Paddling Whitewater

1. Techniques, thrills, dangers George Stockman & Internet Sources Low grab-brace in tongue of Tumbleweed on the Clark Fork near Missoula Paddling Whitewater

2. Outdoors is best (Bow river, Banf)

3. Outdoors (Madison River, MT)

4. Whitewater conditions Whitewater boat design Reading water Paddling techniques Learning trips Concluding points / advice Majors issues / themes

5. 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” Whitewater conditions

6. Gradient 12 ft/mile (Pine in MI, Grand Canyon) 250 – 300 cfs is pleasant

7. Gradient 30 ft/mile (Middle Fork Salmon, ID, Lehigh Gorge, PA)

8. GradientNantahala River, Wesser, NC Nantahala Gorge: 36 ft/mile avg Cascades: 250 ft/mile avg

9. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4F6dDzeo8E National Falls on Upper Youghioheny Gradient200 ft/mile (section of Upper Youghioheny in PA and Presque Isle in upper MI)

10. 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 Big water versus technical water

11. Low: 200 – 600 cfs Pine River; Red Cedar in Spring (Red Cedar 1700 on 24 Mar 14) Medium: 600 – 3000 cfsYoughioheny, 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 Flow volume (cubic ft / sec)

12. 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 River Conditions +/- danger

13. Boulder garden: w. spanish C3

14. 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 Whitewater canoe design

15. Flair

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

17. 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 Downside of WW canoes

18. 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! What about the paddle?

19. 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 Possible Little wesser video

20. 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 Paddling Techniques

21. 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.

22. Draw stoke pulls boat to paddle Or, this could be a high brace (to stabilize the boat).

23. Crossing bow & pulling right

24. Low brace in cottonwood35 ft/mile Arkansas R. salida, CO

25. 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

26. 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! Getting into an eddy (to rest or group up)

27. 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. Peeling out is the opposite

28. 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 Reading Water takes Skill:same for canoe, kayak, SUP

29. Go with the flow; or fight it Tumbleweed Clark Fork, MT Hole Tongue is mass of water going downstream Violent eddy: waves, holes, swirls big drop

30. Wager dam 6 apr (Mike smith)

31. Wager dam 6 apr (Mike smith)

32. Zoar GAP ON DEERFIELD in MASS.Class 3+ in a class 1 run

33. Experienced c2 men (Coles)

34. C2W in the middle route; C1 behind PILLOW HOLE TONGUE

35. Zoar gap: left route (to pillow) cross bow rudder stroke

36. Video taken 22 March 2013 Flow of 1650 cfs Cold weather SEE VIDEO UNDER iPhoto Check out the MSU admin rapid

37. 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/ Some AWA pics of WW paddling

38. 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 Learning Trips: must have WW

39. 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 Concluding comments

40. 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 Advice for class 2 +

41. https://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/River/state-summary/state/MI/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 Sample quality resources

42. 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, GrosVentre, 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 wonderful US rivers

43. 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, Partial Glossary of US RiVERS