White Mountain Turns on Mother's Day

[Tommy T]

Made a Mother's Day trip to the Whites and got hundreds of exciting turns in about six miles of fast and bumping cruising.

Tommy T.

[Skilasnow]

Care to tell us where your 6 miles was? or were you in a kayak ;) ?

[Tommy T]

were you in a kayak ;) ?

Ah, you're too good.

I was kayaking the E. Br. of the Pemigawasset from the parking lot at Lincoln Woods to North Woodstock.

Tommy T.

[el-bagr]

That's a great run -- clear water, lasts a long time, and ramps up in difficulty pretty much the whole way but usually leaves you enough time to make decisions. As you go around that first corner, it's awesome knowing it's only getting bigger. Tommy, what was the gauge reading at the bridge?

[M@]

I've never kayaked - any suggestions on good places to learn? (I know when people say they never skiied, it's a good piece of advice to do something like "Goto Pico, not Killington", or - "Don't book a flight out west dood - goto the closest cheapest hill...")

M@

[Tommy T]

Tommy, what was the gauge reading at the bridge?

0.75 and about 650 cfs reported from the gauge at North Woodstock. The bridge gauge has had a funny history since the work in the river bed in that area a few years ago (post Lessels). Downstream deposition of debris caused it to read much higher that the Lessels levels, especially at low-medium to medium water. High water washed out the effect and low water didn't pile up. So for a while, a 3 on the bridge was a 3 in Lessels and a 0.2 on the bridge was a 0.2 in Lessels but a 1.75 on the bridge was a 1 in Lessels.

There is a correlation chart on the American Whitewater pages that shows this as two converging straight lines, which was approximately correct for levels from medium-high on up. Now however the difference seems to be disappearing. The guess is that the loose debris is washing down stream. So the 0.75 was probably about a 0.6 in Lessels.

Above Loon mountain, correlation with the cfs is suspect in the Spring when Loon's snow melt can increase the flow after the snow in the upper watershed is gone.

It was a beautiful day and even the two open canoes got through Loon rapid after a fashion. One made a very clean run, the other got pushed into a funny little slough on the island and had to get out of his boat, turn it around, move it downstream a little bit to get a line and then fininsh the drop.

Tommy T.

[el-bagr]

Sounds like a great run, TT. Thanks for the info. Well done to the OC-ers! I can't imagine running Loon in my touring boat; they must have the right stuff and the right experience. Ever drag up to the Upper E Br? I did it once in school -- awesome setting, plenty of excuses to eddy out and face upstream.

M@, how to learn: I suspect many people take classes. For most activities, that hasn't been my route. I've grown up being at home on (and in) water, so for me it's been a life of growing comfortable with a skill, then extending it to different circumstances. (E.g. flatwater canoeing, then downriver canoe tripping; ocean kayaking, then whitewater and kayak surfing -- let alone the thousands of hours spent training and competing in racing shells, which make any vessel wider than a 2x4 feel stable!). I don't profess to be very great at kayaking, but enjoy it plenty; that's what's important to me.

So my approach: get a boat, any boat, and spend lots of time in it. The more time you spend, the more boats you'll want. (Actually, I find boating to "require" a quiver at least as numerous as skiing, yet much more expensive and voluminous to store.)

The other approach is to start going on trips with a club or organization (NH AMC does trips, NPMB.com is a good meeting place). Depending on what you want to do, other options might include a pool rolling course (I learned on lakes) or pro-guided trip.

Anyone have a smallish playboat for sale?

[Tommy T]

I've never kayaked - any suggestions on good places to learn? a flight out west dood - goto the closest cheapest hill...")

M@


I think there are three reasonable approaches.

1. Join the New England Paddlers Message Board at http://npmb.com/home.htm . Get a used kayak. They are plentiful and about $500 should fully outfit you with a modern boat that is in good shape and only a couple of years old, complete with flotation and spray skirt. Try to get a paddle thrown into the deal. Practice paddling on a pond until you are comfortable with the balance, can go more or less straight and can turn either direction with some authority and control. A couple of how-to-paddle books will give you the vocabulary and some sense of wht the objectives are. Unfortunately, I am not up on the current beginner level books. A buddy that has some idea of what is required might help. I taught myself how to roll before I ever took a kayak on a river, but that is rare and not necessary. Then follow either programs 2 or 3 below. The advantage in this approach is that you get into the water early and frequently and have some fun while positioning yourself to move more rapidly in the programs. The disadvantage is that you may find that you've made some mistakes in your early purchases and paddled up some dead end sloughs in your self guided learning.

2. Become involved in the Appalacian Mountain Club's paddling program. Membership in the AMC is not required although members pay lower (or no) fees for AMC programs. Most of the AMC chapters have active programs and several include rental boats and organized instruction. I use Boston as the example because that is the group with which I am most familiar. Boston Chapter has more than a dozen white water kayaks stored in Wayland (near the Lincoln side) that can be rented for AMC instruction or trips. Rental is $15 per day for trips and $7.50 for pond or pool sessions and includes life jacket, helmet, spray skirt and paddle. The advantage is obvious, no big capital expense and a chance to try several different types of kayaks (river running, creek boats, play boats); the disadvantage is that you don't have a boat in which to play or practise between AMC trips or sessions. The Boston Chapter offers a Beginning Whitewater Instruction, a two day Intermediate Instruction, a Basic Rescue and Safety and an Advanced Rescue programs. There are also dedicated pool and pond rolling sessions. The Beginning Program involves severeal evenings of pond practice working on strokes and the like followed by a week-end river trip. This year there are three series of the program held in June and July. You learn on local water and in the process learn where that water is. You learn from local paddlers and in the process meet people who will be organizing trip that you can join.

3. Go to one of the good commercial canoe and kayak schools. The two eastern schools that I think are best are Nantahala Outdoor Center in Weissner, North Carolina and Madawaska Kanu Center on the river of the same name in the Ottawa Valley. They both offer a range of beginner programs. The advantages are the opportunity to paddle this years best boats, professional staff that meet the requirements of national certifying organization, and an intense, total immersion (so to speak) experience. This is the best way to get good fast if you can afford the time and cost of a week-long program. I've been to each of these and would be hard pressed to choose between them. There are some other good instruction programs around, including one at Zoar Outdoor and one over in Confluence, PA, but they are not set up like a summer camp with an all-inclusive program the way NOC and MKC are. As with the AMC, these programs can start you from zero which means no bad habits. But, bad habits can be fun to learn and a good instructor can correct them pretty quickly.

M@, feel free to contact me privately if you want to follow up on this already too long but intended to be general and public skreed.

Tommy T.

[RR]

I have a photo of moi on the stern of a Nahantahala Outfitters raft...after the run they offered me a job....for a long moment I considered it. Then the mortgage reared it's head and I'm still a wage slave. Wonderful area that...I realy like the Pisgha...sliding Rock, Looking Glass...music's good up Ashville way.

There are are some other Boston Area local paddling options...first in this area is Charles River Canoe and Kayak on Comm Av (rte 30) right at the Mass Pike and 128/I95. Another option is the EMS (Eastern Mountain Sports) boating school at the Hingham store.

Most of the retailers that rent boats will deduct the full rental from a purchase of a boat...but I like Tommy's recommendation about getting a networking thing going...first you get to know folks and go with them to cool places and maybe find a sweet deal too.

[Skilasnow]

TommyT, As I wrote the first line my mind reeled at 6 miles, then it hit me, "he wasn't skiing no six miles"...

I've never stepped foot in a kayak but I've done some reasonably gnarly stuff in a lake canoe, the only name I can remember is Step Falls on the ... ummm... err, oh yeah, the Penobscott, but on that same trip we did some other stuff that was a bit rougher, and we went A$$ harassing in some class 5 stuff up in Baxter. What a blast that was, life vest worn normally and a second vest worn like diapers, a helmet and off you go. WOO HOOOO!!!!!

My blind father was on that trip and our guide took him down tandem style. He carefully explained what would happen..." first we'll hit some rough stuff and after a brief calm, we'll take a significant drop, take a big breath here... then a calm and another big drop that I will warn you about..." Long story short, either Dad or the guide miscounted the big drops and he got washed at the last big drop! I have a great photo, I'll try to find it...