Mile Long
Eight rapids, one ragged breath. When the water is up, Rapids 13 through 20 quit pretending to be separate drops and fuse into Mile Long — a sustained mile of wave train that kicks off at the Range Canyon debris flow and simply will not quit. No eddies to duck into, no time to bail the boat, just a relentless, grinning, soaked-to-the-bone ride that finally turns you loose at Ben Hurt (R20). At moderate flows it eases to a 13–19 run with Ben Hurt standing alone below.
Also known as: Mile Long Rapids, Mile-Long Rapids, Rapids 13–20 (high water), Rapids 13–19 (moderate water)
Mile Long is one continuous rapid that starts from debris-flow outwash at Range Canyon (Rapid 13) and extends down to the island at Rapid 20 (Ben Hurt). At high water it behaves as a single, sustained pulse of whitewater spanning eight numbered rapids (13 through 20); at lower flows the sequence separates into stepped drops from Rapid 13 through 19, with Ben Hurt standing as a distinct rapid below. It is the longest sustained stretch of whitewater in Cataract Canyon. Within Mile Long sit two named features: Capsize (Rapid 15) as the technical crux, and the South Seas core (Rapids 16–19). Webb/Belnap/Weisheit describe Mile Long as 'one continuous rapid' at high water.
Difficulty
Fundamentally flow-dependent. At moderate flows (~20,000 cfs and below) the rapids run as read-and-run Class III drops with Capsize as the scouting crux. At high flows (~30,000+ cfs) eddies flush out and the sequence becomes a sustained Class IV wave train with limited recovery between features and Ben Hurt folded into the bottom.
The water
Character: sustained wave train (high water) / stepped pool-drop (moderate water).
Features: eight distinct rapids in the high-water sequence (13–20); Capsize (R15) as the technical crux; South Seas core at Rapids 16–19; Button Hole at Rapid 18; merge into continuous wave train above ~30,000 cfs; debris-flow entry from Range Canyon at the top.
How it changes with flow
Low water: Seven separate rapids (13–19) run as read-and-run drops; Ben Hurt is a distinct rapid below.
Medium: Stepped pool-drop character with recovery eddies; Capsize is the crux.
High water: Eight rapids merge into one continuous wave train from Range Canyon debris flow to the island at Rapid 20.
Scouting
Capsize is commonly scouted. At moderate flow, groups can land between R14 and Capsize; at high water this eddy is unavailable and the entire sequence must be run committed from R13 through the island at R20.
