|
Photo by James Howells |
|
Photo by James Howells |
| River: Virgin River |
| Segment: Lower Gorge--Door #2 |
| Flow: 2,500 cfs |
| Date: May 1998 |
| Class: slot |
| Paddler: Mark Wilder |
| Description: Mark makes the move through Door #2. This line doesn't exist below 1,000 cfs. On Jan. 1, 1989, about 60,000 cfs roared down the canyon, unleashed by the breaching of Quail Lake Diversion Dike, an earth-fill dike forming the south wall of 43,000 acre-ft Quail Lake. When the flood encountered this sharp right turn at the very end of the Virgin River Gorge ("The Narrows" on USGS topo maps), huge rocks eroded out of the left bank and tumbled into the river channel. "The Madam", a room-sized boulder (R side in photo), blocks most of the left side of the channel, and a slightly smaller rock nearby helps strain debris. Door #1, on the left of the Madam is runnable at high flows, but scouting is mandatory due to the debris (logs, telephone poles, etc) that can fetch up in the opening. Door #2 requires feathering your paddle. Door #3 (slot on left side of photo) has a rock garden below. Rafts should portage on the right bank, or slither through Door #3. |