Big rains, big water!

Photos

By Clay Wright

The rains finally came down in Rock Island, filling up the lake and
overflowing the dam. After a rousing day on Bear creeking till
dark, it was great to find one of the biggest waves ever seen on the
East Coast sitting right in our back yard.

”Braver Wave” rises up when 20,000 cfs falls 50′ over a dam then
accelerates over a flat shelf before rising up into a haystack that
unfortunately sits a just a little ways usptream of a 20′ pour over
with extended recirculation potential. On this occasion, 27,000 cfs
was coming down and the wave was mighty but fickle. Sometimes rising
12′ into a steep green face while other times crashing into a frothy
pit. Always sending paddlers racing for the safe haven of the right
eddy – often even before they caught the wave.

Today the water had dropped to a trickling 12,000 cfs so we headed
down to the tiny little Brave Wave for some fun tricks in the usual
spot. Actually it was quite good, as these photos attest. Enjoy
the shots, plus a few recent Rock Island scenics…