Are You Ready For Moving Water?

Feeling the power of the moving water cycle beneeth you is literaly like feeling the power of life. No reason for Captain Literal from Studio C to restore justice here. Looking for planets that can maintain water in it's three stages is now the same science that looks for life in deep space's life sustaining planets. It is the existance of these three stages that makes life as we know it posible on the great planet where we now reside and it is theorized that is what will make it posible in other places in the universe. 

Ok, that video was just for fun, and a good reminder to use the word "literal" correctly. But seriously, The water cycle is increadable. We don't have to imagine water evaperating and ascending into the clouds to be distributed into higher places like mountains and high platoughs, then  gathering between the rocks and rills and eventually forming into streams and rivers distributing water into valleys and even back into the great oceans because we see it and sometimes take that marvel for granted. 

This may not be the thing you are thinking about as you are navigating down a river but it is a good thing to contimplate every once in a wile. 

You may be the kind of person that will start with practicing a roll in a white water kayak designed for front flips in a powerful washing machine scenario. This is not about that kind of extremism. Rather, this is about the next step from that beatifull pond you have been navigating and about how moving water effects how you navigate your kayak. More than likely the kayak you have will work just fine for class I and class II rapids. I remember going down my first river in a kayak. It was the Kearn River in the class IV section. I was on the most stable kayak or what I call a rayak (inflatable kayak), half kayak and half raft. What a great time that was and not that hard in an inflatable. 

As you progress in your skills you may or may not want to change your hull to improve what you can and can't do, but for now whatever you have will work. That Blunt/Backstab will have to wait. For now some simple ideas of how to read the water and manuver in moving water will work. 

I have learned from sad experience that I should not assume someones skill level when I take them down the river. My minimum requirement is that they know how to stop their kayak. NO BRAKES! Watching the person you came to enjoy the day with being subject to the mercy of the river is no fun. 

There is more than one way to skin a trout and there are easy ways and harder ways to stop your kayak. I have used them all but I prefer the easy ways. Here is a little video I made years ago to help a group of young men understand the concept of a pillow:

This little spot is at the confluence of the Diamond fork River and the Spanish Fork River. There are lots of places in Utah county to practice these skills. One really good place is where the Provo River crosses Geneva road. There is a parking lot there and easy access to the river any time of the year. Also, there are two or three structures that create pillows in that little easy access spot. You will notice in the video that facing the current and paddling can stop your kayak depending on how swift the current is. If you get right at the base of the cascade you can even stop effortlessly as you are sitting on top of the washing machine. As you become familliar with the river you will notice that there are lots of pillows near the banks of rivers and sometimes big rocks create them in the middle.

You can't miss this one on the Provo River. If you went down that cascade and put the bow of your kayak in the pillow the current would swing your kayak around and your kayak would stop. You would now be facing the current and can easily see others aproaching. That is a perfect spot to wait for your party and plenty of room left for others to wait with you. Good and safe river edicate.

ROCKS

Taking on the unexpected rock can be a challenge. I often will turn my kayak around trying to keep an eye on my party. This ofcourse takes my eye off the river and can be the thing that flips me. As a rule, keep your eye on the river. You can see submerged rocks by the V it is creating on the waters surface and ofcourse there is always a lurknig rock in the shallows. I have hit a lot of rocks in the many rivers I have kayaked. Some have given me a great jolt but if I am facing forward I can usually get through it pretty well. It is the one you hit sideways that flipps you. Keep your kayak facing forward in the shallows and watch out for the Vs. Now that I have mentioned the Vs, sometimes the V is just the flow of least resistance and is the place you should be, especially in shallow water. That V faces the other way. It becomes more intuitive as you practice. I like this video because you can see how the river is moving by the trees and how facing forward is the key to taking on rocks:

What if you do end up in the river?

Remember on your back feet facing forward.
Keep your limbs on the surface in swift water.
Let the river carry you to a safe standing spot.

Reading the river:

I love the idea of navigating a small river as a good practice for reading a river. I believe if you can navigate the Diamond Fork River then you can navigate a much larger and more forgiving river. In a small river like the Diamond Fork River you really have to stay on your guard and make quick decisions or you will find yourself quickly in a debris pile, thick brush or the bottom of the river, high centered. The advantage is that the river does not have the power of a bigger river behind it.

 Locating the deeper channel can be essential portage in a small river and you need to be more selective of your pillows just so you have enough room to turn arround. 

Diamond Fork River: Red Rocks to the Campground

Spanish Fork River: Tree line road to the Sports Park

Provo River much more forgiving: Deer Creek Dam to Vivian Park

These three river runs don't get past a class II rapid unless you are in flooding conditions. There are other sections of those rivers that can be more challenging if you want more adventure. For example; the Spanish Fork River has a section called Kit Carson's Cunnundrum that can be class III based on the water flow. And the Provo River has the Bridal Veil Falls section that is more challenging as well.

 Kit Carson's Cunnundrum:

More about the Spanish Fork River (click)

Provo River: Bridal Veil Falls Section

This pic actually shows the falls

Provo River: Going beyond Vivian Park (click)

Video by William Pennington. I am the dot in front of William.

I recomend adding a helmet to your gear in these sections.

There really is some great water in Utah County. The Provo river section that starts at Deer Creek Dam and ends at Vivian Park is the section of choice for most river runners. Hopefully this will give some ideas on how to mix it up a little.

The Back Sweep:

When switching to moving water from a stroll on the pond one of the most valuable control moves to me is the "back sweep". It is not something beginners will use in still water and it can be increadably valuable in moving water. It can mean the difference of getting dumped down a cascade or not. A simple back sweep can put you in the right position to handle anything the river deals you. The forward sweep is how most people contol their kayak and that is great if you can think way ahead of the game. However the back sweep can give you instant control in almost any situation on the river. As you learn to use the back sweep your river experience will be inhanced greatly as you realize you are now working much less and utilizing the power of the river for locomotion. 

I have always liked this rule:

“Adventure should be 80 percent ‘I think this is manageable,’ but it’s good to have that last 20 percent where you’re right outside your comfort zone. Still safe, but outside your comfort zone.”

— Bear Grylls

Keep paddling!