I put the above picture first so you could get an idea of the size of the boil at the top of hermit rapid. That is an OARS commercial trip and a 18 foot raft. Because
of the size of this hydrolic and the size of the waves in hermit they rate this rapid at a 7-8 on a scale of 10. Most rivers use 1-5 class rating with Warm Springs rapid on the Yampa being the only true 5 I have run although Big Drop on the Colorado in Cataract canyon may also be that big at 17kThis was in '04 I believe with the river at 18k-22k. I have always entered Hermit in the same place as this guide did in picture number two (that is the end of the boat the rest is underneath water) to assure the ride right down the middle of the wave train. Enter it a little left or right and you get kicked off the roller coaster. This year there was two extra waves and the last one was flipping boats. We all made it through with no mishaps.
Now the third picture is the bottom a boat piloted by a lady guide with OARS who hit the top a little off to the right and her boat was spun and she was thrown from her boat. The passenger went to get her back in the boat and the next wave knocked her out also. The boat ran the wave train just fine so I guess we are just not as important as we Captains like to think of ourselves. The ladies were just fine after the swim. By the way two duckies came down next and to no ones surprise they both bit it on the top boil pictured here. Valiant effort but ...
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