Back Alley Brawl

This is the signature rapid on the river. This rapid has several complicating factors that change greatly at levels above 2.0

It is a very narrow line through a box canyon style gorge with rock on each side. Once you are in, I doubt you will get a chance to climb out if you swim. We ran this first at a level about 1 inch below the gauge's first hack mark. The entry at low flow is direct and easy setting up success at punching the entry hole to the Back Alley Brawl.

This entry hole deserves its name "HOLY SHIT HOLE". At 1.0 water flow it unexpectedly threw me into the large longterm strainer log at the back end of the hole. At high flows 2.75 it beat the piss out of our best pro boater.  YEEHAW  Kev!!  I really wanted to name this hole peewee so we could say Kevin got his ass kicked in a hole named peewee but I gave in to group pressure....holy shit hole it is. Don't under estimate it.

The most concerning nature of the Back Alley is that what happens in the alley stays in the alley. Every man for themselves. Assistance and rescue in the winter is nearly impossible, heck scouting wasn't really possible without an ice axe and crampons on the steeps. Kevin got worked for 2 minutes and we didn't even know nor could we hear him. Take an extra measure of safety here and don't assume anything. For some reason I've always been the last guy through and I've hated it every isolated time.

After you clear "Holy Shit Hole" and pass on the Left of the large log, look for the "Boulder Pinch Down" and the only line of a boats width to the right. At high water I got endered and majorly stalled here which is that last thing you need just feet from the boof. Even good lines on the right leave you in a less than idea angle approach to the boof. The tail feels too far right.

Clearing the "Pinch Down"  you are within feet from the critical diagonal lip you must boof. Drive Hard right and try to fall off keeping your nose away from the left wall. Chances are your first time you will blow the move. As long as you remember to pull in your Left paddle blade and parallel up with the paddle you should be ok. If your bow falls into the left wall, which is exactly what the water wants to do to you, you will grind hard into the wall. Survivable but ugly and loud paddle clacking. I can easily see a paddle getting broken in here. As ugly as the hole is at this 10 foot boof, it seems to let boaters get away. 

I think the risk of entrapment or broken bones swimming over the boof is significant.  That said, fire it up and stay in the boat and make sure there is no new wood.