From: snyder@ottawa.NoSubdomain.NoDomain (Snyder)
Newsgroups: rec.boats.paddle
Subject: Re: Info wanted on Black River
Date: 2 Sep 92 23:10:27 GMT
Organization: GE Corporate Research & Development, Schenectady, NY

I replied directly to Dave (and can't find a copy of the mail). I wasn't
going to post, but Polar has a few things wrong, so:

In article <1992Aug31.130935.28009@newstand.syr.edu>, polar@top.cis.syr.edu (Polar Humenn) writes:
|> 
|> The Black River is a nasty smelly river that Nigagra Mohawk as dammed up
|> to the hilt, and most of the mills along the way dump into it. 
|> Okay still interested?  It is actually a fun run, but usually shallow.
|> That means no flips in the interesting stuff.  You start off at below
|> the damn in Watertown.  The first interesting thing you get to is this
|> incrediable play hole, called Hole Brothers.  They hold rodeos there
|> every once in a while.  After you tire out on that for a while, it's
|> on to the Mary's Hole, and the Knife Edge.  Scout this very carefully,
|> and remember it is shallow.  The rapid starts off with some class III
|> into Mary's Hole, which is the top of this vertically running ledge which
|> drops off to the left.  The end of it is the knife, which ends in a pointy
|> horizontal ledge without much water going over it.  The idea is to do the
|> "True Path".  This involves handling the class III stuff and hitting
|> Mary's Hole and dealing with it.  You can sort of skirt it to the right,
|> however, it is powerful and will knock you sideways.  Then you ride
|> the ledge hole all the way, until you get near the end in which case you
|> must pop out to the left ride over the rooster tail and hit the 
|> squirly water at the end of the ledge, turn around and what your friends
|> get destroyed.  Remember, don't flip in this rapid, it is shallow, and
|> it is not smooth rock.  If it isn't shallow, think very carefully about
|> running it.  I've never been there and not run it, but I have had friends
|> come back and say, "No way, not today", apparently a little bigger than
|> I have seen it.

Actually, this summer has been quite lucky on the Black with unusually high
water. Normal summer levels are 900-1200cfs. Last weekend was around 
2000-2500cfs which is about the lowest I've done it all summer. About a month
ago, I hit it at 6300cfs.

The description if Knifes Edge is a bit off. Knifes edge is comprised
of 3 drops. The first drop is a hole called the Tempest. You either
run far left next to the bank around the hole in something called The
Cove, or you go left of center through a tongue in the Tempest. I
prefer the tongue route, although it can be pretty shallow at lower
water levels. The second drop is a ledge on the right and a hole in
the middle called K2. You run left of center around K2 then make your
way slightly to the center (i.e., move right a tad).  The last drop
you run the True Path. Much of the river is a nasty ledge pour over
which forms Mary's Hole running from the bank on river right at least
3/4 of the river width. On the left hand side is a nasty diagonal hole
(kind of a ledge running parallel to the river flow) which some people
call The Heater. Bad news. Don't drop into it. Just before the ledge
drop between the Heater on your left and the Ledge and Mary's Hole on
your right is a tongue which is the True Path. There is normally a
diagonal wave just above the tongue, so you can't see it from
upstream. You move right to left punching through the diagonal wave
onto the tongue.  Move left too soon and you're hole bait for the
Heater. Move left too late and you're hole bait for Mary's Hole. If
you're lucky and are just a little late, you might make The Point,
which is the far left hand side of the pour over forming Mary's Hole.
If you hit the Point you'll probably miss Mary's.

At higher water levels (over 3000 cfs), you can run the last drop on the
far right. The pour over isn't bad far right, but you need the extra
water or its too shallow. The run then (called the B-line Skate) is
left (Cove or tongue in Tempest) left (around K2) and far right. At higher
levels yet (over 4000 cfs or so), you can run the sneak - far right around
the Tempest, far right around K2 and far right over the last ledge. As it
gets higher, the True Path gets smaller, the holes (Heater and Mary's) get
bigger and the water leading to the True Path gets pushy and more people
run the B-line Skate or the Sneak.

Scout Knifes Edge on river left.

|> 
|> So after you deal with that, there is some nice surfing there is the
|> water fall.  This used to be unrunable.  However, NiMo has install yet
|> another f*cking damn, and now you can wait at the edge of the falls,
|> and wait for the water to come up to the level you like it and go over.
|> 
|> Somewhere after that is the Hadrians wall.  Which is an "old" damn with
|> a pourover on the right.  Depending on the day, and if you like rubbing
|> the left side of your face on the wall you can run it.  Otherwise, carry
|> over the wall.  
|> 
|> After that is a monster hole called the "Crusher", you'll know it.

The order is a bit wrong. After Knifes Edge is a damn, as Polar mentions.
It is a power generating damn where they divert water from the river. Its
best to travel close to a raft trip to make sure there will be water for
you to do the lower gorge. There is a falls after the damn that is runnable,
at least at certain levels. Most people who run it put on with the damn off
and wait for the water to get to the "appropriate level", which is usually
less than a full release. The Falls is called Glen Park Falls. You put in
river left to run the falls and go river right to carry (an easy carry).

Below the damn/falls is Three Rocks, a class 3 rapid with a few holes you
probably want to miss; Zig Zag, actually 2 rapids - Zig is big waves, usually
with one or 2 big fast surfing waves, and Zag where you run right around
the undercut Panic Rock; Cruncher (note name) similar to how Polar describes -
a hole that can be nasty but has a tongue through it (beware at higher levels
(above 3000cfs), after Cruncher 2 more holes form called the Crunch Sisters
which can be sticky); and then the other abandoned damn. You can carry this damn
on the left or run over it (not recommended for glass boats except at high 
water). Over the damn is called the Rocket Ride. The right side of the damn
is broken away forming a slot called the Poop Shoot. Its kind of nasty with
a DEEP hole at the bottom, but some people run it. Some levels are easier than 
others. On river right immediately after the damn is the Wailing Wall, which
is I think what Polar calls Hadrians Wall.

After that, there isn't much more than easy class II-III until the take out.
A couple surfing waves and a few squirt spots.

|> 
|> After that it is a long flat pladdle to the old Brownsville Damn, which is gone
|> now.  When that dam went, the Black river gorge was no longer a lake
|> and became runnable:)  Carry up along the side of the dam, Class III-IV take 
|> out.  Or keep paddling all the way to a boat loading dock at a nearby park.
|> The rafters usually meet up with a motor boat and get towed out of the 
|> gorge to the park.

Be ware of the take out at "the boat loading dock". This is not a Park. It
is private property. One of the raft companies (Hudson River Rafting) has
permission to take out here. ARO (Adirondack River Outfitters) tows their
boats with the power boat another few miles. You should probably check
with the locals about using this takeout. If you elect to use it, walk
lightly, be nice and polite so that you don't ruin it for others. There
was a dispute earlier and the takeout rules have been "altered".

|> 
|> Well, I hope that does it for you.  If there are any embelishments, please
|> post. I haven't run that river in years, maybe I should again ;)
|> 
|> Later,
|> -Polar

-- 
Derek D. Snyder
Computer Graphics and Systems Program
General Electric Corporate R&D
snyder@crd.ge.com
Newsgroups: rec.boats.paddle