Mini Gorge's First Rapid: High Turnover (aka, The Crux)

The mini gorge's High Turnover can be scouted river-right.

Photo shows the first half of High Turnover, which consists of a steep, sloping ledge with a flushy hydraulic that feeds into a sneaky, speed-trap hole followed by a benign-looking ledge that drops 2 to 3 feet.   Much of the water at the top of the first ledge pushes left.  Running it left or running it center without driving right is exciting, but often puts even large boats in line to be grabbed by the speed-trap hole.   Here's a video that shows what the speed-trap can do to even skilled boaters.   A slower line is to ferry high above the drop, turn, and run the ledge a smidge right-of- center, pointing straight or with the slightest of right angle and planning to avoid the speed-trap hole by timing a stroke near the bottom to drive right and over the boil, or by planning to catch the right eddy at the bottom of the ledge.  The speed-trap isn't so bad by itself.  The problem is it can cause a person to drop over the second ledge at a bad angle.  The hole at this second ledge is sticky on river-left, but most people are able to work themselves out on river-right (surfer's left).

The second half of High Turnover is a gently sloping bedrock slide 10 to 15 yards long, leading to a hole and pool.  But the slide looks more like a third ledge because the river placed two large, mostly submerged boulders halfway between the second ledge and the pool in 2016.  People typically run a tongue between the two boulders left-of-center or they boof the right side of the center boulder.  The hole at the end of the shallow slide has a strong, horizontal recirculation coming off the river-left, bowl-shaped wall. The hole is strongest on river-left.  You'll probably glide  over the hole if the level is normal, if you're pointing downstream, and if you put in a stroke or two at the hole.   If stuck, work your way out on river-right (surfer's left).  Flipping often flushes people in their boats out of the hole.