Cataract @ 70,000

I like big water. At least that is what I like to say. But maybe I just like runs where I can roll without hitting my head on rocks, and have no idea what I am talking about with big water. There is more than enough time for these thoughts to revolve in your head on the multi-hour drive and shuttle for Cataract Canyon. The level is 70,000 cfs. Maybe it is all washed out into Class III. Maybe not. Only one way to find out.

But first, flatwater. Lots of it. Like 50+ miles before you reach the rapids. We paddled from 2PM to 11PM on day 1 and made about 40 miles. Kevin takes the flatwater paddle in very seriously.



Russ' bunk buddy on night 1.



When we finally reach the rapids at noon on day 2, tensions are a bit high. We have two paddlers in our group who have done the run at 50k and they are astonished by how high the river is. Rapid number 2, which I guess is usually not big deal has 20 foot waves and huge eddylines. No way to go but downstream.

Things never really get much harder than number 2 though. Most of the rapids are similar with long snaking wavetrains- some waves 20-30 feet high. But most are friendly and there are no holes. Every rock in the river is so far underwater that the only river features are eddylines and compression waves.

Even Big Drop 1 is washed out.



Big Drops 2 and 3 are not quite washed out. This picture does no justice, but if you can imagine, these features (Little Niagra on the right, and the Window Wave on the left) are thirty feet tall. The barely noticeable "marker waves" are 10+ feet tall. The line here was to punch the diagonal between the two bigger features.



View downstream of the rest of the rapid.



Deep contempation at Satan's Gut.



And then there was more flatwater. Seriously, Cat has alot of flatwater. At least it is scenic.



Our trip took a total of 48 hours, about 22 on the water. The high flows did not really speed up the flatwater, especially with a headwind. It is hard to rate the difficulty of the rapids. There are no real moves to make except in the Big Drops, but the waves and eddylines are huge and a swim would be really really bad. I literally do not know how a swimmer would get to shore in the rapids. The folks in our group who had done it at 50k thought that level was harder because there were holes in play that were washed out at 70k. Take this description for what it is worth. Cat at these levels is a very unique experience and I would love to go back...with a jetboat ride through the flatwater.