THE LAUNCHING POINT AND THE RACE

The huge arcing move required to make gate two below Rodeo Hole was fast becoming a dividing line. Faces contorted, racers hucked themselves at the window between the first and second gates, many only to be rejected and typewriter helplessly to river right. Most who made it spun, most spun through the window, losing valuable time, or squeezed under on edge with necks craned. This was definitively the most exciting kayak race I’d ever witnessed.

Expedition paddlers have been making these same