EMBARRASS RIVER, SOUTH BRANCH (Shawano Co., WI, at Tigerton)

LENGTH 2.5 mi., CLASS III

SEASON: A week or two in early spring and right after intense rainstorms during the summer.

PUT-IN: Downstream river left side of the Hwy. 45 bridge in Tigerton.

TAKEOUT: Tigerton Dells at the Hwy. M bridge across the river.

GAGE: There is a USGS gage on the Middle Branch near Wittenberg and the Main Branch near Embarrass. Both gages are influenced by human activity (i.e. dams and irrigation), but they give you a pretty good feel for what this section will be like. Look for the Middle Branch gage to get up around 250 and the Main Branch Gage to get near 1500 for a fun run with no rocks. You could probably bang down at lower levels.

FUN FACT: Tigerton Dells turns into an incredible class IV rapid when the water on the Middle Branch gets up around 650 cfs.

SHUTTLE: From the put-in, drive south on Hwy. 45 less than a mile and turn east on Hwy. M. The bridge is about a mile from this turnoff.

This short little run ends with one of the longest and most exciting rapids in the state. It only rarely has water, but when it does be prepared for a wild ride. The river starts out fairly mellow but you will encounter a couple of nice drops. Keep your eyes open for barbed wire which crosses the river near the beginning of the run as you pass by a cow pasture. When an island comes into site you will be at the first major drop. The river right channel is a little bit cleaner but you can find a route on river left if the water is high enough. It is worth scouting if you don't know the line.

After a few ledges you will reach the second major drop on the run. A short slide with some great surfing at the bottom. At this point you are close to Tigerton Dells. You can recognize the approach where the river makes a hard 90 degree turn to the left and plunges into a miniature canyon. It is a good idea to scout on river right if it is your first trip down. If you want to Blue Angel this drop stay river left because a monster hole develops at high water a short distance downstream where the river turns back 90 degrees to the right. Hang on once you make the turn. You have a quarter mile ride of continuous class III to the takeout.

22 June 1996 Steve Corsi, Ed Holladay, Tom O'Keefe, Gregg Reimer, Anette Trebitz 275 cfs and 1700 cfs

5 Apr 1997 Guy Babbitt, John Chapman, Steve Corsi, Tom O'Keefe 650 cfs and 2200 cfs