CASKA: Chicago Area Sea Kayakers Association

PINING FOR THE PINE RIVER: TRIP REPORT

By Paul Doughty

Over the long 4^th of July my family paddled 42 miles on the Pine River in Michigan. (Map)  This was Kim and Quin’s first canoe camping trip.  The Pine River provided an excellent introduction to canoe trekking.  

Our trip started at Pine River Paddle Sports Center on Highway 37 just south of M-55.  PRPSC offers a full service rental, livery and campgrounds for paddling the Pine and Manistee Rivers.  The  PRPSC campground is a wonderful retreat from the noise and rowdiness of nearby state parks.  Mark & Val work hard to create a peaceful environment with clean facilities, private campsites and family activities.  

We played a round of woodland Frisbee golf and took Quin to the 30’ climbing wall.  The campgrounds and surrounding trails are excellent for birding and I was able to spot about 20 species from our campsite.  

Sunday morning at the crack of 10 a.m. we were packed and ready to shuttle to the put in.  Brandon drove us, our gear and two boats to the Briar Patch put-in.  Quin and I chose to paddle a short 15’8” canoe.  Kim paddled a 10 foot rec. boat.  The Pine River is an intimate river with constant current.  Paddling requires constant  steering but the current carried our burdened canoe.  Right off the launch we threaded through a tricky set of turns, sweepers and small rapids.  It felt so good to be at the stern of a loaded canoe.  But our canoe handled no better than a big Oldsmobile.

As this was Kim & Quin’s first river trip we opted to link up campsites at state parks along the river.  There are plenty of good back country sites.  But the allure of outhouses and picnic tables was just too good to pass up.  

We cleared out the cupboard for provisions for this trip and put together a menu of Tortilla soup with quesadillas, Pad Thai with Miso soup and Tortelloni with tasty Arrabiatta gravy.  And of course Quin insisted that each night we have smores.  All of this was washed down with a couple of bottles of William Selyem 1998 Pinot Noir compliments of Kim’s boss.

Our first night was at Silver Creek Campground, part of Manistee National Forest.  The birding in the campground was fantastic.  Breeding warblers were everywhere.  I was able to find Canada, Black & White, Redstart, Mourning, Black Throated Green, and Cerulian warblers along the river edge and campground.  Each night we were treated to the melodious but eerie songs of Wood Thrush, Veery and Great Horned Owl.  On four legs we had good looks at young deer, raccoon families, coyote kits and mink.  Just downstream of Silver Creek is a rope swing too tempting to pass up.  Brrrr, the Pine River is spring fed and cold!

The Pine River offers the best of both worlds for family camping.  The river is pristine and feels like wilderness.  The paddling is challenging enough to keep things interested.  By linking up campgrounds we were able to ease into canoe trekking comfortably.  I am really proud of how Quin did on the trip.  For six years old she is becoming a seasoned camper.  She pitches in finding firewood, scrubbing dishes and putting her little back into the paddling.  Check out the Pine River or the nearby Manistee.  Pine River Paddlesports can provide any gear you need shuttle your vehicles. Now that we have this trip under our belts it time to start planning for the next one, maybe the Missouri River in Montana.

http://www.thepineriver.com/pine-river

"ROLL FOR A REASON" PADDLING ADVOCACY PROTEST FRIDAY NIGHT

From Gary Mechanic, long-time advocate on behalf of the Illinois paddling community and past president of the Illinois Paddling Council:

Roll for a Reason!

 

On August 18, 2005 the Illinois General Assembly changed the definition of "Recreational or conservation purpose" in the “Recreational Use of Land and Water Areas Act”.

Previously the Act protected private landowners (like Lonestar/Buzzi Unicem) from liability for injuries suffered by recreational users engaged in: “any activity undertaken for conservation, resource management, exercise, education, relaxation, or pleasure.”  (i.e., like rafters & kayakers) on their property (like the Vermillion River).

A four word change in the definition of "Recreational or conservation purpose" now limits the Act’s protections to only those users engaged in: “hunting or recreational shooting”!!!

On August 2, 2007 the Illinois General Assembly passed Public Act 095-0020, which directs IDNR to establish "exclusion zones" against paddlers:

 (d) The Department of Natural Resources shall be authorized to designate enforceable exclusion zones around dams pursuant to administrative rule. Violation of such exclusion zones shall constitute a Class A misdemeanor.

Hence the reprehensible Dam Safety Rule #3703, the adoption of which we are currently opposing, vigorously!

In a state that ranks 49th out of 50 in recreational opportunities per capita, and is at one extreme end of the spectrum in terms of public recreational access to its waterways, IDNR has found a way to further limit, AND CRIMINALIZE, the use of some of the very few, developed, well used PUBLIC rivers and long established watertrails while at the same time outlawing the use of the only safe passages around the dams affected by this so-called “dam safety” administrative rule! 

Does it all make you want to moon the IDNR? Flip the OWR lawyers the bird?  Does it make you think about shutting down the Illinois River with a blockade of canoes and kayaks in PROTEST???

Well cheer up Bucky!!!  The Illinois Paddling Council invites you to vent your frustration on the river for the public and media this Friday evening, July 10th at 6 p.m.

YOU ARE INVITED to a “Rolling in the Zone” party next to the Aurora Canoe Chute within 300 feet upstream of the New York Street Dam on the Fox River in downtown Aurora.  Sneer at the stupidity of the proposed exclusion zone rule in full view of the public before it can get you arrested.

The slow flow pool above the New York Street dam on the west side of Stolp Island next to the canoe chute was moving at less than 200’ per minute last night with the river level well above average.  With even a small group of paddlers & rollers we can easily demonstrate how extreme the 300’ rule is while keeping each other perfectly safe.  The pool is surrounded on all four sides by bridges and viewing areas, Parking and the put-in are close & easy and for those with the skills, paddlers playing the canoe chute will add a lot to the visual attractions for the media and public. 

Oh yes, the public….did I mention that Aurora is throwing a major street party on the island at the same time Friday night?  Thousands of people from the entire region will be filling Galena Street (just downstream of the dam) for the free Downtown Alive rock & roll concert starting at 6 p.m.

You don’t have to be able to roll to join this party, having lots of canoeists, rec boaters and any other human powered watercraft join the party will help broadly demonstrate how unreasonable the proposed exclusion zone is.

And finally, creating a visually interesting media event on the river the night before the Aurora Paddlesports Festival will help publicize the event to the public in local Fox River Valley newspapers on Saturday.

So demonstrate your frustration with our increasingly paddler un-friendly state!  Thumb your nose at OWR by rolling in the “exclusion zone” before it becomes a Class A misdemeanor!  Write your thoughts on the bottom of your boat! Help the IPC publicize the Aurora Paddlesports Festival!  Party in the only urban river around here that’s clean enough to be the local public water supply! 

Here are the details….

• Park on the northwest corner of River and New York Street in downtown Aurora, parking is free after 5pm.
• Put-in on the bank just above the canoe chute at the east end of Piney Street.
• Safety boaters will keep all boaters from approaching within 50 feet of the lip of the dam
• Be on the river as close to 6pm as you can manage.  That’s when the music will begin and when we’ll tell the media to show up.
• Roll or float in the pool above the dam and/or play in the canoe chute
• Adjacent to the canoe chute is the Ballydoyle Pub & Restaurant, a sponsor of the Aurora Reel Paddling Film Fest.  Support our sponsor while you re-hydrate with a beer at the bar after you’ve put the boat back on the rack.

Questions? Reply to this invitation by email or call Gary Mechanic at 773-590-0710 (cell).

Aurora Paddlesport Festival

The Aurora (Illinois) Paddlesports Festival is this weekend.  The Illinois Paddling Council has organized the Festival and CASKA is one of the sponsors.  The Festival looks to be a combination of paddling instruction, a film festival, canoe and kayak demos, and advocacy on behalf of paddling issues.  Many local paddlers are attending and pitching in as instructors and volunteers helpers.  Kayak outfitters and retailers such as Kayak Chicago and Geneva Kayak Center will be participating and bringing lots of boats for people to try.

You can get directions, event schedules and other information at the IPC website.  This looks to be "the" paddling event of the summer season.  Don't miss it.

NOAA Nautical Charts on Your Desktop PC for FREE

by Haris

The NOAA nautical charts are created with our own tax dollars and are, therefore, public property.  The agency charged with the task of creating and maintaining the information on marine highways mandates that companies that commercially use the information created with public dollars provide a FREE way for the interested public to use that information as well.

First things first, though.  NOAA itself provides the easiest but limited access to all US nautical charts on the internet.  You can find the NOAA's On-Line Chart Viewer here.

 The Nautical Charts are grouped into 5 different regions.  Great Lakes group is obviously of particular interest to a Chicago paddler.  When you click on the link for Great Lakes, you’ll find a listing of multiple charts conveniently labeled with a system of 5 digit number that does not make any sense to a commoner.  If anybody knows of a rhyme or reason to that madness of numbers please let us all know.  I am sure it exists.  Fortunately, there is a Catalog link at the very top of the list for each region and it provides a visual reference to chart numbers. 

The Catalog shows the entire region with outlines for each chart as well as their numbers.  Finding the chart you want is not very hard once you zoom in.  Better yet, there is also an experimental website with the chart catalog superimposed on Google Maps.

This website allows one to quickly zoom in and out on the locations of interest, see available chart outlines and open them up in the on-line viewer.  Note the hyperlinks that appear on the right-hand panel once a chart is selected.  When you zoom in on the map outlines of the additional more detailed NOAA chart start to appear as well.

The view window in this on-line viewer is not very large but it shows every detail of the printed NOAA chart.  With broadband connection the speed of browsing is nearly instant.

Note the plus/minus zoom buttons.  Here's what a detail of the same chart looks like once fully zoomed in:

Unfortunately, the on-line chart viewer is limited.  The view window is only a fraction of the computer monitor screen.  There is no ready way to measure distances between two points or obtain exact coordinates of land or watermarks. 

Chicago paddler interested in these charts will quickly discover that the most appropriate nautical chart for us is #14926.  Conveniently, it is not available on the on-line viewer.  Chart #14926 is a multi-page booklet of charts that cover the entire coastline of Chicago area from Wisconsin to Michigan.  For some reason, it was deemed unsuitable for on-line display.

A desktop full-screen chart viewer will take a bit more work but has many advantages over the on-line viewer.  If you have a reasonably fast internet connection you can download the large graphics files, install free software on your computer, then you will have access to the most up-to-date NOAA nautical charts with a full-screen view capability, custom printing, as well as other bells and whistles depending on the software you choose.

NOAA provides two kinds of charts: raster and vector.  The first kind looks exactly like the printed paper chart you can buy or the chart you would see on the on-line viewer.  Vector charts are more abstract, contain most of the navigational information but are not as detailed with respect to other features on the map.  They take up a fraction of space that raster charts would occupy on your hard drive, the image quality does not degrade with zooming (in fact features come into and out of view at different magnification levels), and they are quicker to navigate on the computer.  Both kinds are tagged with GPS coordinates and allow for precise determination of position, direction, as well as distance measurements between route points.

Here's a view of Chicago River locks on the raster map as rendered by Maptech Chart Navigator:

Compare that with the vector chart screen shot from PolarView:

You can download either kinds of charts via a link on bottom-right of the experimental beta NOAA website or through the old-fashioned catalog of links.  You’ll find the hyperlinks for downloading the Raster Navigational Charts (RNC) and Electronic Navigational Charts (ENC) on the left-hand panel of the On-Line Viewer page.

I hope that the graphical interface is here to stay, though.  It is much easier to find your charts that way.  Presently it displays a large red sign “BETA!”  Beta means that the product has not been officially released and is currently in the late stages of usability testing.  Note tabs on top of the Google map that allow one to switch between RNC and ENC kinds of charts.

To view the downloaded charts you will need to download one of about half-a-dozen free software tools for raster and vector electronic maps.  HyperLinks to the providers of RNC viewers are at the bottom of the RNC download web page.  ENC providers can be found here. 

You will also need to unzip the downloaded nautical charts to somewhere on your hard drive as well as tell the programs where to look for maps.  Look for "Options" or "Chart Manager" somewhere in the pull-down menus of the program and it is not hard to find what to do and where to go from there.

I did not test-drive all of them nor did I test them in any detail.  Out of the couple that I tried, I chose Maptech Chart Navigator for viewing RNC charts and Polar View for ENC charts.  My primary criteria for choosing these were ease of use, aesthetics, and uncluttered interface.

NavPak-Pro was very intriguing since the same product can be used to view both kinds of maps.  It also has an extensive set of tools to … well to do something related to boat navigation.  For my purposes it was an overkill by a long shot and complicated beyond the short attention span of a contemporary consumer.  I also found that their choice of color-rendition did not agree with my taste.  Try for yourself and let us know what you think.

All of the products offered here for free have commercial counterparts.  One big difference between the free and $100-$200 versions of these software, I found, was live connectivity with GPS receivers.  One of the reasons I loved PolarView was the fact that it can export routes and waypoints you create as GPX files.  GPX is something my Garmin GPS unit can understand.  I like!

Hope this helps someone.

Pyrotechnics Paddle Trip Report

Russ Johnson and Jen, Emily Kornack, Bob Phillips, Tom Eckels and Jim from St. Charles joined me for the Pyrotechnics Paddle. We did a pre-paddle. Playing around with rolls and self rescues by the main beach.
Returning for a sumptuous meal of hamburgers and tube steaks. After eating we returned to the water just in time for the fireworks. The display was grand, the water was calm and the camaraderie was tangible.

Love this paddle and the people who help me enjoy it. 

Joe Carey

Commentary on Joe Carey's "Wet Float Rescue"

This video from Joe Carey shows an alternative to coming out of the kayak upon capsize if one's roll is nonexistent or fails.  This "wet float rescue" appears to consist of lying face down and then using natural buoyancy to pop up for a breath once in awhile until help arrives.  Here is Joe's description of the technique:

The swimmer stays in their boat doing a dead man's float with the paddle. A very smooth non-fatiguing maneuver. The rescuer comes in with a hand of god. Swimmer leans on back deck or forward deck to make "hand of god" easier.

COMMENTARY 

Russ Johnson:

An interesting alternative- - if you observe the capsized boater he is 
in a position to breathe and is doing so, much like a swimmer might.

* * *

While wearing a PFD and being very relaxed while inverted, one can 
assume the "dead man's float" position without leaving their cockpit.  
This is how Joe (the swimmer) is doing it.  Joe makes it look very easy. 

I too would prefer to roll, but I do wonder if I could accomplish this 
alternative if my shoulder was blown or paddle was lost.... then it's 
potential increases greatly...

I think the breathing control is key here. 

When doing the Petrussen Maneuver one must come out of the seat but not 
entirely out of the boat.  A tuliq allows for this but it is not likely 
to happen with a properly fitted spraydeck.  Not that I have succeeded 
either way....yet.

While I promote having a good skill set, I think it's a good time to 
rationalize some of the dogma surrounding the wet exit.  If your 
self/assisted recovery skills are solid and you are properly dressed, I 
have found that a wet exit is very seldom a danger to anyone in our open 
water playpen.  If you have been out paddling and didn't take the 
opportunity to swim and practice recovery skills, you are missing out on 
the greatest thing of all-  self preservation.  

Jim Tibensky:

How will it work in even tiny waves?  Obviously, the paddler upside down would have to be both quite flexible and quite confident that help will arrive quickly.

 

A lot of things seem perfectly easy in calm water but change dramatically in rough water.  And it is usually rough water that causes the capsize in the first place.

 

I like the fact that there is innovation and improvement going through your mind, Joe.  Keep up the good work.

* * *

As can be seen from the responses that have come in, this technique is not going to work for everyone.  Joe, as a person who has practiced 'Greenland' paddling stuff for a while has probably, no offense Joe, lost touch with what it feels like to be a beginner at this sort of thing.  Joe is, I know, a great swimmer and, so, is more comfortable in the water than many of us.
 
I have done this 'dead man's float' but only in a kayak made for easy rolling.  I have felt like I was being waterboarded every time I have tried it in my own kayaks.  I was hesitant to say it's too hard for most us, thinking maybe it was just me.  But I'm pretty sure that even when we could do this, any waves in the face could lead to the waterboarding thing.

Racivrnr:

While it does look like another interesting technique to have in one's repertoire of skills, it appears to me that it would be something each boater would have to practice (and practice, and practice) to become completely comfortable with, to reach a point where they would actually remember to use the technique rather than just bailing out (wet exit). Frankly, it seems far more productive to use that same practice time to learn self-rescue skills (I.E., rolling).

Haris Subacius

In addition to the characteristics of the paddler, the boat will have a lot to do with how hard/easy it is to breathe after capsize.  In my experience, things like balance brace can be very easy to do in one boat and all but impossible in another.

That being said, I believe that swimming with the boat is a very useful skill for everyone to have in their bag of tricks.  Here's a University of Sea Kayaking piece on it: http://www.useakayak.org/recoveries_rescues/swim_w_kayak.html.  A good read.

* * *

Ultimately, everyone will have to decide for themselves whether or not this technique is feasible for them.  Flat warm water in Lake Michigan can get boring after a while--if nothing else that alone is a good reason to try :)   Seriously, I think there is a lot of merit to staying in the boat as opposed to performing a wet exit.

I agree with Russ that, under majority of the circumstances, there is absolutely nothing wrong with a wet exit.  There are, however, situations when staying in the boat is highly desirable.  The most compelling reason to stay in for me is my folding boat.  Even fully stuffed with flotation when flooded it is very arduous to empty and torturous to pump out.  Not all of us have magic electric pumps installed, Russ :)  Staying in can also be safer.  One would always want to get away from hazards as quickly and painlessly as possible.  A dry cockpit with spray deck attached is a faster way to dodge the bullet than the alternative where towing would probably be involved.  Conditions can elevate the stakes to the point where towing is not an option.

I had a privilege of being rescued by none other than Jim Tibensky last year during routing practice in relatively benign conditions.  Thank you Jim, again.  I was practicing re-entry into the boat in 3-4" waves while the wind was slowly pushing me toward a rock piling.  When the distance became too close for comfort, Jim helped me get in by performing a quick rescue without draining the cockpit.  There was little time to pump the water out and I was not able to stay up with the flooded cockpit.  I capsized almost immediately.  Jim came back to rescue again and this time the contact tow away from the jetty was far from casual.  There was real potential for injury to me or the boat.  If my cockpit was dry, I would have happily paddled away from the danger under my own power.

Just to add my personal testimony to the opinions and experiences shared by others.  Experiences in conditions like the one above provided ample motivation to learn better boat control and self-rescue.  When trying to do a hand roll I found that floating on the stomach at as close to 90 degrees from the boat as I can get is not hard at all.  Taking a breath by pushing off with a hand is also pretty easy as long as one maintains the calm, can hold their breath, and is comfortable with keeping most of the body under water most of the time.  Breathing too frequently or trying to keep the head out of the water would require significant effort.  I've not tried to use the paddle to elevate the head above the water but given its much larger surface area it should be even easier than using the hand.  All of this in a boat that is arguably the worst suited for the task.  My Nordkapp HS is large and heavy.  It also has one of the narrowest cockpits in the fleet.  The sides of the cockpit dig into the waist and force the body under the water when the boat is inverted.

This evidence is not meant to argue with Jim's point.  This technique is far from intuitive, requires some amphibian genes and most definitely will take practice to master.  I used to be a competitive swimmer.  I did all this experimentation AFTER developing confidence in my ability to roll up in case of failure.  I have not tried it in waves over half a foot.  And to reiterate an important point: laying flat on the stomach is a very different experience from trashing in the water and trying to swim with the boat.  When the balance is upset, staying on the wire requires a lot of effort and is not a relaxing experience by any stretch of imagination.

I encourage everyone to try this in a calm and safe environment, preferably, with a friend standing by for help.

Bill Burton:

In Joe's YouTube link, it's not quite clear to me how the poor sap with the Euro paddle is managing to keep his head up until help from the Greenland paddler arrives? Dog paddling? He seems to be face down, vs face up for static brace, and I don't see any sculling.

FYI, tried the Petrussen Maneuver yesterday. I could not get my face to break the surface, just tantalizingly close. Hard chines might help.

I'm focusing on improving my rolls -- and breath-holding ability.

Susan Patterson:

Yes, it  [Petrussen Maneuver] does work .. just bought my first nice kayak (Epic GPX) and had it on the water that evening when a friend paddled up & asked if I'd like to try and roll it.  He tossed me a spray skirt (never seen one before) offered some encouraging tips and over I went.  Beginners luck, I made it up.  Second try not so good ... and I didn't come out of the boat either ... but I did execute a perfect Pertrussen Manuever.  Then my friend came over & introduced me to the spray skirt 'grab loop' & wet exit maneuver.  I've never gone back to the Pertrussen Manuever. 

John Tebbens:

Perhaps, I should stay out of this, as it is not my intention to upset anyone.

I simply believe that it is best to stay in your boat and stay upright and to return one’s self to this condition ASAP.

In cold water, I imagine one’s strength quickly becoming sapped paddling upside-down and then prohibiting one from later having the strength necessary to return to the above mentioned preferred condition.

Certainly, it is fun to play with new and different things that we can do/try in a kayak and I can appreciate just how fun all of kayaking is and can be.

It literally takes seconds to roll up and about 20 seconds to scramble/cowboy self-rescue, so swimming upside-down in cold water hardly seems worth the effort to me when these alternatives exist.

Joe Carey:

Honestly Jim, I believe only breaking surf would stop you. It works for me in waves. I will have to get some volunteers. The whole point is help would not have to come quickly. I believe average people could do it for at least a half hour or more.

* * *

If you can roll this is unecessary.  I would argue that not everyone can do a cowboy rescue in 20 seconds  specially in waves.  Some cockpits like mine make the cowboy tougher.  This technique is like a Kayak--everything a trade off. 

Wednesday Night Jackson Park Paddle Report

Denise Poloyac and I were the Wednesday night Jackson Park Paddle.  It was overcast and threatening when we met at about 6:00 p.m. but the weather gods finally smiled and the setting sun broke through as the evening wore on.

We started out heading north around the breakwater against a dying wind and gradually dropping two and three foot swells.  Took a break in the shelter of the south end of the 55th Street point and then headed on north with a goal of inspecting the new 39th Street Beach.  About a quarter mile short of the beach we turned around realizing we would never get to the Medici on 57th Street to meet my wife Beverly by 9:00 pm if we went on.

The first half of the return was easy surfing on the dying swells but soon they were too small to be of much help.  Then the wind died completely and we paddled on in an increasingly calm sea, the sun going down as we paddled through the two harbors to the takeout.

As the three of us shared a Brownie Sundae,  Denise commented, “We didn’t paddle far enough.”

 By:  Jim Des Jardins 

Scotland to Faroe Islands Crossing Completed

Just when one gets smug and complacent about a five cribs circumnavigation comes news that Patrick Winterton and Mick Berwick have become the first people to kayak from Scotland to the Faroe Islands, a 255 mile trip through hazardous seas.

Here's the BBC report:

Successful adventure for kayakers

Two kayakers have completed their epic 255 mile voyage from the north of Lewis to the Faroe Islands.

Experienced paddlers Patrick Winterton and Mick Berwick set off on Monday, stopping briefly at North Rona on the way.

The crossing was in aid of the RNLI and it was the first time a kayak attempt has been made unsupported.

One of the most famous crossings is said to have taken place in the 6th Century by St Brendan the navigator.

Former Olympian Patrick Winterton and former British kayaking champion Mick Berwick made land on the most southerly tip of the Faroes at 1530 BST.

Speaking shortly afterwards, Mr Winterton said they received a fantastic reception from the fishermen on the island.

He said: "The first two days were absolutely flat-calm which helped when sleeping in the the makeshift tents on the kayak."

Hazardous waters

The crossing took just 95 hours and Mr Winterton added: "It has been an epic journey and one that Mick and I are thrilled to be the first to successfully complete.

"One of the main hazards we faced was avoiding the trawlers that comb the area working in teams of two."

Previous attempts to chart a course across the stretch of water include one made by the monk Brendan, who almost certainly made the crossing in a tanned ox-hide boat back in the 6th Century.

In 1976, Tim Severin repeated St Brendan's feat aboard a replica boat, Karen and Dan Trotter failed by just 80km in a double kayak in 1995 and Patrick and Mick aborted an attempt in 2008.

PADDLING DADS SUCCUMB TO CRIB-O-MANIA ON CHICAGO LAKESHORE PADDLE

At 6:30 a.m. on Father''s Day (and the Solstice day) four dads--Bill Burton, Richard Stiers, Haris Subacius and I--assembled on 63d Street Beach.  Were we there to spend Father's Day on the beach with our loving families?  Of course not.  We were all gripped by Crib-O-Mania.  It was a day for paddling 

63d Street Beach at Launch

I hold noted local paddler Jim Tibensky largely responsible for Crib-O-Mania.  There are four large water intake cribs dotted between two and four miles off the shore of Chicago's lakefront.  Local paddlers like to paddle out to the cribs (and back).  It is a nice open-water paddling experience and the cribs are interesting to look at and attract plenty of birds.

Wilson Street Crib

A few years ago several of us, including Paul Doughty and I believe Bill Burton, paddled the four cribs one way, from Wilson Street Crib at the north past Harrison/Dever Crib and Four Mile crib down to 68th Street Crib at the south, landing at 63d Street Beach, where we had shuttled our cars.  The trip was about 18 miles. We thought we were real paddling studs, and posted a report to that effect to the 400 paddlers on the CASKA Yahoo Group.

Jim responded to the news with his own post in which he revealed that when he did his four cribs trips he avoided the hassle of a shuttle by going around the four cribs and then returning to his launch site, which took the total mileage up to over 30 miles.  While Jim's post did not detract from what was a fun trip, it did deflate at least one ego--mine.  For the next several years I always wanted to do a "true" four cribs trip Jim Tibensky style.  Weather, other paddles, and even a camping trip with Jim himself got in the way of that trip.

This Father's Day I was ready.  I'm not sure what motivated Richard, Bill and Haris to show up, but I believe they were all aware of Jim's approach to a four cribs trip and wanted to match it.  Haris, mischievous person that he is, had even pointed out to us the possibility of a five cribs trip that would include the Hammond, Indiana Crib.  A five cribs trip would run over 40 miles.  We didn't know if Jim had done the five cribs trip, but we weren't about to tip him off to the remote chance that some or all of us would be attempting a five cribs trip this year.

Bill Burton (where's your tuliq Bub?)

The conditions were near perfect this Father's Day.  Winds were light, waves were slight and the clouds shielded us from the son.  The water temperature was about 60 degrees and the air temperature was in the low 70s on the water.

We pushed off about 7:30 a.m., after our safety check, and sailed out to 68th Street Crib at a nice 4.5 mph clip.  Along the way we spotted three white swans on the lake, which we took to be an excellent omen.

We took a short break at 68th Street Crib.  This set the pattern for the day.  We usually paddled steadily between the cribs and then took a short break upon arrival at each one.  This meant that we never paddled more than two hours without a break.  At the same time, the prospect of a break at the next crib helped motivate us to push ahead.

There was sufficient haze that we often could not see the next crib when we started paddling after a break.  These conditions allowed our eyes (and minds) to be subject to all sort of visual tricks as we stared intently ahead looking for the next crib.  "There it is" was often as not followed by "Oops, must have been a sailboat."  We were well equipped with GPS units and compasses so in no real danger of getting lost, however.

Three Dads and Skyline

We pushed north from 68th Street Crib to Four Mile Crib, which, as its name suggests, is well out in the lake.  This stretch is the farthest from shore and has the least boat traffic.  It is an exquisite pleasure to be fresh, in a relatively tiny boat and miles from shore cruising along on a soft sea.

The skyline was wrapped in haze as we visited Four Mile Crib and then Harrison/Dever Crib.  Richard and Haris recounted their recent encounter with law enforcement officials who had ticketed them for approaching too close to a crib.  Richard's ticket even cited him for excessive speed and kicking up too high a wake, something that I hope he takes as a reflection of his paddling prowess.  Indeed, during the trip Haris and I marveled how a guy who paddles with bent arms and not a lot of evident torso rotation can go so darn fast.

Harrison/Dever Crib

A long paddle provides an opportunity for plenty of conversation and plenty of solitude.  As we paddled we checked in with each other, covering the usual topics of work, family, paddling trips and gear.  During a paddle these conversations are pleasant diversions, but they also have a more practical purpose.  We depend on each other out of the water, and conversation is a way to check in with the group and check out the condition of the paddlers upon which you rely for a safe trip.

The wind shifted to the north as we paddled from Harrison/Dever Crib up to Wilson Crib, the half-way point for a four cribs trip.  At Wilson Crib we made a decision that signaled larger ambitions.  We decided to turn around and push south back to Harrison/Dever Crib before taking our lunch break.  This allowed us to take advantage of a slight following wind and seas.  It also put our lunch break at the half-way point of a five cribs trip.  There is some psychological advantage to taking your lunch break at or beyond the half-way point of an extended paddle.

The paddle from Wilson Crib to Harrison/Dever Crib was my favorite stretch.  With the wind and waves favoring us we could keep our 4 mph pace with a 2 mph effort.  It felt like we were skimming over rather than pushing through the water.  Harrison/Dever Crib appeared out of the mist in no time.  A couple of us got out of our boats during lunch and that was a welcome break.

After lunch we entered into what I think of as the trance time of an extended paddle.  This is when your body is getting tired, your mind is weary, and conversation with your fellow paddlers has started to lag.  Nothings matters but paddling.  One stroke follows another automatically and without thought.  The mind empties and the eyes open.  

Tom Bamonte with paddling sombrero

Between Four Mile Crib and 68th Street Crib there are some shoals marked by three buoys.  Haris and Bill looped off to explore them.  We had visited them on a cribs trip last year and they are well worth the trip, shelves of rock bulging up from the depths.  However, by then my goal was to make our next destination with the minimum number of strokes, which meant paddling on a straight line.

We met up at 68th Street Crib.  It was decision time.  Richard, good human being that he is, opted to paddle back to 63d Street Beach so he could celebrate Father's Day.  Bill used his cellphone to try to reach his family and call off his festivities so he could join Haris and I in paddling on to Hammond Crib and back, completing a five cribs trip.  He couldn't reach anyone so he joined Richard.  Both of them were still full of energy and it would have been great to have had them along for this last stretch of a five cribs trip.

Richard Stiers impersonates the Energizer Bunny After 30+ Miles of Paddling

Haris and I burned with ambition to complete a cribs trip that was longer than a Tibensky-style four cribs trip.  We had a nice paddle south through the entrance to the breakwater around Calumet Park into the industrial zone at the bottom of Lake Michigan.

Haris Subacius near Hammond

 

We didn't know exactly where Hammond Crib was located and spent a lot of time and mental energy trying to discern the Crib from this industrial backdrop.  Finally, we found the Crib in the distance.  From that moment the crib started to play that irritating game often played on tired paddlers of retreating at a pace close to ours.  It seemed to take forever to make the Crib.  Once we got there we found it to be a scraggly version of a crib.

Hammond Crib With Scraggly Paddler

On the trip back we debated whether we had to return to 68th Street Crib to complete a "true" five cribs trip or whether we could angle back to our launch site.  We opted to return to 68th Street Crib so, in Haris' words, we could have an exclamation point rather than an asterisk next to our names in the CASKA Hall of Fame.  Obviously, we were hallucinating at this point.

Haris Subacius Near Trip's End

We circled around 68th Street Crib and headed back to the beach.  By now the water was starting to feel like molasses and we were tired.  Nevertheless, we kept up a decent pace, arriving back to 63d Street Beach about 7:45 p.m., having covering over 43 miles. 

68th Street Crib--Last Crib Stop on a Long Day

What a great Father's Day.  All of us had established personal bests in terms of distance paddled in a day.  We kept up a nice steady pace, took care of ourselves on the water, and ended our paddle tired but not ill, injured or even unusually grumpy.

When I got home I emailed Jim Tibensky to find out if he had done the five cribs trip before.  I let out an involuntary whoop when his reply arrived and he said he wasn't even aware of the Hammond Crib.  He also said that when he did his four cribs trips he typically would circle the four cribs and then angle back to his launch point.  This meant that our four cribs trip likely covered a bit more distance than Jim's typical trip because we visited each crib twice.  Another whoop.

Hopefully, Jim will be flattered that we viewed one of his many paddling accomplishments as our benchmark.  After all, a good mentor is one that inspires others to stretch themselves.

Speaking of stretching, there is a sixth crib along the Chicago lake shore.  It is a submerged crib located offshore at about the Evanston lighthouse.  Next up for some paddling knuckleheads is a 60 odd mile six crib circumnavigation trip.  I'll be happy to leave that trip to another set of paddlers who find themselves in the grip of Crib-o-Mania.

Our Route

 Photos:  Richard Stiers (mostly)

GPS Plot:  Haris Subacius

Text:  Tom Bamonte

MWRD Discharging Sewage Into Lake Michigan: Beaches Closed

According to news reports the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago has been discharging sewage into Lake Michigan since 1:20 a.m. this morning (Friday).  Chicago and Evanston beaches will be closed through at least Saturday.

What should be of concern to the Chicago area paddling community is the MWRD's apparent failure to adequately communicate to the public when it is putting sewage into Lake Michigan.  As of right now the MWRD's website home page makes no mention of the fact that the MWRD has made Lake Michigan unsafe for swimming and paddling. (The home page helpfully offers up rain barrels, however!).  When you drill down to the "Newsroom" there is no mention of the discharges into Lake Michigan.

The MWRD does have a system where you can sign up to be notified of combined sewer overflow (CSO) events.  This service notifies you by email when the MWRD is putting sewage into a local waterway without treatment.  You then access a map showing what waterways are affected.  My experience has been, however, that the emails can come hours after the MWRD has opened the locks and started sending sewage out into Lake Michigan.  For example, the email I got this morning came 5 hours after the MWRD started putting sewage into Lake Michigan.  Had I been paddling off of Evanston this morning or joining an early class at Geneva Kayak Center Lakeshore in Rogers Park I might have paddled through the plume of effluent as it gushed into Lake Michigan through the locks at Wilmette Harbor.

By copy of this email I hope that Jill Horist, the MWRD's Manager of Public Affairs, will tell us how the MWRD currently communicates sewage discharge information to the public and any plans it might have to improve that communication (e.g., Twitter).  As many readers on this Yahoo group are Lake Michigan paddlers we would welcome MWRD adding this group to any Lake Michigan CSO notification list the MWRD might have.

The issues of stormwater/sewage management and the MWRD strong and extremely costly opposition to proposed IEPA rules that would require MWRD to disinfect sewage before discharging it into area waterways are beyond the scope of this post.  Nevertheless, its work is central to the quality of the water on which--and in which--we paddle.

In the meantime, the many paddlers who plan to be on Lake Michigan this weekend will be finding themselves paddling their way through the condoms, tampon tubes and other unpleasant detritus that fill Lake Michigan when the MWRD discharges sewage into Lake Michigan.  Of course, with the amount of rain we are getting we may be cleaning out our basements instead.

Tom Bamonte

Fox River Temporarily Closed to Paddlers at I-88 Bridge

From the Illinois Tollway website:

DOWNERS GROVE, Ill. – The Illinois Tollway will temporarily block travel on the Fox River under the Reagan Memorial Tollway (I-88) beginning Thursday, June 18, for demolition of the westbound Fox River Bridge as part of the I-88 Rebuild & Widen Project between the Aurora Toll Plaza and Orchard Road. 

Barges will be in place all the way across the Fox River for bridge demolition activities scheduled to be complete in early July.  Paddlers are advised to either enter the river downstream from the work zone or be prepared to portage around the construction zone.  The designated portage location will be on the west side of the river upstream of the Tollway project area.  Boaters and other recreational users should use the Fox River Trail West parallel to the river and re-enter the river south of the bridge at the designated location.  This will require paddlers to carry their boats up to 1,000 feet to re-enter the river.  The Tollway will post signs along the river and at public river access locations.  Signage and buoys will direct canoe and kayak traffic toward portage areas and away from the demolition area.  Upon completion of the demolition work paddlers will be restricted to the west side of the Fox River due to the installation of a temporary construction bridge on the east side of the river.

* * *

Download Fox River Warning Sign

Burnham Expedition: More Media Coverage

The Burham Expedition got some nice media coverage in a Chicago Tribune article.

This is in addition to other coverage listed at the end of this post.

MORE ON BURNHAM EXPEDITION

Picking up where the first report on the Burham Expedition left off. . .

The last leg of the first day was equally harrowing, as our route hugged a huge industrial peninsula whose seawall border reflected the chop. 

Frank paddled the full distance in a recreational kayak

We barely dodged a barge steaming out of the wharf. When we finally arrived at Jeorse Park in East Chicago, the marina welcomed us ashore with hotdogs, snacks and beverages. We loaded our kayaks on the trailers and shuttled a few miles down the shore to Marquette Park in Gary.

Near Portage, Indiana

Now, I think you'll agree that as paddlers, we are used to receiving less than cordial welcomes when we stumble ashore dripping water, tracking sand, and smelling like the Black Lagoon. All we seek is fluids, carbs, and, if possible, indoor plumbing! But most of the time, the hospitality we encounter ranges from "You might be able to land down the way" to "Get out."

So on this trip it was more than a little surreal to be greeted at every stop by cheering throngs of volunteers and well-wishers who fed and feted us. We were addressed as VIPs by dignitaries. In addition to the Chicago Park District's chief of staff, at later stops we were greeted by the mayor of Whiting, the superintendent of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, and assorted royalty of local environmentalism.

Stop at Indiana Dunes State Park

And what warm welcomes we did receive! When we finally arrived way late for a Saturday night banquet at the Marquette ParkPavilion, a roomful of cheering community activists leaped to their feet and helped us to platefuls of delicious food, beer and wine. Shoulder rubs, foot massages -- okay, that last part I made up, but still.

By Dan's special arrangement, we were permitted to camp in the park. But with the late hour and the wet ground, our park hosts even allowed us to sleep in the pavilion building. Much appreciated!

Sunday dawned as warm and placid as Saturday was foreboding. We paddled past a mosaic of incredible natural beauty interspersed with imposing industrial landscapes. The Indiana shore is a land of contrasts, but always interesting.

Dunes

Industry 

Our expedition ended in a park by the Michigan City marina, where another feast awaited and a kick-ass band called the Stoneflys was laying it down. Their gig was pro bono, and the proceeds (?) from sale of their $5 CDs went to local environmental causes. Bravo, Stoneflys!

Fish eye view of Michigan City bridge

Dan and the Northwest Indiana Paddling Association forged an incredible alliance with community and environmental groups and government bodies at all levels. They had a vision, which led to a plan; they created something new and difficult; and they celebrated its creation by organizing and executing a first-time public event that was a marvel of teamwork and hospitality. I can't quite wrap my mind around the scope of their achievement, but I ask you all to join me in saluting them and promising ourselves to take advantage of the amazing resource they have opened for everyone's enjoyment.

Kris Krouse, one of the key Expedition organizers

~Bill Burton (pictures and text)

Trip Report May 2009: Wisconsin River - Sauk City to Gotham

There were seven of us, all in single kayaks from a 15 year old Skerray to a new P & H Cetus. Pat Lutsch, Beverly Serrell and I [Jim Des Jardins] camped out at the Veterans Memorial Park north of Sauk City on Thursday night and had dinner together at a local restaurant. We were joined on Friday morning by Denis Jones, Chris Donovan, Jim Walsh and Gary Parduhn.



We shuttled cars to Gotham about forty miles downriver and left Beverly’s car at Tower Hill canoe landing about 24 miles downriver (she wanted to be back to attend a friend’s memorial service on Sunday). Paddling started after lunch on Friday and we covered about 11 miles, according to Denis’ GPS, against occasional headwinds. The pace was leisurely and Gary and Jim Walsh fished from their kayaks along the banks. We landed on a lovely sand bar island, set up camp, had an attitude hour, dinner and spent the night. Food preparation was generally individual, although there was some sharing. People came together to eat and drink and then parted to sleep. We saw snake, bird and deer tracks in the sand. Tracks in the sand, bird calls and a sighting indicated other visitors to be Sand Hill Cranes. A pack of coyotes howled in the distance during the night.





Saturday, we dropped off Beverly after about 13 miles and went on to paddle a total of 22 miles against more consistent headwinds. The paddling pace picked up as the day wore on. The last couple of miles were spent trying to find a good camping spot not already occupied. Fatigue caused us to settle on a heavily weeded stretch on the south bank of the river. Again, attitude adjustment hour and dinner restored life. Gary caught a fish to group applause and everyone was in bed by eight. But first, the sighting of Coyote tracks at the campsite made us carefully store all food and garbage under cover in the boats.









On Sunday there was only seven miles to paddle to Gotham. It was a beautiful day, the wind was down and all was right with the paddling world. We arrived at the take-out shortly after eleven, loaded the boats on Chris’s trailer and arrived at the Veterans Memorial Park about noon. It took an hour to sort out equipment, load cars, and head for home.







Trip report: Jim Des Jardins
Photos: Denis Jones

To view a slide show with many more photos courtesy of Denis Jones: click here.

A PLATH WELL TAKEN

Dan Plath, founder of the Northwest Indiana Paddling Association, has been an incredible bundle of energy recently on behalf of the region's paddling community. He and his group are setting the standard for paddling clubs like CASKA and the Illinois Paddling Council. 

Dan was lead organizer of the a two-day Burnham to Marquette Water Trail Expedition from 12th Street Beach in Chicago to Michigan City, Indiana.   The Expedition commemorated the 100th anniversaryof Daniel Burnham's famous Plan of Chicago. It also marked the dedication of the Southern Lake Michigan Water Trail, which adds a northwest Indiana water trail to the existing Chicago lakefront water trail. 

Dan Plath

Due to a work commitment, I only had time to join the group from 12th Street to Calumet Park. The Expedition continued on to overnight camping at Marquette Park in Gary, Indiana and then a second day of paddling into Michigan City. At each stop the paddlers were welcomed with speeches by representatives from environmental groups and park districts.  Perhaps even more gratifying to the paddlers at least were the wide assortment of snacks. 

About 40 paddlers registered at 12th Street Beach.  Most paddled the initial leg of the trip to 63d Street beach.  Many others joined the Expedition along the way.  There was a mixture of boats, including sit-on-tops, recreational kayaks, and sea kayaks. 

It was rainy when we left 12th Street.  The winds and waves were out of the northeast. From the beach house wave conditions didn't look too bad. A fair number of the paddlers had limited Lake Michigan experience. I'm pleased to say that Dan drafted CASKA members to serve as flank and sweep paddlers because of our familiarity with Lake Michigan paddling. 

Expedition put-in at 12th Street Beach

The initial speakers included Mark Thomas, the Chicago Park District's Chief of Staff. In large part through the efforts of Dan and his colleagues when organizing the Expedition the Park District has decided to put more emphasis on the Chicago water trail and is providing more support for a variety of human powered craft in the shoreline waters. In a later conversation I had with Dan he expressed his deep appreciation for the Park District's support. He also expressed some frustration with the "bureaucratic hoops" he had to jump through to obtain permits and the like from the Park District. 

Gary Parduhm waits patiently for speeches to conclude and paddling to begin

When the group made it out to open water it found that conditions were more challenging than expected. There was an ugly 2-3 foot chop that was compounded by rebounding waves from the hard break walls and boat wakes. Even experienced paddlers had to stay alert to stay upright and on course. Two support boats circled the group and assisted as necessary. A couple of paddlers dumped and were efficiently helped back into their boats. Some paddlers chose to land at the beaches between 12th Street and 63d Street.  They and their boats were shuttled ahead to 63d Street.  A number of people clearly pushed their personal limits and made it successfully to 63d Street under their own power. 

The situation could have deteriorated badly had a few more boats tipped over and been blown too close to shore. Fortunately, the available beaches gave people a chance to get off the water relatively quickly. It was key to the safe passage that most people who should have gotten off the water to protect the safety of the group (and themselves) had the good sense to do so. Next time with such a heterogeneous group it might be good to give folks an opportunity to test the conditions and opt to return to the launch site before the group embarks for good. This procedure might have eliminated some of the early on-the-water drama. 

When we arrived at 63d Street Beach it was still raining and the cool breeze yielded some chilly paddlers who congregated at the beach house.

Bill Burton at 63d Street smiling to keep teeth from chattering

 After the speeches, six of us paddled to Calumet Park and met up with the others.  A nice lunch spread in a pleasant, high-ceiling meeting room was there to welcome us.  Even more welcoming were the paddlers who gave us a round of applause for making the 63d Street to Calumet Park paddle.  (Truth be told, there were no 6-8 footers out there like we might have told them!)  It was good to get warm, plow through the lunch items, and mingle with a group of enthusiastic paddlers. 

Sharon & Alec Bloyd-Peshkin point to way to Calumet Park

By now the weather was improving. The group headed to off to Indiana and the heart of the Expedition territory.  Hopefully, we will have a report about the rest of the Expedition from one of the participants.  I paddled back into a modest but still irritating headwind to 12th Street, arriving a bit before sundown. 

Day's end with Explorer

Dan Plath and his NNN colleagues deserve a big round of applause for the Expedition and their continuing efforts to improve the paddling environment for the benefit of all of us.  CASKA and other Illinois paddling groups have a new, and higher, performance bar to meet. Dan and his colleagues appear to be interested in working with us on a three-state Lake Michigan water trail. That sounds like a worthy project, a path well taken. 

Media Coverage of Expedition:

nwi.com

Michigan City News Digest

Gary Post-Tribune

Tom Bamonte

A PYLE OF FUN: SEA KAYAKER TRIES WHITEWATER PADDLING

We were riding back from the take-out in a battered pickup truck with our whitewater boats bouncing around with each rut in the road.  My instructor for the day was saying half jokingly that what whitewater paddlers fear the most is flat water and I had an "ah hah" moment.  I realized that as a sea kayaker I've come to love both flat and bumpy water in equal measures.  This is my account of my first true introduction to whitewater paddling.  While I had been in whitewater once before, earlier this year on the Menominee River, it was in a sea kayak and not a whitewater boat.

I had found myself in Ohiopyle, Pennsylvania on a family trip with our friends Tim Samuelson and Barbara Koenen.  The primary purpose of our trip was to visit Frank Lloyd Wright's remarkable Fallingwater house, which is perched over a waterfall deep in the woods.

Fallingwater (a.k.a. Rising Mildew)

My impressions of the house are outside the scope of this blog.  Suffice it to say that it was well worth the trip.  If you are interested in your own visit to Fallingwater information is here. There is another Wright house with sculpture garden in the area called Kentuck Knob that is also open for visits.

Ohiopyle is an outdoors sports Mecca located in the Laurel Highlands region of Pennsylvania southeast of Pittsburgh.  The town is surrounded by the Ohiopyle State Park.  It is a stop on the Great Allegheny Passage, a nearly level and extremely well-maintained hiking and biking trail that runs largely on abandoned railroad right-of-way from near Pittsburgh to Cumberland, Maryland, where it connects with the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal Park trail that runs along the Potomac River to Washington, D.C.  With many trails and back roads, the area is a wonderful place to bike and hike.

Trail in Ohiopyle

Ohiopyle is best known, however, for its whitewater paddling.  It is located on the Youghiogheny River, which begins in West Virginia and winds its way north through and around numerous ridges in Maryland and Pennsylvania until it flows into the Monongahela River a few miles southeast of Pittsburgh.  

Yough as it flows into Ohiopyle

Folks spoke of the upper Yough in hushed tones, saying it was full of Class V rapids and was for experts only.  The middle Yough, which flows from Confluence, Pennsylvania to Ohiopyle, is Class I and II water, perfect for floating downriver in a raft with legs dangling over the edge.  The lower Yough, which begins in Ohiopyle, offers an intermediate area of Class II to IV rapids.  It is challenging but not punishing to experienced whitewater paddlers.

The Yough makes a big loop just downriver from Ohiopyle.  Whitewater paddlers are able to put in just south of Ohiopyle Falls, paddle through several sets of rapids and then take out near a railroad bridge about a half-mile from the put-in.  It is common to see paddlers lugging their boats and paddles down a well-trod path through the woods and back to town, anxious to give the rapids another shot.

Going Back For More

Another option is to run the entire 7 mile-plus stretch of the lower Yough and then catch a shuttle back to the put-in.  Ohiopyle has several rafting and kayaking outfitters able to provide shuttles and other services.  Wilderness Voyagers appears to offer the most support for kayakers.  It has a nice shop on river's edge just across the highway bridge from downtown Ohiopyle.  Falls City Pub, a nice tavern, is just down the street and is often full of guides and weathered outdoors enthusiasts.  Note that the outfitters generally do not rent kayaks, but require that they have a guide along on any trip using their boats.

The rest of our group were not paddlers, so on the second day we went down the lower Yough in a raft.  Our guide at the stern did most of the work steering the raft, but fooled us into thinking we were contributing by barking commands to have us paddle this way and that.  The thump of the raft hitting water hard, the repeat drenchings as we plowed through the waves, and the screams of the Girl Scouts in the rafts ahead made the trip fun and exhilarating. 

We passed some whitewater paddlers along the way and I did feel a pang of envy.  As all the kayak outfitters in town were booked the next day, I arranged a one day introduction to whitewater kayaking through Riversport School of Paddling, a quality outfitter in nearby Confluence (home of Immersion Research).

Lower Yough

The next day I appeared at the outfitter.  They sized me up, took stock of my limited, one-time experience in white water--and that in a sea kayak--and sent me to the Yough River Lake for a skills assessment with my instructor for the day.

There, I got into a whitewater boat for the first time.  It was a bizarre experience.  We sea kayakers struggle to turn our kayaks by edging and sweep strokes.  In the whitewater boat I felt I could turn as easily as a top.  A flick of my paddle in the water and I turned 180 degrees.  My first impression from the maneuverability of the whitewater kayak and its short length was that I was in some sort of toy kayak.  I giggled at the sheer playfulness of the boat.

We practiced some basic maneuvers.  I learned that whitewater paddlers lean into their turns--carving--rather than edge away from them as we do.  I practiced sweeps where I shifted my edge from one side to the other mid-sweep.  This was an important and counter-intuitive foundation for eddy turns and other maneuvers.

We moved on to rolling.  I found that the flat-bottomed whitewater boats seemed a bit harder to roll than the typical sea kayak.  My instructor encouraged me to keep the paddle forward and to push my weight up forward as well when rolling.  One's head should be tucked forward as much as possible during the roll.  He said the sweep rolls we sea kayakers practice expose the head to underwater rocks and don't take advantage of the extra buoyancy built into the front half of a whitewater boat.  For the record, I hit all my rolls, but many were ugly.

After packing a quick lunch we headed for the Cassleman River.  It is not runnable much of the year, but due to high water levels it offered us about 7 miles of near-continuous but relatively modest rapids.  My guide thought I would learn more whitewater paddling basics in this stretch of river than I would merely surviving a lower Yough run during high water.  Feeling a bit unsure in an unfamiliar type of boat, I decided not to argue with him.  Another guide accompanied us as we wound our way on narrow roads through the high country to the put-in.  The two of them appeared to be competing over who could say "Dude" more often--e.g., "Dude, you were supposed to be my wingman at the bar last night."  The life of a guide can be fun, for a couple of summers at least, but it is tough way to make a living.

Rapids

The Casselman  turned out to be perfect.  We spent about 4 hours practicing eddy turns, peel outs, ferrying and the like.  The first hour or so was quite difficult.  I didn't "get" the boat or the conditions.  I found myself edging the wrong way, failing to edge enough, and generally fighting the boat and the river with slaps of my paddle to no good end.  My instructor sensed my frustration and called a break.  We humped the boats up the rocky shore and had a good snack and a chat about nothing.

When I got back on the water it was if the slate had been wiped clean.  I started playing rather than working on my technique and that made all the difference.  Soon, I was scooting from riverbank to riverbank as we worked our way downstream.  We would slip into an eddy and then ferry back and forth, surfing on standing waves along the way.  Sensing that I was starting to get it, my instructor let me take the lead and pick my own course through the rapids.  Despite a few too close encounters with barely submerged rocks, I think I did a pretty good job reading the water.

I have certain iconic images I associate with my kayaking.  One is the view across Montrose beach and the curling waves while playing in the surf under the reddish glow of sunset.  Another is the sight of an island in the distance when starting a crossing.  As I result of this trip I now add the view from the top of a set of rapids at that moment when one must visually capture the scene and mentally draw a course through the churning water to the pool below.  I really like the challenge of setting a course within a matter of seconds and then making the quick adjustments as necessary as the each rapids reveals its surprises.

Lower Yough at edge of Ohiopyle Falls

The maneuverability of a whitewater boat was a real pleasure.  It was great to be able to make swift and often large course changes without too much effort.  I also found that the flat and wide whitewater boats were quite stable.  When I plowed into standing waves the boat was especially steady.  I felt like I was sitting on top of a sturdy desk and did not have to brace nearly as often or as hard as I would have done had I been in a sea kayak.

I didn't have to practice rolling the whitewater boat in conditions.  I need some more rolling practice in calm water before I will feel as confident rolling a whitewater boat as I do a sea kayak.  I certainly wouldn't want to wet exit.  While I could just fit my legs in my boat, I was wedged in tight.  Getting out of my boat, while doable, would have been a chore in conditions.

I got back to the outfitters in Confluence about 4 p.m.  I had 11 miles and 2.5 hours to get back to Ohiopyle in time for dinner so I took off down the trail that followed the Yough, alternately jogging and walking.  On the other side of the river freight trains were running, but they could be barely seen through the canopy of trees.  The sound of their whistles filled the valley and sometimes echoed.   The smooth path allowed me to concentrate on the trees, the small waterfalls and the sound of the river as I pushed ahead.   Dinner tasted especially good that night.

Trail

I'm certainly in no danger of abandoning sea kayaking for whitewater paddling.  I would miss the steady, meditative cadence that develops when paddling a long boat on big water.  The wiggly nature of a whitewater board in flat water can get pretty irritating after awhile.  However, after a day in a whitewater boat on a beautiful river, I'm hooked enough that I want to supplement sea kayaking with some more whitewater paddling.  I'd like to get back to Ohiopyle, hopefully with a few like-minded kayakers, for a few days of paddling, biking and hiking.  The area is a pile of fun.

Tom Bamonte

New boats for sale!

Check them out here: http://caskaorg.typepad.com/caska/for-sale-from-caska-membe.html

and check back for updates. Looks like more may be on the way soon. This might be a good time for shoppers to snag some great deals!