Left...or was it right? Too
late...may the force be with me. David Manning on Molly’s Nipple.
to
match.The power of the virtual lake rag- ing through the main channel creates a gut- wrenching roar that will awaken any sub- conscious fears. On calm days, a rising mist makes the hairs on your neck stand at atten- tion.
Although Pelican doesn’t require signifi- cant paddling skills to line up, this is defi- nitely an advanced section, requiring com- fort with house-sized waves dumping on your head and an ability to remain calm as the river ragdolls you without warning. In 1998 my partners and I finally worked up enough nerve to tackle the main flow and I ended up with the first surf of Pelican. We each took turns pulling out of the pul- sating eddy, across a smaller wave train and down the highway-like
ramp.At the bottom of the long,sloping, runway,we met the first wave; a 30-foot cycling monster followed the gigantic wave train. With the surging water levels, the Pelican wave changes
shape every 30 seconds or so from a crash- ing wave to a rolling hump. My first surf was made possible by lucky
timing. I floated toward the awaiting ramp, turned my boat around to face upstream, and,with my stomach in my throat, climbed the face just as it broke behind me like a per- fect storm. Now, we run Pelican in pairs to aid res- cue situations. The time it takes to break into the main flow from the eddies below makes it impossible to get to a swimmer in time, if you can even find them. A swimmer with a wingman can get to one of the clos- est islands—two kilometres downriver— that much sooner. One of our group members tested this
theory inadvertently. His spray deck implod- ed when a wave crashed down on him. He swam out of the notorious river left hole, down the boiling and folding eddy line, and into a giant whirlpool, only able to look up
to the unreachable cone of air. Resurfacing was followed by repetitive breathless peri- ods of underwater, unsynchronized swim- ming. After finally being towed by his res- cuer to one of the small islands, he violently ejected river water from his stomach and lungs, along with any illusions he’d had about the mercy of the river.
Mountain Rapids: Butterscotch Nipple With Pelican being the most intimidating
rapid,the next, Mountain,is one of the most welcoming. It has many surf waves and holes for paddlers of all
abilities.The Slave bends around a peninsula and over a series of ledges and shelves. The rapids are named after Mountain Portage, an arduous trek up and over the 150-foot-high trail to the other side of the peninsula. The portage was once used to transport supplies around the rapids, but today kayakers use it as an easy way to paddle this section without a shuttle.
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