New Line in Number Five!

Ran the Pine Creek through Number 5.5 on the Arkansas today.  Super fun run and still unseasonably warm.  At these super low flows of under 200, there are a lot of fun rock boofs and tight little eddies, but generally not a lot in the way of new lines or tricks.

That changed a little today and so I had to share it!  Number Five at this level is generally run as a drop down the tongue essentially into rocks.  It goes and isn't scary because there is so little water, but it's kind of a crapshoot as to whether you end up doing some exaggerated rock brace with your paddle on the left. Thanks to a tip Bob had heard, we found a new route that still keeps the main drop in play.

Here's the new line:  catch the eddy on river right just above the main drop.  You'll know it when you see it because it's right in front of a big flat slap of rock that at normally higher water is the big fun boof to the right on the shoot.  Look down and across the drop and you can see the new run clearly.  Next peel out and ferry over so you cut hard behind the rock making the left side of the shoot.  Now you're down the main drop and avoided grinding your face on the boulders!  Now you have two options... if you cut tight enough behind the river left rock, you'll be in an eddy.  If you're a little farther out like I was, you're best option is to S-turn down river again and slalom down another route between some boulders.

I'm sorry I don't have a picture, but you can see if from the car-window-scout just downstream of the bridge.  Trust me, it's fun and more dynamic than just crashing right down the middle.... well, at least it might be something slightly new.  And, you're still in fine position to hit your favorite line or boof for the second half of the rapid.

Enjoy!

Oh heck, here's picture from the day anyway.  This is Bob popping a new Mamba 8.1's cherry on the Speed Bump rock just above the PC hole.  Nicely done.