Cataract Gorge

Race start

Back from the Franklin we then spent a few days around Hobart, cleaning up our very, very smelly gear (and I’m not even talking about the poo tubes) and filling our tummies with yummy food. On the Friday we drove up to Launceston for the Cataract Gorge Extreme Race in order to paddle the course during the free practice sessions, as they were releasing water from the Trevallyn dam. (For those of you not familiar with the place, have a look at the label on Boag’s Premium next time you go to the liquor store.)

After running the top drop without too much trouble, we got to the island rapids, which are described as “challenging class four with many prolonged, steep and creeky rapids. The most difficult part is the series of steep rocky rapids around the right hand side of the island. Although difficult this section is now regularly paddled by highly experienced paddlers.” Well, I’m afraid that was right. The first 4-metre drop looked like instant death and the rest of “The Island” wouldn’t look entirely out of place in an extreme paddling video, either. Now, the good thing about the drop is that it gives the choice of how you’re gonna get hurt. Boof off the tongue in the center and you’ll smash (with your boat if you’re lucky, with your face if you're not) into a huge boulder before getting worked and hit another rock downstream. Stick to the right and you’ll hit the wall before getting mercilessly pounded by 900 cubic feet (that’s about thirty tons!) of water per second. Tough call, isn’it? What about the left line, I hear you say? Well, let’s just say it looks even worse…I looked at a few people running it, some of them even carrying back up to run it again! I asked Rige, who looked like he was thinking about it. “You’re not seriously thinking about running it…are you?” To which he replied that he might actually give it a go. So I started portaging and waited for him downstream and to my great surprise and relief he made it no worries!

Rigel at the bottom of the drop

Another 2m drop and then onto a hard grade IV: a breaking wave washing straight into a big boulder that washes you into yet another rock upstream of a very sticky hole. Hmmm…lovely!
I took a deep breath, did a break in, sort of got through the breaking wave, slammed into the first boulder, flipped, did a hurried back deck roll (thank you God for letting me pull that one off!), went down the wrong side of the second rock backwards, turned around, side-boofed a nasty hole and made the eddy. Pheeeeeeeeeeeeeeewwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!!!!!! Rige decided that getting acquainted with the nice stopper further down was agood idea and went for a ride. Interesting, I didn’t know you could throw ends in a creek boat Rige!
On Saturday we caught up with Jack and Tim (the rafting guides from the Franklin) and ran the whole thing from the top. Definitely a good place to test your skills! A few rock slides and involuntary rodeo moves later we found ourselves at the top of the gnarly drop once again. After all the quality time we’d just spent with rocks and stoppers higher up, the drop near the Island didn’t look so bad anymore and everyone had made it down it more or less OK the day before. The fact that there were heaps of excellent paddlers and guides present to rescue me if needed, as well as an ambulance just downstream made me think this was as good a day as any to push through the fear and go for it. I took one good look at it, jumped in the boat, tried real hard not to think of what could happen but what should happen, took a deep breath, lined up and went for it. I hit the middle boulder fairly hard (thankfully not with my pretty face), went into a tailstand and got spat out! Yeee-haaaaa!!! Once again, Rige took the meaty line down the next drop. If you boof it, you usually hit the sweet spot where you disappear entirely underwater for a few seconds and pop up some distance downstream. Of course we didn’t know that and Rige almost made it through but got sucked back in and did some innovative rodeo moves once again before checking for himself what the fish were up to. After all that, the rest seemed like a walk in the park. So of course I got all cocky and overconfident and went over in the next rapid and hit my head hard enough to give me a (very) slight concussion.
The afternoon was spent watching the race. Nice to be safely on the banks and watch others run the gnar, I reckon!

As you can see a wicked good trip overall!

PS: I know this description of Cataract might seem slightly over the top to some (I guess the Gnarly Drop of Death isn't that bad.) But just keep in mind I'm an average paddler so it looks quite scary to me!