If you had any trouble in the second canyon, go back and practice in it. You will not be able to get out once you begin the third canyon, which starts about mile below the second. If the water is very high, this is probably not a safe section to raft. The commercial rafters have a cutoff of just over 11 feet for this section. I usually quit before then. High levels stimulates the production of adrenaline, but it's hard to breath the stuff.
Like I said about the previous maps, the arrows on the ovals represent the direction of rowing, not where the front of the boat is, or even the direction that the boat is moving. When the arrow is pointed upstream, you are to row that way to slow your descent and often to maneuver to one side of the stream. When the arrow is pointed downstream, you are to push the boat downstream to gain momentum.
The first major drop, Staircase, is recognizable by a very large rock in the middle of the river (usually with a log on top) that forces most of the current to the right. (This section sometimes formerly went by the name Big Rock Drop) At low flows there is only a little water going down the left side, although at high water (10.3') this side is actually runable. I did this backward once. Not a pretty picture. There is a small eddy on the left just preceding it, where you can take out and scout this section. Do it!
Top of Staircase
The more traditional entry is just to the right of the big rock. There are two meaningful steps here. The first one is in a narrow chute just to the right of the big rock, where you'll have to ship your left oar to get by. Do not hug the left side too closely however as you round the big rock because, just out of sight, it has a sharp edge protruding a few feet out from it. The best move is to get as close to the right side of this narrow channel as possible. This will set you up well for the currents below. Above the 10' level the far right side may also be runable in small kayaks.
The second step is perhaps the most violent descent on the creek, flushing into a really scary piece of foam at the bottom. Rafts should run this left of center, while still charging the rocks on the left side. Hit the bottom with your bow pointed left for the same reason as at Beaver
Drop; to more directly hit the side curling wave at the bottom. Don't line your boat up with the direction of the current, point it 90 degrees to the wave. The right side of this hole eats boats, and the currents at the top and the bottom of the drop both tend to push your bow to the right so work to keep it left. In big drops like this you often need speed, so start powering forward as soon as you clear the narrow chute above, and don't let your paddle assistants stop stroking until their faces are in the foam, and then get them moving again to pull you out of this stuff, ASAP. This is a fairly narrow drop and you will have to ship your left oar again if you are on the left side of the creek, where you are supposed to be. Try to swing the blade forward so it will be in position to power you out of this mess.
Bottom of Staircase
At lower water levels it is strongly advisable to have someone from the second boat walk down to the bottom of this drop and stand there with a throw bag, just in case. After the first boat makes it through he can get back into his boat and run the drop while the first boat waits with another throw bag in an eddy on the left just below the big drop. At higher flows this is a really scary drop but is actually quite easy to do and there is no way to get stuck in here.
At low flows (about 9.7' or less) the narrow chute at the top, just to the right of the big rock, becomes too narrow for some larger rafts to fit through, forcing you to portage on the left side of the big rock. This is difficult but doable. You can put back in just below the big rock, which is just above the big drop at the bottom. From here launch out and fight to keep the bow down stream as you ferry close to the middle of the river. Then quickly start pushing down stream while aiming river left. At low river flows the currents at the top and bottom of this drop will push the bow of your boat to the right really hard, so make sure you are charging sharply towards the left side. The lower water level makes the drop smaller, but the hole at the bottom has a lot more keeping power. Kayakers have greater worry about getting trapped in this reversal. Rafts, being larger, aren't quite as susceptible to this, but I have seen them get stuck here at low flows, so run it quickly.
If you are traveling without a second boat, you should not run this section, especially at lower than normal flows. It is not difficult to line your boat through the big drop and jump on below. This is preferable to death.
The first time I ran Staircase, I was not charging the left and got jerked to the right as I hit the bottom. I was knocked out of my seat, and landed on the left pontoon. This was a fortunate position as my weight kept the boat from rolling in the reversal that sucked us back in. I have it on video. Another time, I was paddle assist in the front, while trying to shout directions to a newbee on the big sticks behind me. We went over the edge too far to the right and the boat headed for the
