Whitewater

This is a placeholder for a bunch of whitewater one day trips I plan to run on the MAD River in the spring of 2025. I tried to run one on the weekend of Oct 5 / 6 2024 but there was not enough water i nthe river. his Fall to see the Fall colors. I was the leader four WCA one day whitewater trips on the MAD River this summer: April 20 (flows 11.7-11.5 cu M/s- dropping) April 21 (flows 10.6 -10.2 cu M /s) , July 6 (flows 1.7 cu M/s) and July 20 (flows 2.6-2.4 /s). I also had a couple others scheduled on April 13, April 14 and June 23 that were cancelled due to high water Everyone who paddled with me in the spring / summer of 2024 loved how beautiful the forest cover was on both sides of the MAD, . Come play on the MAD in th spring of 2025 EDIT: The trip will run as long as we get good flow levels that are more than 2.7 cubic Meters per second. On July 20 we ran top to bottom on flows of just 2.6 cu M/s. Not the best, but it was acceptable. Typically we look for flows of 7-8 cubic meters per second and will accept 11 cu M /s . If high flow conditions are predicted (above 11.5 cu M/s) , the trip will run at the discretion of the trip leader.

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)

See you i nthe spring and summer of 2025 on the MAD River in Creemore

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.

NOTE DATE CHANGE TO SUNDAY MARCH 26

Join me on this classic early spring favourite of Toronto area paddlers. We’ll catch the Credit in Streetsville and run down to the mouth at Port Credit. The river is a delightful continuous Class 1 to 2 with lots big bouncy wave trains and play spots.There are loads of opportunities to practice easy ferries and eddy turns as we work our way down the river. However, downed trees over the winter can create sweepers, and participants need to be able to manoeuvre a canoe in moving water to avoid them. As well, the water will be cold. You need solid basic moving water skills. A full wetsuit or a drysuit is required to participate (no exceptions). Boats should have air bags in them. We'll have lunch on the river at a park near Dundas Street, so bring something to eat. We usually finish the trip around 3 PM.

At this time of year, weather is unpredictable. As the weather is unfavourable on Saturday, we've re-schedule the trip for the Sunday. 

Build a solid foundation of skills and knowledge for paddling and traveling on rivers. Gain the confidence to perform rescues and make smart decisions.

Take this course and achieve international certification that’s valid for 3 years. During that time, you can upgrade to the ‘technician’ level with the 3-day Whitewater Rescue Technician Bridge course.

https://rescue.borealriver.com/scheduled-course/wwr-magnetawan-may-27-2023/