Team Jackson Kayak Racks up First Descents Paddling Outside the Box
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The Magazine of Kayak Newfoundland and Labrador Fall 2007 Volume 7(3) Ebb & Flow Team Jackson Kayak Racks Up First Descents Paddling Outside the Box Greening KNL Close Call in Trinity Bay KNL Board: President’s Message President: Paul Benson Vice-President: Dave Ennis Secretary: Leslie Wells Treasurer: Sue Duffett Past-President: Ty Evans Whitewater Director: Andrew Stewart A great legacy to build on Sea Kayak Director: David Carroll Safety Director: Marie Wall I am proud and excited to be your president for this coming year. Proud be- Directors at Large: cause of the accomplished and capable people who have held this position Stan MacKenzie before me. Excited because of the great group of paddlers who have agreed to Tony Roestenberg join me on this year’s board. Already there are some interesting ideas being Chapter Representatives: tossed around. I would like to thank past president Ty Evans for the out- Central: Chris Vincent standing job he did last year; and with one arm literally tied behind his back. West Coast: Ray Dunphy He does cook a mean ham, doesn’t he??!! Ty was a wonderful mentor to us all and is such a lovely man. Although Neil Burgess has retired from the board he Ebb & Flow Editor: continues to be a great asset to the club through his dedicated effort to the Ebb Neil Burgess and Flow Magazine. For sure I will be keeping Neil on the speed dial list. In fact you might add him to your list because he is always looking for good sto- Letters to the Editor: ries and story ideas for the Ebb and Flow. Our Central Representive, Cathy Address your letters and comments Scott in Gander (who started the year as Cathy Peddle) finds that she has other to [email protected] time commitments now. Thank you Cathy for your contributions … and pa- tience on those long conference calls. Cathy’s place on the board has been We encourage members to submit taken up by Chris Vincent from Lewisporte. Already we know that Chris will their suggestions and concerns. be an energetic addition. Also thanks to Barb Young who has to step aside this year. Hope to see that red Tempest on the water a little more next summer, Cover Photo: Nick Troutman on Barb. We are delighted to be joined on the board this year by Stan MacKenzie Steady Brook, western Nfld. and David Carroll. I think they will both be the Tsumami Ranger representa- tives; soulmates of Malcolm. David will be taking over as Sea Kayak Director Newsletter Submissions: this year so I encourage you to give him your support as you have for me and Kayak Newfoundland & Labrador others who have acted in this role. is the provincial club for recrea- The many volunteers who offer themselves for tasks big and small have been tional kayaking, both sea and a great help and we will be looking for the generous contribution of your time, whitewater. Ebb & Flow is the energy, and skill again this year. We are looking at establishing a program for club’s newsletter and is published new club members and will need your help with this and other projects that 3 times a year. members have generously supported over the years. We welcome your submissions to You can support your club by attending events: talks at the Guv’nor, pool ses- future issues of this newsletter. We sions, club meetings, club paddles. Let us know how we’re doing every chance you get. This is your club and although you have given the rudder to can’t publish all submissions and the board, we are always interested in your suggestions for the passage and reserve the right to edit submis- any course corrections you may have in mind. sions for style, spelling and length. I am proud to serve you and this great club and most of all, the other board Kayak Newfoundland & Labrador members and I look forward to sharing some wonderful paddles with you in the coming year. P.O. Box 2, Stn. C St. John’s, NL A1C 5H3 Regards, Paul B. [email protected] www.kayakers.nf.ca 2 Kayak Newfoundland & Labrador are two different things. With a little help from the Newfoundland kayak Newfoundland: club representative Chris Buchanan, we finally located the drop that is Reflections on first descents unrunnable for salmon, and spent the day working out the delayed boof that made easy work of the massive down root-beer rivers recirculation at the base. Interestingly enough, it was Dane Jackson who By Ben Stookesberry was the first to make it look pretty. Photos by Darin McQuoid Greenpower? For the next few days we were sty- mied by an even more insidious fac- tor than low water. Apparently the Dam and Diversion Builders had ac- cess to the same maps as us. Unfortu- nately they had been at it for 15 years longer than us and had pretty much found all the rivers that were steep, high volume, and roadside. This is the same unfortunate "Green Power" saga that is playing out across the planet. Desperate to find water, we head for the Northern Peninsula where there has been some recent rain. Doctors Brook To say that hindsight is 20/20 in the rived, it had become clear that the Three hours north of Deer Lake, we search for extreme kayaking first de- rain was going to be hit and miss. start to see the evidence of the recent scents is a gross understatement. After a brilliant rainstorm upon showers. Massive waterfalls are Even if you find a river with the their arrival, Chris and Darin had pouring out of glacial valleys that “goods”, there are countless variables only managed one day of kayaking were still dry further south. We cross that affect the river conditions and in nine possible. Thus we spent our over what I had expected to be a levels. Add to this the fact that you first days in a fevered search for the small brook, and it is pumping. A are relying on rain to bring the rivers largest drainages with the highest quick glimpse at the map is a solid up to runnable levels and you have a gradients; the thought being that reminder of why we need rain. This veritable crap shoot on your hands. there should be some class V water small coastal brook is the same size Despite the daunting odds, eight for which you actually want really as brooks around Deer Lake that members of Team Jackson Kayak low water. were almost dry. This one, Doctors pulled off six different first descents Brook, carried nearly 700 cfs! in a mostly sunny and dry Newfound- Humber River land October. We forget all about the previous The Humber fell squarely in that days’ low water woes and make a Arriving 11 days before the rest of category although it took two at- fevered hike to get as far up the the crew, Darin McQuoid and Chris tempts over two days to actually drainage as light would permit. A Korbulic made a quick push towards find it. If you see a “Big Falls” true Newfoundland bushwhacking the West Coast to do some initial marked on the map on the Humber nightmare ensues as we drag our scouting. By the time Jesse Coombs, River, that is not the right falls. It boats and our bodies through the Eric Jackson, Dane Jackson, Nick seems that what is considered big Troutman, Joel Kowolski, and I ar- for a salmon and big for a kayaker (Contintued on page 4) First descent Ebb & Flow 3 First descent (Cont’d. from page 3) Explorer, we travel at light speed After three more clean lines from over the muddy hole-filled logging Chris Korbulic, Jesse Coombs, and densest, miniature forest I have ever road. We are witness to every kay- Joel Kolowski, Nick Troutman found seen. The Tuckamore (or Tuck Bush akers wet dream as we come around himself a few precious feet to the left as the locals call it) creates the single a corner: a massive cascading falls of good, and went barrel rolling to- worst environment for the off-the- spills from the mountain. wards the rocks on the left. A lot of beaten-trail hiking experience. Spiny time in the air on big waves like spruce branches that rake at your face More adventure in the nasty Tuck Mini-Bus probably helped Nick to and visibility less than two feet are Bush brings the whole crew up into avert disaster by a helix to stern piton just some of the highlights. the middle of the falls. The first two maneuver the likes of which I have teirs are massive and potentially never seen before. Also working in Finally 2.5 km up the creek we can't lethal but the two sliding waterfalls Nick’s favor was the Jackson Kayak take any more and put in. The river is downstream would more than suf- Rocker with it's integrated shock- a joy of high-volume ledges, slides, fice. The first of the two is a crazy absorbing outfitting. Still he hit hard and rapids. All eight of us are in the sliding rapid that shoots off a 20- enough to send him swimming semi- mix with Eric Jackson, Dane Jack- foot falls which is run cleanly by conscious into the pool below. son, and myself taking turns at the all. The next falls is taller and re- boat scout probe position. Eventually quires a precise line to stay out of a Finding the Cloud River Jesse Coombs starts pushing the pace nasty ledge hole on the right and as only Jesse can do, leading us avoid getting pushed onto exposed Another one of Chris Buchanan's rec- through some big rapids and to the rocks on the left.