The image above is taken from river right, below the flume, directly across from house rock, looking down towards the island (which is just above the gorge). Immediately downstream are the two eddies that people swim to after the flume. The one on the right has a giant ice shelf that crosses the current and attaches to the island. The left eddy and left side of the island are free of ice as of today, March 18.
The image below is taken from an elevated position at the edge of the river left eddy mentioned above. Note how the ice on the river right side covers about half of the river.
Below are two pictures of the gorge. Both are taken from river left. The first one was taken from the base of the ladder. The second one is taken from the last chance small eddy where you need to portage.
Yesterday, a crack had formed down the left side of this ice shelf, making it possible to paddle through half of it, then pull yourself along the ice. It has frozen up again over night, and I suspect the ice will continue to get thicker over the next few days.
The main lines after this are all clear to the take out. If the night time temps drop significantly, this could change.
