Johnson drops in to Bride

Johnson drops in to Bride

Photo of Todd Johnson by Bryan Owen taken 04/02/06

First off, about the links found throughout the Rapids Section below...  Right now, because of AW's new Wiki formatting, if you click on a link and then later hit "back" you'll get taken back to the main front page for the Green and NOT this section.  Until I get 'em all changed to "Open in a New Tab" then I recommend you do that yourself.  That's the habit I've gotten into when in this section (same goes for clicking on a picture). 

Also, many of the pics showing below now have "Can't tell for sure" as a level --- for some reason co-opted from the level I (jokingly) picked for the topo map found in the Sunshine description....  Guess I'll make up some numbers for the others if we can't get that error fixed back to the original levels.  Sorry 'bout that.  Thanks -- JP

After putting in 100 yards above the confluence with Big Hungry Creek, there's an easy half-mile plus of class II-III warm-up.

Then the walls close in......the bottom drops out......and the fun begins.  Check out a gradient chart of the Narrows for an idea of where this gravity sport is about to take you.

Enter Bride by going either between the two flake rocks at the beginning, or to the left of them.  After the first drop of about three feet, proceed down toward the second drop, a smaller pourover which makes for a good playspot. Use some good left-hand angle and momentum going off the top drop so you don't end up in the undercut on the right. 

Race Line Boof

Race Line Boof

Photo of Kevin Colburn by Trip Kinney taken 04/02/06

The "Traditional Line" is to catch the set-up eddy on the right, but don't wash into the far right channel directly below where the trees and undercuts of the "lobster trap" await. From this setup eddy, ferry into the entrance slot with some good upstream angle and catch the eddy straight ahead on the left. Then ferry back into the current looking for a triangular-shaped rock you need to go right of. You can boof center or right into the eddy on the right at the bottom, then ferry your way back out of there. However, watch out for the undercut directly below and don't blow your line with the top eddy here, or you can end up pinned going left of the triangle rock. The "Race Line" has a smallish double-boof then squeezey entrance. Stay right and slow down after that to feed back left into the race line boof finisher (shown in photo). Super fun to run clean!

Johnson Branch -- Below Frankenstein, there are multiple lines through a six foot drop and then some  boogie water on the way to Pincushion.  Immediately below the drop there's a tiny feeder creek called Johnson Branch that comes in from the right.  You can see it on the topo map.

A racer at Pincushion

A racer at Pincushion

Photo by Chris Bell taken 04/02/06

After the short stretch of boogie water with multiple routes, you come to the next drop, Pincushion, a four foot drop with a blind entrance flowing into a pointy rock below and left of center. Enter the top slot on the left, line up and go right around the rock at the bottom.  An alternate line is to take the bottom entrance and run to the left around the pincushion rock, but this requires more a bit more water than a low summer release to run clean.

Below Pincushion is a two-drop Class III+ rapid with multiple routes available.

Whale Tail

Whale Tail

Photo by Chris Bell taken 09/15/95 @ 100%

Whale Tail begins with three different entrance slots and is a beautiful little slide with a two-foot drop at the bottom. Do not go over on the far river left side. A couple of small holes later and you're in the set-up eddy for Boof or Consequences.

At 10 p.m. in near pitch darkness and paddling boats loaded with the infidel's favorite beverage, the committee has recently determined this becomes Class III+ rapid.

After Whale Tail things get pretty steep for awhile.....this is the beginning of the goods.  .

Summertime Boofing

Summertime Boofing

Photo of Jeffrey Joyce by Hunter Davis taken 07/10/11 @ 7 inches

Starting about here Mama Green straightens out a bit and drops head-long into the heart of the gorge.....the next five hundred yards drop at over 400' per mile.

The main line at Boofers is to stay with the flow leading in, wiggle through some squiggles, then bank right for the first drop (shown in the background of the above photo). Turn left for the bottom drop without getting pushed too far left or right (into an undercut or pin potential, respectively). There is a "back door" entrance to the main line that is sometimes done by people to get a better handle on the main drop if they haven't run it much, and it requires a little wheel-chair move to get it started.

For Boofer's sneak on the right, eddy out at the top and look for the slot just to the right of the midstream boulder. The line involves sliding through the narrow slot, catching just enough of a little flake rock, dropping about six feet and turning left in a hurry -- to avoid a personal (physical) introduction to a modestly undercut wall. Re-enter the main flow for the final drop, and eddy bottom right. 

The sneak can be done completely clean and fluffy-like, although pinning/broaching dangers from getting too far left dropping off the sneak are real -- and are well-documented at the end of this fine YouTube clip from October 2010.

A racer sneaks it

A racer sneaks it

Photo by Chris Bell taken 04/02/06

Squeeze is the name for the Go Left Sneak. From the eddy below Boof, hit the first drop going right, squeeze through the narrow slot and then pencil down four feet into a little pool.  Cruise down the final slide of about ten feet where you'll need to head left to hit most of the flow and avoid a glorified seal launch --- especially at low summer flows (not a problem at this spooky level).

After the pool below Squeeze and Go Left, there is a sweet little left-hand boof on the right-hand side of the main flow out.  I used to think that this boof was about where you entered Polk County.  But not any longer...

The County Line:  A Welcome Center Just for You?

This next tidbit is pretty remarkable..... Careful viewing of the Polk County GIS aerial photo map reveals that the Henderson County/Polk County boundary line (as also seen here on this USGS topographic map) crosses the river exactly where the log is in Go Left And Die --- thus making the hole there at the base of the drop perhaps best called the "Polk County Welcome Center".  A tip of the hat to GIS sleuth Paul Bartholic for this one.

Good shot of Go left

Good shot of Go left

Photo of Wilson Bell by Dallas Shaw taken 09/17/09

Go Left is the first of the Green's "Big Three" (the others being Gorilla and Sunshine). Here, proceed down the same as Squeeze but head left instead of right. You then boof over a log and power left across a six foot drop aiming for the extremely narrow slot at the bottom on the left. Watch out and tuck tight if you flip....it's really narrow.

Missing your line and hitting the right slot at the bottom is a good way to pin. Plenty of Green Race carnage has been filmed here over the years by the folks at LVM and others. 

A few kernels of history about the naming of Go Left can be gleaned within this 2007 thread of Boatertalk posts from and about some of the early players on the Green.  Orange juice squeezer, baby.

Normally (and easily) scouted from the right --- even Adirondacks boaters might want to have a good look-see at this one... "Boys, welcome to Polk County". 

A visit to the Polk County Welcome Center can be dynamic.  Here's another example.  And a somersault.

Things change a little at high water --- and at really super-duper high water....witness this shot of Adriene running Go Left at 25".

Reverse Seven Foot

Reverse Seven Foot

Photo by Chris Bell taken 11/08/03 @ 100%

At the end of the next little pool is Reverse Seven --- named (without inspiration) because it is vaguely similar to Chattooga's Seven Foot Falls, though a bit smaller and, of course, reversed. If not running direct you can catch the eddy on the left below Reverse Seven to get ready for Zwick's, immediately downstream. Running direct has the advantage of placing you in the flow towards Zwick's already moving, and sets up well for success. It's also more fun.

If you are going to scout Zwick's, most get out on the right before Reverse Seven Foot to do so, but you can also sneak into the back of the Reverse Seven Foot eddy and get out easily to scout Zwick's on the left. Worth doing if you haven't.

Top Hole at Zwick's

Top Hole at Zwick's

Photo of Andria Davis by Leland Davis taken 04/02/06

For many people, this is the first place to get worried. Zwick's consists of two real features: the top hole, as seen in the photo on the right, and the drop into the bottom hole shown here. Enter the top center-ish with a little right angle and a big left stroke to power over and beyond the hole. Bank left and ride down the shelf following the main tongue of green water, taking a left-to-right boof at the launch pad over the bottom hole. If you get blown left at the top hole, stay left and run the bottom hole on the far left, not in the seam.

Don't underestimate Zwick's. Lots of good boaters have been hammered here --- as well as this author, who spent considerable time "back in under", which a zero release picture shows the potential for. What can compound a bad time at Zwick's is the fact that Chief lies in wait just 30 feet downstream and is in the outflow from the bottom drop.

If you want, it's possible to sneak the top hole --- ducking in to the right just before the rock to Andria's right, above.  The exit drops you out immediately below the hole, where you can then finish "race line style" or with the regular bottom boof. 

Chief

Chief

Photo of Brent Laubaugh @ 100%

Chief is one of the most dangerous rapids on the Green and is the location of the Narrows' first kayaking fatality. There have also been a number of near misses here, so it's a good idea to exercise extreme caution in this straightforward looking two-drop rapid.

The main line is center-ish off the top drop, pointing right and then heading down the main drop on the right side of it with a bit of right angle. Underneath the outflow of the main drop lies the infamous pin rock -- with a deep pocket to its right.  A "no release" picture gives you a good handle on the bad program at Chief.   Penciling in on the bottom drop while running the normal line can be highly suboptimal because you might pin in the deep pocket, with escape being something of a coin toss.  A January 2011 incident during a low water run details the potential here. 

Also, do not go off the drop sideways or angled left.  Running left at the bottom (at juicier flows) might engage you in a "not what you came for" undercut cave-like situation, followed directly by an out-of-boat experience and then beer and television.

At levels higher than ~8", a mid-river sneak is available. However, almost all Green paddlers agree that the sneak is much riskier than the main line since it involves banging off a shallow shelf onto the rock that seperates the sneak from the main line. Hitting this rock the wrong way could send you backwards toward the pinning potential, which is exactly what happened during the drowning. If portaging Gorilla, catch the eddy on the left just above Pencil Sharpener.

For kicks, here's a photo from upstream at a high water 25" on the stick gauge.....don't try this at home.

Right Line at Pencil Sharpener

Right Line at Pencil Sharpener

Photo of Leland Davis taken 04/02/06

Pencil Sharpener is the top drop of Gorilla. Many people run far right here, down a small slot that drops about eight feet. Others run a race line off the center or the double-drop "Flying Squirrel" on river left. Eddy out right or left to get ready for the next drop...The Notch! You can see the "Birthday Eddy" in the left foreground of this picture. 

Like many rapids, Pencil Sharpener can be sobering to look at with no water.

Robin at The Notch

Robin at The Notch

Photo of Robin Betz by Bryan Owen taken 04/02/06

The Notch is is the tricksiest part of Gorilla. Although the flume is photogenic, The Notch is the crux move of the rapid. Here, the entire river drops through a four foot-wide slot with a big undercut ("the garage") on the right, a boiling eddyline and the main drop of Gorilla twenty feet downstream. One can catch the river right eddy below The Notch ("The Notch Eddy") to set up for the main drop, or go direct. The consequence of this move is Gorilla, so don't flip or swim here like one prominent local boater captured on another prominent local boater's homemade Green video. For some perspective, check out this great view of The Notch from river right, this higher water sub-out, and this one of a hand paddler.

Immediately to the paddler's right in the above photo is the "birthday eddy", named for the much-loved and highly respected Daniel Delavergne.  He caught the eddy on his birthday in 2006, just days before his death.  A little memorial service was held a year later, and examples of people catching the birthday eddy from that day can be found here.

Spankin' The Monkey

Spankin' The Monkey

Photo of Leland Davis taken 04/02/06

Talked about, dreamt about, feared, respected, loved, and well-known the world over, Gorilla is a signature rapid like perhaps no other.  And this Monkey raises the bar.

Many great pictures from interesting angles (including this one, and this one) can be found in the photos tab of the main page, and elsewhere on the web such as this best ever video clip from LVM. The main drop of Gorilla is sometimes called "the flume." From the river right eddy in the Notch, peel out and a couple of strokes later you're ramping down to the pad and off the main drop of 16-18', headed towards the Speed Trap. Aim to be about two or three feet away from the river left wall for best results at Gorilla. Although the flume itself isn't a 5.2, the entire rapid, from Pencil Sharpener through Speed Trap certainly merits it. Over about 10", watch out for the Speed Trap as the flume gets easier and the Speed Trap gets tougher.  Of course,  at 19" the whole thing is just a walk in the park.

After landing Gorilla, it's not all fun and games until you get to the speed trap, as (1) you can't see, and (2) the "face breaker" protruding rock is 3/4 of the way through the run-out on your left if you're upside down. People huck themselves off the Monkey all the time, but the chances of something going wrong here are very real.

If you're walking the Monkey, you can re-enter our beautiful Rio Verde via the well-known seal launch (also seen here), sliding at a good clip down 30 feet of bedrock and dropping 6 feet back to the water-world just below the Speed Trap. Don't forget a boof stroke at the lip.....you're landing in about 6 inches of water, with Scream Machine immediately to your left. Above about 12" on the gauge it becomes increasingly difficult to get right enough to avoid the hole in Scream Machine, so some people will pass on the seal launch and continue walking to the bottom of Nies' Pieces.

Having fun with hand paddles.

Having fun with hand paddles.

Photo of Drew Refshauge by Mark Mastalski taken 03/15/02

The first of four slides, Scream Machine is a ten-foot drop below Gorilla. You'll want to ferry to the right at the top, but the current will blow you left, and you can end up right in the sweet spot in the middle-left. At levels above 11-12", the hole at the bottom left gets pretty beefy. 

If you catch the little eddy at the bottom right, look up and see a great hemlock growing right out of the rock wall. But you wouldn't have time at this level.

Here's a great shot from behind the paddler during the 2007 Green Race.

At the top left of Scream Machine is a tricky little pot hole called the "Rock Star Eddy". 

For a minor discussion about the trees in the picture on the right, go here.

Nies' Pieces

Nies' Pieces

Photo of Nathan Silsbee by Ryan Moore taken 04/02/06

The final drop in the Gorilla sequence, run it either to the left side or right side of the big and slanted mid-stream boulder below Scream Machine. It consists of a double drop/slide on the left, or a big single drop on the right with a tricky boof (and a grabby hole at higher water). Probably more than half the people run left at Nies', with a bit of right angle to avoid the wall at the bottom -- and it can turn into mayhem during the Head-to-Head portion of the Green Race. If you run right, you "can't get far enough" up against the right hand wall for the boof.

Both sides of Nies' Pieces are shown in the background of this photo, and here is a good look at the river left side with no water.

Top of Powerslide

Top of Powerslide

Photo of Jared Curtioff by Bryan Owen taken 06/10/07 @ 100%

Power Slide is a fun 30-foot slide with a beefy hole at the bottom. The standard line is to run center to center-right here at normal flows, breaking through a curler before turning left and down -- avoiding the meat of the hole.  Some people plug it for fun-and-happiness, and sometimes they are worked-over as a result.  Running left of the hole is an option, and/but swimmers on that side can have a difficult time of things.  Don't assume someone in trouble there will be quickly delivered free of recirculation.

Get further right on Powerslide at higher water, and at even higher water, YOU make the call...

Also, there's a nice hero eddy at the top left of Power Slide. It's easier to get into smoothly than out of smoothly.

Rapid Transit

Rapid Transit

Photo of Christian Magallenes by Chris Roberts taken 04/02/06

A couple of short pools later comes Rapid Transit. Rapid Transit is the final and largest slide, but consists of broken ledges, a wall on the right, and a large undercut on the left if you drop off early over there. Enter center down a shallow tongue of green water and punch the diagonal curler at the top, avoid the crack along the wall on the right, and slide down either a bit left or right of center...having a fun, bouncy, kidney-bruising and boat-cracking experience, or something more sensible....depending.  A high water (25") photo can be found here.

The left line:  dropping off the left side of the mid-slide fist rock pointing about 10 o'clock left, facing nearly square-on the overhanging boulder before boofing right, can lead to a super-smooth line some are calling "Subprime Loan", but it is a little tricksy and not without the hazards of possible foreclosure or rate adjustment.  Right here is some quality headcam footage that has a little Subprime in it at 1:08.

A higher water alternate entrance at the top left also exists --- feeding you in just below the diagonal curler --- and can be seen in the middle of this wicked nice clip from the LVM boys: Do Not Feed To Cattle (oops, that's a dead link.  Bug Shane to find it!).  

This is a big rock jumble and usually portaged, unless the left side sneak (which comes and goes) is open for transit, or you're game for one of two other more sketchy sneak lines, the river left-most of which is called "Pin Practice" --- you get the idea. Portage on the left, but if carrrying both Groove Tube and Sunshine, then portage on the right from the pool below Rapid Transit.

Groove Tube, main line

Groove Tube, main line

Photo of Chris Bell taken Summer 1995 taken 04/02/06

Enter Groove Tube left and slide down the entrance into a twelve foot drop with a shallow landing. Don't wipe your face on the rocks along the left wall going down. Check out this picture of the left line from behind the boater. And this one. Other lines here include a nice center-right auto-boof (pic #1, pic #2) which lands you in the current heading towards Sunshine. If you are not a Sunshine regular, take your seat in the second eddy below Groove Tube on the right to portage or scout. Sunshine is directly below and pretty easy to wash into. Be sure you know where that eddy is!

Hiking Out: The one trail out of the gorge is located on river left at Groove Tube. It is very steep for the first 200 yards, then turn left at the top of the steep section where it T's into the Pulliam Creek Trail. From there it's a mellow 2 mile walk uphill to Big Hungry Road, where you turn left again for civilization as we know it. Don't run the Green without knowing about this trail. Also, three rapids below Sunshine, at "Triple Cracks", the Green Cove Trail terminates on river left, and using it to go downstream 3.5 miles to below the take-out is an option, but longer than the Pulliam Creek Trail. The map, which does NOT show the short steep drop-off trail section to Groove Tube, is here in a pdf file.

Wintertime Sunshine

Wintertime Sunshine

Photo of Chris Roberts by Trevin

Sunshine is the Green's most difficult rapid and one of its most consequential due to the river pounding over a 12-15 foot drop onto a broken rock shelf.  Here's nice angle on the drop, taken from the portage route on river right.  Late in 2010 the entrance (getting into and out of the set-up eddy) changed for the worse, making the standard line a fair bit tricksier. 

Poor lines through Sunshine have caused countless injuries, including paralysis. Bring your A-game, recognizing fully the consequences of a bad line, or walk this one. Start your run of Sunshine in the river left setup eddy. From here, you will want to ferry across and with a great boof stroke, power yourself into the river right eddy below. Depending on how things go, you'll either catch this bottom eddy, with possible cave time, or feed back left into the bottom drop.

The alternate line here is "Sunshine Left".  It's very tight, scary to look at, and not done by a whole lot of people. Here are two excellent shots of the left line, from the top.

A careful observer will notice why Sunshine is named Sunshine, but this topographic map also explains it.

The Lower Section: After maybe taking a little break at Sunshine, there are no major rapids until the Toilet Bowl/Hammer Factor combination at the end. It's just fun Class III and IV, with a couple of long shallow stretches, and you'll be sure to enjoy all the tricky eddies, fun boofs, and alternate lines on this stretch of easier rapids. Some have names, and in order those are sometimes called:

On Any Other River This Rapid Would Have A Name
Triple Cracks
Colonel Dick's ...or... West Prong Rapid (picture)

The Boof That Hurts ...or... Stupid Boof --- (including a secret sieve of pure evil, on the left, midway)

Green River Rodeo Hole
All American Boof.........(All American Sieve)
Naked Lady Boof (picture)
Blackwater Falls
Baby Sunshine (picture) / Baby Hammer Factor

Two guys at Toilet Bowl

Two guys at Toilet Bowl

Photo taken 09/13/09

After the long pool following Baby Sunshine, there's a nice Class III lead-in with multiple lines and a couple different ways to run Toilet Bowl, which sports a pretty big hole. Some people run top left and boof back right through it, but most probably boof right after angling down the main tongue feeding the bowl. With more water a far right line with a double rock bounce or one big boof works wonders. If you're not linking Toilet Bowl and Hammer Factor together, eddies await you on the left and right.

Sometimes the Toilet Bowl gets dirty.

Hammer Factor from above

Hammer Factor from above

Photo of Gabriel Latini by Bryan Owen taken 04/02/06

Hammer Factor has an intimidating look to it with the huge looming undercut boulder on the right side, but is pretty harmless at normal release levels. There's a small set-up eddy that gives you a chance to look at most of it, and the eddy can be entered a couple ways, including a fun boof (levels above 9") when using the left-most slot. From there, the standard deal is the enter on the right, ride the curler to your left and get up on the shelf. The more shelf-life the better, as it skirts you around the worst of the hole. Here's a nice shot from the bottom of the rapid at 11",  another at 8.5" (linkie forthcoming, having issues), and another one from above at a guesstimated 30".

At higher water it becomes more important to square-up to the hole once dropping off the shelf. Many people are spooked by Hammer Factor at high water, as stories of swims, and tandem swims, abound. The alternate line -- which looks harder than it is -- is the "right line", and starts from the river right and rattlesnake infested pool directly above the drop. Enter by boofing over or just left of a finger rock and aiming straight for the left wall, then continuing with the same shelf-life program as before. At the end of this video clip there are a few examples of the right line.

Danger:  In late December 2011, a new sieve opened up at the bottom of the pool where that snake was (mentioned above).  It's about 6-8' to the left of the beach where one might take out there, and sucks empty-ish the bottom 1/4 of the pool/eddy.  Do not stumble yourself too close for inspection, but boat inspections and regular right-side lines are easily enough done.  It's big enough for a boat and feeds itself out under the main huge boulder overhanging the regular line.  The "shower room" (accessed from the pool below Hammer Factor) is now curiously dry as a result of this change.  Heads up.

 Game Over

After the nice Toilet Bowl & Hammer Factor back-to-back combination, that's it.  There's a couple hundred yards of Class II, including one sweet little thing called Bitch Slap, and you arrive back at Fishtop.  Take out on the small rock beach there, or run another stupid little rapid and enter another world.  

For those interested in hiking up the 1/4 mile or so from Fishtop parking to Hammer Factor, there is an easy trail on river right that isn't too hard to find --- and then with some modest clamboring about one can wind up on the boulder overlooking the drop (above right).

Be careful with your sports beverages at Fishtop --- they are illegal in the parking lot.  Indeed, they are illegal anywhere in Polk County within 50 ft. of the river.