A trio of sea-kayakers tries their hand at a bit of high and fast water on the Upper Wisconsin Dells, at a place called the Devils Elbow.

Near the end of a long stretch of high canyon walls, at a near-90-degree bend, the river suddenly narrows and deepens. At only 50 feet wide and over 100 deep, the oldtime lumbermen used to say that here was where "the river turns sideways."

Rather foolishly, we launched with sea kayaks ranging from 14 to 16 feet (the shortest boats we own) and descended through The Narrows, soon finding ourselves in some very weird water.

The unusual underwater contours force the river to swirl and eddy, suddenly welling up on one side of our kayaks while a ten-foot whirlpool on the other side threatens to suck the paddles from our hands. Vast pillows of water sweep across the channel, tossing the bow one way and the stern the other. Unlike most whitewater runs I've seen, there is no pattern or order to the flow here, and the proper 'line' changes every few moments.

Despite a few close calls, no one capsizes, and everyone survives to paddle the Devils Elbow another day.