Saturday Oct 5 Mad River (Whitewater) Creemore to Glencairn. 14 km river 90 min from Toronto

Submitted by HuetonAndy on Tue, 12/12/2023 - 12:46

Whitewater

This is a placeholder for a bunch of whitewater one day trips I plan to run on the MAD River this 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) Everyone who paddled with me this spring / summer loved how beautiful the forest cover was on both sides of the MAD, so we will do it a few times more for the FALL Colors. No need to drive hours to Muskoka to see the changing leaves.. Come play on the MAD this Fall and see stunning Fall Colors: Maple trees, Oak, Sumac. The trip will run, regardless on how low the water is: 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)

From our experiences on the MAD in July under low flow, conditions required paddlers to be very skilled in turning and manuevering the canoe in close quarters (Shall we dance ? ) The July trips were fun. I hope we have higher water for September and October, but wait and see)

The Basics

Event Location:

Meeting Place - Riverside Dr and County Road 9 in Creemore Ontario

Date(s) & Time:

Saturday, October 5, 2024 - 10:00

Registration Cut Off:

Friday at noon (last minute can be done but please be reasonable)

Event Duration:

one day (five to six hours on water)

Difficulty Rating:

Advanced

Participant Info

Who's Invited:

WCA members and friends of members

Maximum Group Size:

ten boats

Minimum Group Size:

2 boats

Itinerary

Itinerary description:

Meet at Riverside Drive / County 9 in Creemore at 10am. Drop boats and gear. Shuttle as many cars as we can to Glencairn Conservation Area on Webster Road in Glencairn (parking fee applies ) . Lunch will be on the river shore at Carruthers Memorial Conservation Area (just upstream from where the MAD River flows under Airport Road) . From here the river slows down a bit until our take out at Glencairn Conservation Are. It seems that there is lots of interest in both of these trips. Feb 19th: I have draise the maximum number of canoes to 10 and will split the group in two with five boats each and a bit of a break on the river between the groups.

Required Items to Bring:

REQUIRED: Drysuit (maybe) or wetsuit (maybe) - (decide the week before) , PFD, helmet, close toe shoes (no flip flops) . Painters for both ends of the canoe. Also bring your Whitewater PIN kit - carabiners, pulleys, accessory cord, webbing and throw bag) , in case we wrap a canoe, and a good hand saw if you have one (in case we have to cut a canoe out of a sweeper), Lunch

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 all you have, please contact me before booking.