We ran the Rouge river at about 220m3/s yesterday, and while the rest of the crew opted for creek boats, I decided to take the Gonzo because I knew there would be some fantastic surfing waves to hit. And indeed there were.
This giant overhead wave is right above a crunchy hole, so you're surfing with trepidation. If the water was 10 degrees warmer I wouldn't have minded really going for it on the wave and taking the chunder at the bottom like a man... but I really didnt feel like getting ice water rammed into my ears, so it was more of a soul surf session - carving and spinning.
There were a lot of waves the whole way down, and then some good chunky rapids to keep you entertained. While the seven sisters have been run at this level (I did it in about 1998), I certainly wasn't going to give it a shot at this time, so we walked the canyon and ran just the last drop.
The Gonzo performed amazingly. I could really paddle with control in the harder stuff, and also got to play like a crazy person the whole way down. Overall, an amazing time.
Look closely... I'm in the bottom hole...
