So I’ve been practising unintentionally falling out off my raft midway through grade 2/3 low volume white water.
The first time it happened it was totally unexpected, two boulders converging to a narrow throughway I had no hope of making, the wrong route on a small drop. Ending upside down in the cold peaty water felt like a dream, I went through my ritual incantation, got hold of paddle? Yep, got hold of raft? Yep – out of the thigh straps I slid and drifted with the flow until I could right my boat and kick my way to the side.
The second time – shown below was equally unexpected as I thought I was through the hard stuff – live and learn.
I’ve been getting lessons at the local kayak and canoe club swimming sessions on how to roll, I haven’t made one properly yet, mostly due to poor coordination, but the practice on bracing and support strokes has proved invaluable, it’s a work in progress.
The two white water sections I have been running are on the Angus rivers, the North Esk and South Esk, both popular with kayakers, who seem a little perturbed about a single in a packraft on the rivers, but they’ve been nice enough about it.
I agree that running white water by yourself is possibly not the smartest or safest, but I need to learn to be self sufficient for the Gates of the Arctic trip in Alaska in August – think tow lines, not throw lines. I also think you learn more quickly by yourself, the risks are the same, but the potential outcomes aren’t – certainly motivation to get it right first time.
I’ve picked my times and scouted most of the sections with rapids, lower flow days for easier recoveries, but still a steep learning curve. One of the things, I’ve learnt (relearned) is that adrenaline will only take you so far, after that you get real tired and a bit of a scaredy cat, the bodies survival instinct is pretty switched on.
The Gnarwhal is a pretty forgiving beast and I’m growing very attached to it, not just on the white water where it excels but also on the wider, deeper, slower moving flatwater where it still allows you to get into that efficient paddling mode you get in sea kayaks, albeit nowhere near as fast. 20kms down the North Esk seemed to pass in a few short minutes.
To know your limits you’ve got to go past them a time or two, allowing you to clearly define and set them, I’ve certainly done that and I’ve a lot to learn in river skills reading the river and route finding, but I think I’m slowly starting to put it together – hopefully to a good enough standard in time for August.
I need a few good long trips in the spring/summer time to start and combine walking and rafting, where everything goes in my pack and especially between the two.
Walking will always be my favorite, but I don’t think that packrafting will be too far behind.
Dreaming of long trips on the Porcupine, The Coleen, The Sheenjek and Firth rivers.
