through. It was the lightest boat in our group, and she smoked through the center run. Eventually, the others followed suit, all taking the center approach and did great.


This is Double Drop from the scouting rock on the left: even now looking at it, I don't see how I convinced myself to run it right to left. If you giganticize it, you'll see that most of the water is pushing to the right, CB and I may have been able to make it if we had simply started with our butt ends pointed to the left and gotten up a good head of steam to the left before we even entered the rapid, but we didn't. And got lucky.

Here comes a bunch of pictures in no particular order from day 3.

The yummy enchiladas. Lois revolutionized the way we make them: still just as good, but even easier to put together. Yay for Lois!

The apple crisp for dessert: I unfortunately cooked it too long so the apples got (in my opinion) too mushy, but it still tasted good.
Little Niagra: rated class IV in both our guidebooks, at the flow we were there, there was a completely flat run down the right side.
Ladle rapid: again, rated class IV, but at our level, it was an easy run pretty much down the center, though admittedly, if you got off line, it would have gotten ugly really quick.
A-frame and Backstroke lounging after a long day. This was Tango Bar beach.
Myself, Lois, and MTM building the enchiladas. As usual, there was tons of help in the kitchen, and everything went both quickly and smoothly.
Even the can crushing: Lex using the preferred "two-rock" method.
A-frame showing her mastery of the local fauna: perhaps we should change her net-name to "Fishkiller." That sounds much more ferocious than the more accurate "catch-and-release girl."
Breakfast back at Tony Point.
And the loading of the boats: everyone dressed more warmly anticipating the big whitewater just downstream.
The excellent eddy at Tango Bar:
Tango Bar was my kind of camp: big and sandy with scantily clad women strewn all over the place.