Devil's Canyon Whitewater

We took a jetboat tour to Devil's Canyon today. The 5-hour excursion started in Talkeetna, and went up the Susitna River to the Class V Rapids of Devil's Canyon (the only higher rating is Class VI, which means the waterway is unnavigable).

We stopped at a recreation of a Dena'ina Indian encampment and trapper's cabin, where John got to show off new "head" gear:

We saw a couple bald eagles and a now-large chick (in the nest):

When we got to the beginning of the canyon, the rapids picked up... well, rapidly:

But the peak of the trip was when our captain held the boat in place so everyone could have their picture taken with the whitewater as a backdrop. We did not run the rapids -- only two boats have ever successfully done that. But it sure was a thrilling sight to see all that water madly rushing towards us while we watched from the safety (and dryness) of the boat.