1998
Memorial Day Weekend, 1981
Originally written by Tom Olson
Resubmitted by Harlan Niskerson
The Vermillion River lived up to its reputation of being a first rate whitewater trip. The participants battled cool weather and rain showers but that didn't dampen their spirits as they watched the river rise. General Nye gave instructions on how to avoid the king size souse hole in the Crane Lake Gorge. Rudder hard left as you go through the chute to get past the hole and remember you have no control over your raft unless you both have your paddles in the water, he said. Unfortunately most of us were in such a state of ecstasy created by the spray of water in our face that we forget left from right or that we even had a paddle in our hands as one by one we slid into the hole. It took teamwork to get out as we snapped back to reality and remembered the second thing he said, "If you get caught in the hole get your paddle as far down into the water as you can to catch the fast current underneath the surface and it will pull you out!" A valuable lesson was learned about the hydraulics of souse holes and river currents.
The next day saw the group staring at Tablerock Falls. As you view the falls in high water your senses are overcome by the deafening roar of churning water and by the sensation of the earth shaking beneath you. For the newcomers the shake is always more pronounced and may be caused more by knocking keecaps and pounding hearts then by the falls itself.
Once again instructions were given and the safety gear set up. It requires an entire group effort to run the falls. Everyone has a responsibility, from the person vectoring the raft into position at the top of the falls to the person relaying signals to the throwers of the life rings below. All efforts are concentrated on the raft maneuvering down the river. Applause, cheers and congratulations rose as each raft completed the falls. Those who felt they didn't possess the initial confidence to "take the plunge" now found themselves eager to run the remaining mile of solid roller coaster waves that are found in the remaining stretch of river below.
It takes a special determination and a forgiving raft to run the Vermillion River and both were evident in the participants on this Memorial Day trip.
President's footnote: If this sound like fun, please join Ron Dahl when he does this trip next year. If your pleasure is something with a little less excitement, River Ramblers has in its schedule 23 trips for the 1997 season. Some are over with, some yet to come. Please come and join us.
