Whitewater

Unfortunately, with the spring that we are having, the Head will not be viable for a decent run. I would reschedule another river but this weekend I am now on a full trip (that I thought would be happening in May but with water levels being what they are is happening in April) that I need to take in order to get ready for a summer trip. I hope everybody can find something fun to do!!

6AM Saturday April 13. Event CANCELLED due to high waters. New event created for Sunday April 21

After a couple of years of not being available due to massive log jams, my favorite river, the MAD River (near Creemore Ont) , cleaned itself up in the rains of early April 2023, and a group of WCA members ran the fourteen kilometers of fast moving whitewater fun from Creemore to Glencairn (the river at that time of year rarely slows down)

I would like to do it again in the spring of 2024. This year I am putting in two separate trips, you choose the day, or do both. I may add more at the last minute if river levels are ok.

AS OF MARCH 3, 2024, i AM ONLY LOOKING FOR one more paddler, who will join a Tandem pair, and after that I need a few TANDEM CANOE PAIRS UNTIL i HAVE ENOUGH TANDEMS THAT WE CAN SEND BOATS AHEAD TO SAFELY SCOUT AND CHECK OUR ROUTE DOWN THE RIVER. The Mad River has hazards in it, which include sections where it is hard to see far ahead in a SOLO canoe to check for sweepers and trees in the water. For safety reasons, a tandem canoe or two will lead the group down the river because tandems can react faster and get off the river faster in a situation where a group stop and scout is required. Until I get a few more tandem pairings, I won't be accepting any more solo paddlers after March 3, 2024, You may sign up, but your signup as a solo paddler is subject to the additional tandems joining. If no more tandems join after March 3, solo paddlers signups after March 3 are subject to cancellation (to keep the overall group safer)

Due to the high interest in the April 14th event, the entire group will be split in two with five boats starting , and five boats holding back for 20 minutes to allow for a gap between the boat groups. We will all meetup for lunch. After lunch the boat density is not as big a deal. I would like to split the Sat April 13th in two for the initial portion of the river as well. Final decisions (all at once or split up) on paddle day.

Every person who registers for this trip is subject to review and acceptance by the trip organizer, which includes having each paddler submit a canoeing / river resume of training and experience on whitewater rivers. The trip organizer reserves the right to cancel the reservation of any paddler who does not comply with this request or refuses to answer follow up questions about their prior paddling experience. Most of you who already signed up have already been screened. A few still need to be verified

Updated: Friday April 11 Cancelled for Sun April 13.. I will try again next week , with lower water levels. in which case I will take solo canoes is the levels are low enough to run the lower section (Avening to Glencairn) safely. I plan to run a bunch of whitewater one day trips on the MAD River (Creemore) in the spring of 2025. Every time I run this river, I scout it from shore from more than eight different road bridges and shoreline access points (because I live local and can do so easily) . Due to the recent ice storms over the past few weeks ,I will need to be more methodical in my scouting, walking a lot more shoreline than usual, before the trip. I have already walked the shoreline once, we are good to go for the lower section (Carruthers to Glencairn). I will inspect for the upper section in the final days before the trip (and subject to water levels)
I was the leader four WCA one day whitewater trips on the MAD River (Creemore) in 2024.
Typically we look for flows of 7-8 cubic meters per second on the upper section (Riverview Drive down) and love to do the full top to bottom at 11 cu M /s, however this spring's ice storm warrant extra caution, so extra scouting will be done by me prior to the day. If high flow conditions are predicted (above 11.5 cu M/s) , the trip may run just the lower section: Avening to Glencairn, at the discretion of the trip leader.
If you need a seat in a boat, contact me and I will pair you up. I also have a spare canoe to lend.
Due to the damage to the trees in the watershed from ice storm and high water levels, I will only be accepting tandem canoe for this first trip on the MAD this season. I will try to add more trips later that take both tandem and solo boats. thanks for understanding.

I would like to create a route through the Canadian Arctic based on the skills and interests of the participants. Some sections can involve just flat water and some more white-water.

I like travelling up creeks and down big rivers, across large lakes and sections of the sea. The routes that I am suggesting start in an area where the ice goes out relatively early which makes a long trip possible.

I hope to paddle when the wind is down, hike when it's windy, get fit while portaging, fish for some our food, and take time to watch birds and other animals.

I am open to other routes as well. I have done about 10 long self-organized Arctic trips and don't mind repeating some of it.

Possible routes:

The Hood River the long way:
Fort Fitzgerald,AB-Dog River-NonachoLk-Clinton-ColdenLk-ContwoyotoLk-Hood River-Umigmaktok-end south of Cambridge Bay (June-Aug)

The Back River the long way:
Fort Fitzgerald, AB-Dog River-NonachoLk-Clinton-ColdenLk-Back River-upstream on Meadownback River-Thelon River-Baker Lake; (June-Aug)

A loop through a part of the Kazan River and Nueltin Lake:
Pelican Narrows,SK-ReideerLk-WollastonLk-KasbaLk-DimmaLk-HicksLk-NueltinLk-end in Brochet or Southend; (June to Aug)

The Anderson River the long way:
Deline, Great Slave Lake-Anderson River from its headwaters-Eskimo Lakes-Inuvik; (July &Aug)

For the last two years I have hosted paddlers on the April Fool's weekend.  Due to an early Easter I will opt to offer paddling excursions the weekends before and after.  These paddles will be coordinated by spreadsheets and chosen by water levels and weather closer to the date.  Usually we are based out of Point Clark but one weekend might find us on the Bronte, 16 Mile, Nith or Bighead.  The Upper Saugeen, Lower Maitland, Teeswater and Bayfield as always will be considered.  
Safety equipment is a must! Dry suits, flotation and helmets. Weather has can be beautiful to down right nasty.  Novice to Intermediate runs will be posted, please reasonably access your skill level and touch base with me if you are unsure.  Bring a positive attitude as we paddle into spring!

We will be doing the Opeongo River on Saturday, levels permitting, and then the lower Madawaska on Sunday. We shall camp at a nearby cottage property on the Saturday night.
Saturday morning we will meet at the Shall Lake Access Point, #17, at 10 am, and then complete the necessary shuttle. As this river is in the Park there is a day fee that must be paid. By this time of year the ice on the lakes in the Algonquin area is usually off, and the water levels in the rivers are high. The Opeongo River is a brilliant spring run, with class 2 to 3 water, that is fairly continuous. The Lower Madawaska is more of a drop and pool scenario.

This is definitely an intermediate level whitewater trip. You should not be a novice whitewater paddler.

After a couple of years break, from my favorite river, the MAD River (near Creemore Ont) , cleaned itself up in the rains of early April 2023, and a group of WCA members ran the fourteen kilometers of fast moving whitewater fun (the river at that time of year rarely slows down) from Creemore to Glencairn

Please bring canoes that can handle hitting a few rocks (not your fancy kevlar or carbon fiber boats please) . I would prefer no Pac boats (gunnels too low) If Pac boat is s is all you have, please contact me before booking

We will doing the Upper Salmon River water levels permitting.

Starting at Gull Creek and running this spring whitewater river down to Beaver Lake Area.  I last did this river in 2019 and it was a lot of fun.  Ranging from class 1 to 3.   There are a few Class 4/5 water falls we will portage around.  This is a wilderness river and fairly tight.   The river is around is around 10 km long.

 Participants should meet in Tamworth on Sunday, at 10:00 am

Note: My plan is to do the Moira River on April 15, 2023, which Bill Ness is organzing.  Once finished drive to Gull Creek put in and crown land back country camp in the woods near by.   On Sunday morning, meet everyone there.   If you want to join me shoot me an email.

The Black River empties into Lake Simcoe south of Washago. There is a fun short section from the HWY 169 bridge crossing to the next concession road crossing to the west where the river loops around through many small rapids separated by flat sections. The section ends with an optional more challenging technical chute, followed by a Class 2 rollercoaster ride. This is an ideal spot for budding moving water paddlers to get some experience, and practice ferries and eddy turns. I'm happy do give informal pointers, and we're in no rush. The section of river is short enough that if you get cold or wet, you can quickly paddle out. However, if you want to work the section, you can play all afternoon. As a bonus, we meet at 11:00 so you don't have to haul yourself out of bed early to get there. We'll also finish around 3:00, so plenty of time to get back to the family dinner. Bring a lunch and we'll eat on the river. As the water will still be cold, you will need a dry suit or wet suit. This is a relaxed day of paddling play & practice on a fun, forgiving stretch of river.

Optimal water flow is around 40-60 CMS. If it gets much above 60 CMS, the river gets washed out and is not much fun. In that case, we can move the date to the following Saturday. The river does come down relatively quickly. You can check the online gauge to see how things are shaping up as our trip date approaches.

https://wateroffice.ec.gc.ca/report/real_time_e.html?stn=02EC002

As this is one of the best sections of easy moving water for learning whitewater paddling skills that is convenient to the GTA, if people want to come back at a later date when it's warmer for a day of skills drills, we can arrange that.

On a spring day, the Moira River north of Belleville provides a fun paddling trip from Lost Channel to Latta.

The river provides a great opportunity for good novice moving water paddlers to move up to an intermediate level river. We'll meet at Chisholm's Mill at 9:30, do a car shuttle, and then warm up on the easier lower section down to Latta. The rapids are not difficult, just a fun rollercoaster ride, with some surfing waves along the way. We'll go back to Chisholm's for lunch at the cars, and then do a shuttle to run the more technical and challenging Lost Channel section. We should finish up around 4:00, and then we traditionally hit the nearby Maple Dale Cheese store along the highway for ice cream and cheese. (Real Canucks can buy cheese curds here for homemade poutine.)
 

All canoes must have full flotation, and you are required to have a full wetsuit or drysuit as the water will be cold. If you arrive without these, you will not be able to participate.

Please note that as at the time of posting the river levels and weather cannot be predicted, the date could be changed if levels are not suitable, or the weather is inclement. I like to play, and float along chatting with people. My idea of a fun outing isn't paddling in freezing rain muttering to each other "don't worry, we'll soon be finished if we hurry." So if you sign up, you needn't worry that you are committing to a survival exercise-just a fun day.