Mister_Tea wrote:

I've just returned from one of the earliest season trips and would like to
recommend the river, and the opportunity, should it arise for you. The
river is easy, rated 2. This is a bit low due the continous nature of the
river, the remoteness and difficulty of rescue, and the large amount of
maneuvering needed. However a class 2 paddler in good physical condition
and in the company of more experienced paddlers would do fine - and be quite
ready for the class 3 by the time it arrives - not to mention smoking the
novice slalom class at the next race...

What about the portage?

When I ran the Escalante about 10 years ago, below Devil's Gulch
(but above Coyote Gulch, the strenous take-out) river gradient increased.
At each horseshoe bend around a resistant purple-gray shale, there was
a set of rapids. One of them contained a portage. It looked like it
would have been class 4 without the logjam, but it was a mandatory portage
with all the trees and brush in it. Around a corner further down was a
long class 3 that verged on 4.