Hittin’ the Green Narrows

Dave the Wave making Sunshine look easy.

The guys from the shop got me out for some boatin’ on the Green Narrows today, and I am hooked.

Kevin coming off the launching pad on Gorilla.

The Green Narrows is one of those runs that people talk about. Back in Wisconsin, people usually talk about it in hushed tones…”the Green…you know, the one in the videos. The one with Gorilla and Sunshine. I hiked in and looked at it once”…stuff like that.

So, when Dave and Kevin offered to take me down, I was torn. On the one hand, I have been thinking about running the Green for years and here was a chance to do it with a crew than knew the river and would show me the safest lines. On the other, I was concerned that I might be maimed, torn limb-from-limb or otherwise drowned.

Man, am I glad I got out on the river. The Green Narrows is an amazing run, with plenty of stout Class IV and do-able Class V rapids Good portages around the truly heinous drops, too. I got lots of walking in, carrying around Chief, Gorilla and Sunshine. Along the way I snapped some pics of Kevin, Dave and Danny Mongo on the sterner stuff.

Uh, yeah, I didn't run that. Danny lines up the right side on Sunshine.

Of course, I didn’t cruise the thing by any means. I got left of my line at the bottom of Zwick’s and got in a primo swim, and I got hung up a few times down stream in some grungy rapids. One of these times I managed to get Danny out of his boat (to drag my carcass off a rock) and Dave stung by a nest of angry bees. All in a day’s work.

Sunshine right side.

So, there is lots of stuff to work on for sure. I feel really fortunate to have gotten my introduction from Dave, Kevin and Danny, and I can’t wait to get back on the river. Maybe I’ll even get my Wisconsin friends to come down for a run.

Rope swing, BABY!

Did I mention the rope swing? Every river should have a rope swing.