Fishtail Rapid appeared as a swift, narrow chute where the river tightened and dropped quickly through a wave train stacked down the center. We lined up just right of the main tongue to avoid a series of jagged rocks lurking along the left shore. The dory accelerated fast, the bow lifting over a steep standing wave before plunging into a deep trough that sent a cold splash over the rails. Quick backstrokes helped us correct as a strong lateral pushed from river left, trying to spin the stern downstream. The boat flexed cleanly as we powered through a set of boiling eddies and rebounding chop near the tail. In less than a minute, we burst into calmer water, the crew focused and awake after a short but precise run.
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