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PADDLING WHITEWATER
Techniques, thrills, dangersGeorge Stockman & Internet Sources
Low grab-brace in tongue of Tumbleweed on the Clark Fork near Missoula
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”
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
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
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.
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
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,