PADDLING WHITEWATER

Techniques, thrills, dangersGeorge Stockman & Internet Sources

Low grab-brace in tongue of Tumbleweed on the Clark Fork near Missoula

OUTDOORS IS BEST (BOW RIVER, BANF)

OUTDOORS (MADISON RIVER, MT)

MAJORS ISSUES / THEMES

Whitewater conditions Whitewater boat design Reading water Paddling techniques Learning trips Concluding points / advice

WHITEWATER CONDITIONS

Gradient: drop in ft per mile Flow Volume: cubic ft per second River type / conditions KNOW BEFORE YOU GO Good info on the Internet Search on: “usgs river flows” Search “American Whitewater

Association” or “American Canoe Association”

GRADIENT 12 FT/MILE (PINE IN MI, GRAND CANYON)

250 – 300 cfs is pleasant

GRADIENT 30 FT/MILE (MIDDLE FORK SALMON, ID, LEHIGH GORGE, PA)

GRADIENTNANTAHALA RIVER, WESSER, NC

Nantahala Gorge: 36 ft/mile avg

Cascades: 250 ft/mile avg

GRADIENT200 FT/MILE (SECTION OF UPPER YOUGHIOHENY IN PA AND PRESQUE ISLE IN UPPER MI)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4F6dDzeo8E

National Falls on Upper Youghioheny

BIG WATER VERSUS TECHNICAL WATER BIG: challenging because it’s high

volume; might require a roll, but good room to maneuver

TECHNICAL: challenging because skilled river reading and precise maneuvers are needed; maybe low volume and lots of rocks

FLOW VOLUME (CUBIC FT / SEC)

Low: 200 – 600 cfs Pine River; Red Cedar in Spring (Red Cedar 1700 on 24 Mar 14)

Medium: 600 – 3000 cfs Youghioheny, Lehigh, Middle Fork, Blackfoot early summer

High: 3000 – 40,000 Snake, Yellowstone, upper Missouri in June

Very High: 200,000 + Fraser, Niagara, Indus, Amazon, Mississippi

RIVER CONDITIONS +/- DANGER

Gradient x Volume is one good measure

Continuous rapids or pool-drop? Water Temp: warm or snow melt? Occlusions: rocks, trees (strainers), fences Access: urban, road/RR, wilderness Weather changes Wind, Sun

BOULDER GARDEN: W. SPANISH C3

WHITEWATER CANOE DESIGN

Length: shorter for turning 10ft – 17ft

Depth: deeper for dryness 14” – 16” Rocker: 2” – 6” for turning and

punching/climbing waves Toughness: for hitting rocks/trees with

some water weight

Flair

HIGHLY ROCKERED CANOE

Airbags prevent boat from being destroyed and allow it to be rolled back up when overturned.

DOWNSIDE OF WW CANOES Shorter is slower Deeper more susceptible to wind Rockered means more work tracking

and more susceptible to wind Tougher means heavier

A quality 16 ft “plastic” WW canoe with air bags will weigh 70 lbs+ and cost $1500+ new

WHAT ABOUT THE PADDLE?

Longer for solo than doubles Maybe 54” in class 1-2; 60 or longer for

3-4 (I know an expert who uses 70”) WW paddles up to 2 lbs, but not used

at a steady pace Much shorter paddles for flat water:

maybe 52” solo and 50” doubles. Carbon fiber paddles can weigh only 12oz – good for C2C!

POSSIBLE LITTLE WESSER VIDEO

See video of length 1:42 under noc-2 Air bag outfitting Nice eddy out by Ed Sharp Possible 0:24 noc-4 video of Wesser

with inflatable Father-son canoeing 0:48 noc-3 video

PADDLING TECHNIQUES Solo or double (strokes are same; move

boat diff.) Draw and rudder strokes High and low brace Eddying out Ferrying Beware of long academic lists of

fundamental strokes! But do check Internet information

WATER HAS MASS: CONTINUOUSLY PULL OR PUSH WITH YOUR PADDLE TO SET DIRECTION OR STABILIZE THE BOAT, EITHER SOLO OR WITH PARTNER

Sweeping on right to move bow to left. Ruddering on right to move

bow right.

DRAW STOKE PULLS BOAT TO PADDLE

Or, this could be a high brace (to stabilize the boat).

CROSSING BOW & PULLING RIGHT

LOW BRACE IN COTTONWOOD35 FT/MILE ARKANSAS R. SALIDA, CO

YOU, THE BOAT, YOUR PARTNER ARE ONE ANIMAL MOVING TOGETHER

“cross-deck hanging” (never heard the term!): turning left; fighting the wind; preparing for a drop -- whatever

GETTING INTO AN EDDY (TO REST OR GROUP UP)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nm3W0Owi5yg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQuR-3Iv6AA

Grab slow water from the bow of canoe and let the fast current turn you 180 in the “eddy”

Beware Tom’s Eddy by the Red Cedar Golf Course!

PEELING OUT IS THE OPPOSITE

Going from slow water (eddy) out into a fast current.

Grab the faster water from the bow and pull the boat downstream holding onto the mass of water going downstream.

Better lean downstream to keep from turning over, since the fast current will grad the bottom of your boat to accelerate it.

READING WATER TAKES SKILL:SAME FOR CANOE, KAYAK, SUP

Waves – steady, diagonal, explosion Holes – hydraulic w. kicking back

upstream Tongue – downstream water in a

hole or wave Eddy – still or even upstream water

usually at the shore or behind large rocks

GO WITH THE FLOW; OR FIGHT IT

Tongue is mass of water going downstream

Hole

Violent eddy: waves, holes, swirls big drop

TumbleweedClark Fork, MT

WAGER DAM 6 APR (MIKE SMITH)

WAGER DAM 6 APR (MIKE SMITH)

ZOAR GAP ON DEERFIELD IN MASS.CLASS 3+ IN A CLASS 1 RUN

EXPERIENCED C2 MEN (COLES)

C2W IN THE MIDDLE ROUTE; C1 BEHIND

TONGUE

HOLE

PILLOW

ZOAR GAP: LEFT ROUTE (TO PILLOW)

CROSS BOW RUDDER STROKE

CHECK OUT THE MSU ADMIN RAPID

Video taken 22 March 2013 Flow of 1650 cfs Cold weather SEE VIDEO UNDER iPhoto

SOME AWA PICS OF WW PADDLING

Storm Hole on Susquehana http

://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Photo/detail/photoid/883370/

Aerial view on Yampa http://www.americanwhitewater.org/

content/Photo/detail/photoid/883366/

LEARNING TRIPS: MUST HAVE WW Can acquire many skills in 1-2 weeks A) Start out: start in MI on the Pine, Pere

Marquette, [Ausable, Manistee], Jordan, Sturgeon]

B) then WI: Wolf, Pestigo C) or PA-WV: Slippery Rock, Youghioheny,

Cheat Narrows then Canyon (class 3-5) D) or south: Nantahala, New, Ocoee,

Chattooga https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=i6WHLgY3NKs

CONCLUDING COMMENTS PPPPP Challenging WW requires 3 cooperating boats Cold water disables a body quickly Do your own research Rivers change; WW rivers change a lot Water level (CFS) is critical: Lower Yough at 2000 is

safe fun; at 8000 it’s intimidating and dangerous Scout difficult sections of a river (eddy out and look) Make sure you have a leader before following: beware

of young buck kayakers READ:

http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Wiki/safety:start

ADVICE FOR CLASS 2 +

Use airbags to protect your boat Do not have loose ropes Have no entrapping rigging (big boots

under low seats, etc.) Do not have sharp objects in your boat Wear a helmet Beware of frowning holes, smiling ones

are OK

SAMPLE QUALITY RESOURCES

https://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/River/state-summary/state/MI/

http://www.americancanoe.org/ Books with maps and launching and

rapid information can be well worth the price

PARTIAL GLOSSARY OF WONDERFUL US RIVERS

EAST WEST

Allagash, Penobscot, Dead, Kennebec, Saco, Mad, Deerfield, Westfield West, Esopus, Hudson Gorge, Salmon, Black

Lehigh, Nescopeck, Delaware, Youghioheny, Slippery Rock, Castleman, Stony Creek, Tohickon

Appomattox, Antietam, Gunpowder, Rappahanock, Shenandoah, Maury, Potomac, James, New, Cheat, Castleman

Snake, Gros Ventre, Green, Wind, Salmon, Lochsa, Selway, Payette, Jefferson, Madison, Galatin, Missouri, Shoshone, Blackfoot, Bighorn, Yellowstone, Clark Fork, Flathead, Kootenai, Colorado, Arkansas, Cache La Poudre, Clearwater, Skykomish, Snoqualme, Bechler, Wenachie, Grand Ronde, Hoh, Spokane,

PARTIAL GLOSSARY OF US RIVERS

NORTH CENTRAL SOUTH

Ausable, Pere Marquette, Jordan, Manistee, Pine, Pestigo, Wolf, Menominee, Oconto, Brule, Otter Tail, St Louis, St. Francis, St. Croix, Little Missouri, Missouri

Dan, French Broad, Green, Nantahala, Nolichucky, Ocoee, Pigeon, Chattooga, Tellico, Obed, Emory, Cumberland, Buffalo, Little Missouri, Cassatot, Guadalupe, Rio Grande, San Juan, Animas,