Our run of Hance Rapid during our October 2023 Grand Canyon Trip. ~5500-9500 cfs.
At Hance Rapid, most boaters choose to take the "Duck Pond" line, enter left of Emilio's Hole moving left into the Duck Pond eddy, and then choosing to move further left into the relatively calm and small waves or stay central for the bigger, splashier waves.
Hance is one of the "problem" rapids at this level because a significant number of boats end up hitting Emilio's Hole (seen at 0:08) which is one of the rare keeper holes in Grand Canyon. It can surf rafts for a long time, send people swimming, and flip boats all together. Swimming out of Emilio's Hole sets people up for a long, turbulant swim through the big holes and Land of the Giants in the middle of Hance.
There is a less common "right run" that is especially clear at the low water (5,000-9,500cfs) we experienced. By entering on the right tongue, we followed the moving water that flows around the numerous but diminished holes on the right side, popping out at the bottom over some shallow but passible rocky holes. At higher or lower water, the exit would be further to the left, between the shallow right side holes we went over and the final, central "land of the giants" hole that even at our water level presented a large stopping wave.
18 дек 2023
