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Floating Towards the Take-Out
Report
| Account | After running the turbulent chute, the rapid mellows into a nice slow float through a 90' tunnel carved by California Gold Miners. It's rather reminiscent in it's calm of Disney's "It's a Small World" ride...or at least it seems that way in contrast to the adrenaline rush of the Chute. 80 yards downstream of Chunder is Ruck-A-Chucky Falls--a 30' Class V+ to VI waterfall. The right side of Ruck-A-Chucky is a Boulder Sieve that is very fatal. If the crash into the boulders at the bottom doesn't kill you, the recirculating hole with the water crashing down on you will. If you are not prepared to run Ruck-A-Chucky and you think that Chunder will give you trouble, PORTAGE on river right. Just an easy Class III hole, but you want to make sure you're in control after Last Chance so you can enter Tunnel Chute right on line. Consequences of being off line in Tunnel Chute include a turbulent ride bouncing off of a vertical rock wall on River Right or a trashing in the holes at the bottom of the waterfall on river left. Rather gnarly. Avoid the Left Entrance, opt for the right side and ride the chute. Immediately downstream of Tunnel Chute, the river is calm and gives an opportunity to reflect on what a rush running Tunnel Chute gives you. Avoid the Boulder Sieve at Ruck-A-Chucky Falls on River Right at all costs. The right channel drops 20 feet into a boulder sieve. If the fall doesn't kill or seriously injure you, the pounding water from above or the keeper hole at the bottom will. Looking upstream at Ruck-A-Chucky Falls, you can see the Boulder Sieve on river right, the turbulent main channel run by some raft-company guides--but not in kayaks--and the rocky left channel. There are many submerged rocks at the bottom of the falls and a swim here would be long and deep. Sasha is in the Green Lotus River Shorts, the photographer is in the NRS hydroskin shirt and IR shorts. The rest of the crew, celebrating with a surprise birthday raft trip on the Middle Fork gathers around the AO shuttle bus. The right channel of Ruck-A-Chucky Falls is a boulder sieve death trap. But it's also a hazard for rafts. Most companies require their guides to push the rafts over the 30' drop. However, if a raft went over the right side, it would be a major project to extract the raft, and even then, in all liklihood the raft would be severely damaged. So there is a rope guarding the right channel, and when raft guides push the rafts over the falls, one of the guides mans the rope guard and tries to prevent the rafts from going down the right side by pushing the raft into the main current. Here, Sasha performs that function. Guides from some companies actually run the Middle Channel after they have unloaded their guests, but the Middle Channel is Class V+. The bottom of the falls are boiling and there are many submerged rock hazards. A swim here would be long, deep, and could easily result in a severe injury. Strange angle shot from river right bank gives you a view of the entire rapid. At the very top of the frame is Last Chance Rapid. At top right is a big pool that flows around and becomes the left entrance of the Chute and falls into the chute over the Rapid-long waterfall. The left side of the frame (river right) is the vertical rock wall. Swims here are usually fast and violent as swimmers are flushed out of the chute. However, river rash is not unheard of after collisions with the rock wall on river right, or sometimes prolonged in the holes at the bottom of the waterfall if a swimmer strays river left. This picture shows the view looking downstream at the Ruck-A-Chucky Falls horizon line. WARNING: The right side is a Boulder Sieve Death Trap. The middle channel is Class V+ and runnable in a raft. The left side is Class VI. Portage on River Right. |
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| Time | 2002-08-02 20:00:00 GMT |
| Reported Date | August 12, 2002 |
| River Reported | Middle Fork American |
| Reporter | Author Of Report Matthew Urdan Westerville, OH |
| River |
American, Middle Fork [CA]
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| Reported Level | 1100 cfs |
Photos/Videos page 1 of 16
Detail Trip Report
Bottom of Ruck-A-Chucky Falls, heading straight into Class IV Cleavage
Middle Fork American, CA(78.19KB .jpeg)
Detail Trip Report
Rope Guarding Right Channel of Ruck-A-Chucky Falls
Middle Fork American, CA(89.57KB .jpeg)
Detail Trip Report
Best Raft Crew on the Middle Fork American
Middle Fork American, CA(93.60KB .jpeg)
Detail Trip Report
Another look from the Top of Ruck-A-Chucky Falls
Middle Fork American, CA(108.60KB .jpeg)
Detail Trip Report
All Outdoors Guide Sasha guarding the Right Channel
Middle Fork American, CA(101.25KB .jpeg)
Approaching Tunnel Chute
Bottom of Ruck-A-Chucky Falls, heading straight into Class IV Cleavage
Entrance to the Tunnel
Chunder
Last Chance before Tunnel Chute
Left Entrance to Tunnel Chute
Calm awaits downstream of Tunnel Chute
HAZARD! Right Channel Boulder Sieve
Rope Guarding Right Channel of Ruck-A-Chucky Falls
Ruck-A-Chucky Splendor
Best Raft Crew on the Middle Fork American
Another look from the Top of Ruck-A-Chucky Falls
All Outdoors Guide Sasha guarding the Right Channel
Tunnel Chute
Top of Ruck-A-Chucky Falls from Upstream
Floating Towards the Take-Out
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