BIG CLEAN GREEN Friday 2/24

Friday @ 6,500: After yesterday's flow of 7,500 Fish and I were stoked to return. Jon Shelby also showed up with the highwater stoke. Rob, Darren, D1 and Utah Sam were gonna rip off a quick lap and meet us at 2:30 for a second. At Paradise Rob and Darren informed us that D1 had gotten bit off by the huge hole in the center at The Nozzle. He swam and got out above Let's Make A Deal on R. Left, and those guys got his gear out on R. Right. D1 hiked out. Jon, Fish and I carried out our run and were having a blast. There's a straight-a-way boulder garden rapid immediately after "Three Boofs" rapid. There were big holes packed tightly together here yesyerday, but I noticed that with 1,000cfs less water they had more muscle. I didn't think I would successfully punch through them all but could have dodged them to the left if I'd tried harder. I barely got through. Overall though the whole run was pretty casual, if still worthy of a Class V rating due to the hazards throughout. We took the same line down the right side of Mercury as Yesterday, but it was Noticeably Rowdier. Less water moving over the river bed produced raspier currents that were more surgy and less predictable than at 7,500. Once again we eddied out R. Right above The Nozzle. Taking the same line between the two holes (basicly where the normal line is at lower flows), we all later remarked how the seam between the two monster holes was small. It was more of a deeper wave trough and not the wide glassy tongue it had been the day before. Once again I rode to the outside of the turn against the left wall, carving the shoulders of TWO LARGE STANDING HOLES. The monster pour over sat there on R. Right. Let's Make A Deal was an easy wide line down the Left, but pushier than the previous day. From here to the take out more smaller yet powerful pour overs kept sneaking up on me but posed no problems. I should mention there is some wood in the next rapid below Paradise. Its along the Left Bank and all the currents on the left half of the river push right toward it. Another fine day of High Water on the Green!! It seemed a little more Rowdy at 6,500 than at 7,500.