Photo

Photo courtesy of American Whitewater

Description

This is the first big rapid on Upper Elk marked by a huge concrete pillar in the middle of the river called "The Widowmaker". It starts out as a fairly sharp left bend and gradually sloped section, dropping about 4 feet over a distance of about 30 yards. The Widowmaker may cause problems if you hit it. It could potentially wrap a boat or trap a swimmer. At higher levels above 5.5 ft as shown in the photo, you may want to take the sneak route on the left side as the hole can get very nasty and may even surf you into the concrete at some levels. If you take the sneak, this rapid is nothing more than a fast, shallow ripple. When the water is low, you can surf the hole beside The Widowmaker. It is actually a combination of a little waterfall and deflection off the Widowmaker that make this hole.