The 8.5 mile IV+ run down the Teton Gorge from Harrop Bridge to Felt Dam was hands down my favorite run of the whole Idaho trip. It was an exceptional route not only for the high quality of challenging whitewater or scenery, but also the unlikely location of this gorge: here the Teton River has cut a deep and narrow tree-lined gorge through basaltic flows and more intermediate tuff deposits, in what is otherwise a flat barren landscape of Idaho potato fields! Rarely have I ventured for miles across a flat landscape only to approach a great tear in the earth. The Grand Canyon and Rio Grande Gorge are the couple analogies that come to mind.
We had limited information on this run but with some sleuthing were able to find a take-out at Felt Dam and navigate the potato field roads to place our shuttle vehicle. I was looking forward to this run from the respect Jeff seemed to be giving it, but wondered how Dan would fare, this being a considerable step-up in difficulty from the rest of his one week of paddling experience. More so than the previous runs we did together we would have to work as a team, scout carefully, and be sure everyone caught eddies before being sucked over unknown Class IV+ features. We went through at 600 cfs which seemed about right. 700-800 cfs is probably about perfect for an experienced packrafter.
From the bridge we had a mile or two of slowly moving water and occasional riffles to contend with. We did see some bald eagles which was neat. The river gradually entered a shallow gorge, with basaltic cliffs gradually rising out of the surrounding plains and the river began to steepen. Quite abruptly the river gradient picked up and it was time to put on our game faces. The first rapid or two were excellent- fast and incredibly long with complex whitewater demanding considerable lateral movement to hold the line though ultimately read-and-run. A couple twists and turns in the canyon while still in the rapid brought extra excitement as we scanned with quick looks the upcoming features and responded as quickly as we could. Though there were more difficult rapids, this stretch was easily a highlight for me.
From this first rapid it was fast paced whitewater for several miles. Multiple horizon lines demanded cautious scouting and a few portages by Jesse and Dan (Jeff and I only ended up portaging once due to a nasty rock in a pool, though that would have probably gone too). It was good fun and I was getting my share of adrenaline as I bounced and boofed my way through some great whitewater. Jeff had one brutal flip right at the start of a particularly long and rocky rapid putting me in an intimidating position to follow or portage. I followed and had a rowdy ride. In fact defying my norm I had a clean run, without a single flip. I was quite pleased with the performance of the self-bailing Gnarwhal.
In a later rapid Jeff and I had to ferry across the full force of the river just above a messy drop, to be able to take the one clean line on the other side of the river. Jeff made this look easy and when I followed I crossed with only inches to spare. In fact I had to grab onto the mid-river rock and pull myself to safety a couple feet. A close call! Dan had an interesting bail trying to avoid this same feature resulting in some team rescue work to retrieve him.
The rapids continued to be a blast and for the most part were pure read-and-run joy. There were several neat bedrock slab driven rapids including a unique ten foot high feature that was one of the steepest and cleanest tongues I have ever seen. A few more turns and the canyon opened slightly as the rapids abated. Here some lovely textured ignimbrite cliffs lined the river. We even spotted an impressively cold and voluminous spring cascading down the hillside.
A short distance on we hit the slackwater impounded behind Felt Dam, our take out. A steep and warm walk up the dirt road brought us back to the car stashed above the gorge amidst the potato fields. Everyone seemed pumped by the adventure. I was thrilled to be in some challenging whitewater and to have handled it better than I would have thought. Yes I have picked up some skill and courage in the last few years but it is also an impressive testament to the capability of our boats.
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