Ottawa River Whitewater: A Paddler's Guide to Middle and Main Channels |
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"The Ottawa River is one of the kindest whitewater
rivers you will ever encounter. The superbly challenging
rapids are interspersed with safe reaches and its
'drop-pool' character ensures that the damp and
dispossessed do not have to wait too long before they
are reunited with their equipment after a mishap. The
water is generally deep and flows powerfully through
the whitewater sections resulting in surprisingly few
injuries from collisions with rocks, or prolonged
re-circulation in holes, particularly when you consider
the number of people who flock to the river during the
peak summer months. The rocks tend to be rounded and
smooth in character, compared to many rivers, so a
casual encounter doesn't often leave too many lifelong
scars. There are some notable exceptions, such as
Garvin's Chute, Butcher's Knife, and even the innocuous
sounding Little Trickle, but on the whole a swim down
most of the rapids will do more damage to pride and ego
than to the anatomy.
It is this friendly disposition that endears the waters of the Ottawa River to those who want to improve their skills as much as to the expert. From this point of view the Ottawa has few equals hereabouts. There are a very large number of easily accessible play-spots of differing size, power and character each offering an equally variable number of technical challenges. There are safe places to try out the latest moves and there are more risky ones to progress to. Not only is the Ottawa an exceptional playboating and recreational whitewater river, it has the added bonus of having two different channels (three if you include the seldom paddled 'Lost Channel') which can both start at the same put-in and end at the same take-out. Two totally different whitewater runs on the same river on the same day are perfectly possible - this is the stuff of dreams. Don't be misled, however, by this comforting generalisation. During the spring run-off, in late May and early June, the Ottawa presents a totally different paddling proposition compared to the flows, and temperatures, you will experience in mid-August. The volume of its frigid melt waters can reach huge proportions, easily the size of a Grand Canyon rapid in places, and in this condition the river needs to be treated with an enormous amount of respect. Swims can be long, numbingly cold and have very serious consequences. This is more the season, and the domain, of the experienced paddler, who will encounter water just as challenging as some of the world's classic big water runs at this time of year. As the season progresses into late June the level will drop and by mid-July the conditions make paddling more relaxing and more attractive to those with less experience." Email Dog Ears your order : ottawariver@dogears.com |
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