Trip Report -Whites River, 2006

Just a quick note to let you know that there is now an updated trip report for Whites River online. It is from May, 2006 and contains a few photos of this elusive river.

Enjoy.

Google Earth Files

Hi folks,

I have a new toy to pass along to you. I've been playing with Google Earth for a couple of years, but more recently have found it to be quite useful for work type stuff. In the past I've used the software to assess a few rivers in Labrador and refine some of my UTM locations on the island. New software lets me now transfer data between Google Earth and MapInfo, which means I can get locations in my database and view them on Google Earth. A recent thread at Boatwerks has highlighted that this type of information is useful to the paddling community at large. I don't have the skills to go overboard with this idea, but it should help people find our rivers and then reference the descriptions stored on the kayaking beta website.

So, without further ado here is the file. It is a .kml file, simply download and open using Google Earth. The file contains about 55 rivers from my database and I'll gradually start adding more river locations as I find the time.

Goto Google Earth Community Posting

This should waste a few of your hours this week. If you haven't been to Google Earth for a while the amount of new high resolution imagery added since Christmas will be a pleasant surprise; including St. John's. Look for updates on a few west coast rivers and news about the Pipers Hole River Festival soon.

Wood Warning

There are three safety items on Northwest River that I would like to highlight to the general paddling community.

• Wood - there is a tree that completely blocks the river right channel of the rapid called Flushbox. This is the second rapid in the first canyon. It is noticeable from an upstream eddy, but still represents a siginificant hazard. It is wedged across two boulders and will probably remain in place until the river floods this spring. It is easiest to portage this rapid on the river left shore. There is also a runnable river left channel, but it involves cutting across the top of a sieve.

• Also, there are a large number of fallen trees along the banks of the canyon. This is likely the result of flood stage river levels a few years ago. However, until future floods clean the canyon out it is prudent to be extra observant for wood in the narrower channels of the Northwest River.
  

• At Big Falls on the Northwest River many paddlers use the salmon ladder as a sneak route around the main falls. The channel is not particularly difficult, but the final corner does have some hidden dangers. It is not uncommon for people to pin on the downstream side of the corner. It has never resulted in a serious incident, but from personal experience I know that it is difficult to self-rescue from the pin. This is a good spot to set safety for all members of the party, including the final paddler down the rapid.

Wood Warning

There are three safety items on Northwest River that I would like to highlight to the general paddling community.

• Wood - there is a tree that completely blocks the river right channel of the rapid called Flushbox. This is the second rapid in the first canyon. It is noticeable from an upstream eddy, but still represents a siginificant hazard. It is wedged across two boulders and will probably remain in place until the river floods this spring. It is easiest to portage this rapid on the river left shore. There is also a runnable river left channel, but it involves cutting across the top of a sieve.

• Also, there are a large number of fallen trees along the banks of the canyon. This is likely the result of flood stage river levels a few years ago. However, until future floods clean the canyon out it is prudent to be extra observant for wood in the narrower channels of the Northwest River.
  

• At Big Falls on the Northwest River many paddlers use the salmon ladder as a sneak route around the main falls. The channel is not particularly difficult, but the final corner does have some hidden dangers. It is not uncommon for people to pin on the downstream side of the corner. It has never resulted in a serious incident, but from personal experience I know that it is difficult to self-rescue from the pin. This is a good spot to set safety for all members of the party, including the final paddler down the rapid.