Photo

Photo courtesy of American Whitewater

Description

Whoa, Momma! This is one of the most visually impressive rapids in the East. From a rock at the bottom of the rapid, you can see it snake around for a quarter mile. It begins with a horseshoe hole which can mess with you, your boat, and your plans for the future. Typical, at normal levels, is to boof it left, as in the picture at the right (you know what to do: click on photo for the full-sized version).

Then, deal with the squirrelwater to line up for the final drop, a fifteen-footer with a spanky hole at the bottom. At low water (less than 2.5), it's really important to avoid penciling in on the right--the rock is exposed and ankle-breaking. At higher water (3.0+), it's harder to make the right-to-left move for the final Falls--but the middle line opens up, so you can bump'n'grind down that if need be.
Whoa, Momma!, this is a fun one!

Another low water option is to start on the eddy on river right above the horseshoes, ferry left into the pothole eddy between the horseshoes, then drop down.