Water Level: 6 inches (Albright Bridge)
Date: October 24, 1998
K-1 Boaters: Susan Klimas, Kim Clancy, Nancy Nettles, Linda Wiggins

This trip started out as our first all-female trip. Nancy and Kim decreed that if any males went along they would have to be shuttle studs. We arranged to meet at the bridge in Albright, in order to check the levels. We knew this would be about the minimum level for this section, and we wondered if we could even get down it. However, we needed a trip, and we wanted a fairly close, quick trip since we all had things going on. Nothing was running anyway, and the Narrows was a nice change.

Driving down toward the put-in, we thought we might walk as much as we boated, from the looks of the river. When we put in, though, we were pleasantly surprised. The river was moving nicely, even the flatwater sections. We found channels even in sections that had looked unboatable from the road. The run at this level required constant maneuvering around rocks and through slots. The rapids were all very mild, but did require a lot more maneuvering than usual.

We had heard that Calamity Rock was ugly at the low level, and this was basically true. There was plenty of water for the drop, but the lower levels showed pinning possibilities and rocks that had to be avoided. The approach was very technical in order to get into the right position to avoid the rocks. One large rock after the drop was just covered with water; had someone flipped during the drop, it could easily have ended in a face-plant. However, there were no problems.

Wind Rapid was interesting -- you couldn’t see anything until you were a few feet from the top of the rapid. Usually it is a large wave train, but at the low level it was a sharper drop requiring more maneuvering. The rest of the major rapids were more of the same. The most interesting part, though, was toward the end of the run, where large boulders blocked all view of the river. It was a maze, with lots of slot moves required to just get through -- there was no main flow of the current. There was a lot more of this type of thing in the last mile or so. However, the current was not pushy, so it ended up being good practice in boat control with few consequences in a screw-up.

We took out at the orange rocks -- yuck. The mud was orange also -- I haven’t been able to get all of it out of my booties. Kim fell getting out of her boat and ended up with orange mud on her rear end. Nancy rather spectacularly flashed passing motorists while changing into dry clothes.

I think the Narrows at this level would be an excellent novice run. The current was not pushy and the maneuvering required would be a great learning experience without consequences. This would be a good next step from the upper New to learn boat control skills.