This is my first time posting...as they say, "long-time listener, first-time caller...love the show." I'm an avid hiker and paddler and as such was leading a hike this past weekend in the Niagara Gorge (US side). The gorge is rumored to have some of the largest standing waves along it's post-Falls route towards Lake Ontario and the rapids have been classified by many as class V/VI. Well, just as some of us were daydreaming about how awesome it would be to kayak down a stretch of the rapids, lo and behold a kayaker made his way downriver, dumfounding us all, particularly myself as I have never seen a paddler in those waters in all the years I've been hiking in the gorge. Actually, I thought it was still illegal. I had no time to whip out the camera and take a digipic...dejected, I resigned myself to the fact that I would at least have a good story to tell the follow paddlers in my local club (Buffalo Paddling). Well, not 30 minutes later as we were hiking upriver towards the Falls, my brand new hero was plying some of the more "calm" waters downriver - this time standing! Luckily I had my camera ready and took some shots, of which two looked good - one macro and one tele. They are at: http://www.calanan.com/hiking/WNY/NiagaraGorge/20030629/NiagaraGorge04.JPG.htm http://www.calanan.com/hiking/WNY/NiagaraGorge/20030629/NiagaraGorge05.JPG.htm I should note that there are high-powered jet boats that can carry a few dozen passengers through the rapids - we surmise that the paddler either works for the company or has a good friend that does who was able to cart him back upriver between runs. The members of my hiking party asked me questions like: What kind of kayak can do that? Is there a name for that style of kayaking? Is it easier to paddle through rapids standing vs. sitting? (We got into a discussion about loggers who would run rapids in log drives in days of yore.) Is that guy crazy? ...among others. Well, it was impressive to say the least...anyone have any comments? Thanks! - mike 2002 Perception Carolina http://www.calanan.com/ *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
On Wed, Jul 02, 2003 at 06:31:32PM -0400, Michael C. Calanan wrote: > Actually, I thought it was still illegal. I believe it is. See 16-year-old story appended below. It's also, IMHO, insanely dangerous: note the phrase "air tank", which appears in the account. To give you an idea of how experienced/good the people were who were on that trip: Marty McCormick was on the US national slalom team. Another account of a trip through the N.G. (which I don't have handy at the moment) included a mention by a certain well-known open canoeist that having his entire boat (with him in it) sucked well underwater and held there for quite some time was rather alarming. > What kind of kayak can do that? For a trip like this, you need a high-volume cruising boat. The Perception Mirage was the "expedition standard" for a lot of years on rivers in places like Nepal, because it's huge, thus relatively buoyant. (Well, that, and it can carry a lot of gear for expedition paddling.) I can't tell what the boat is in your pictures, but trying to extrapolate its length from the second shot, my guess is that it's not a little short "rodeo" boat. > Is there a name for that style of kayaking? "Stupid stunt". Actually, poling -- which is, ummm, done with a pole, not a paddle, is rather efficient in moderate rapids in canoes. There are even competitions held with upstream/downstream racing done through class II-ish rapids, e.g. the rapids below the Lambertville (NJ) wing dam on the Delaware River. > Is it easier to paddle through rapids standing vs. sitting? The latter, because it gives you a lower center of gravity, and -- much more importantly -- because you can roll. A standing paddling who flips becomes a swimmer, and swimming the Niagara Gorge would most likely be fatal, even with a PFD. > Is that guy crazy? Yes. ---Rsk (extracted from VNS news service in 1987) An interesting event took place this weekend in Niagara Falls, N.Y. ( my home town ). I took the liberty to copy an article which covered the event from the Sunday, September 20 issue of the Niagara Gazette. I hope you enjoy it. "8 in kayaks whip waves in gorge trip" In what state parks officials called a dangerous stunt they hope is not repeated by other thrill-seekers, eight men kayaked through the Niagara River Gorge at noon Saturday. Robert Glanville, an attorney from Glenwood, N.Y., said he and his companions made the trip safely from above the Whirlpool Rapids Bridge to the Village of Lewiston. "There were extraordinarily large waves and exploding waves - which form a mushroom on top and send a ton of water down on you if you happen to be under them," Glanville said. He said that he and some of his companions overturned during the trip because of the turbulence, but were able to right themselves. "I had a problem just above the Whirlpool. I was hit by a wave and it partially pulled me out of the boat. I got a bunch of water in the boat and couldn't right myself. I had an air tank and was breathing that way while I was upside down," Glanville said. He said he was able to right himself with help from a couple of his companions. He said that type of thing happens and experienced kayakers are ready for it. "I don't want it to be perceived that this was some sort of stunt. This is extraordinarily dangerous and foolhardy if you don't have the skill to do it. But it's a natural, reasonable and enjoyable undertaking if you know what you are doing and go with a group of skilled boaters," Glanville said. Glanville said he has kayaked most of the big rivers in the eastern United States and a number of major western U.S. rivers, including the Colorado River. He said his companions - Gibbs Johnson of Atlanta, Ga.; Robert and Alan Baker of Rochester; Peter Skinner of Albany; Chris Koll of Syracuse; Marty McCormick of Washington D.C.; and John Maxwell of Harrisburg, Pa. - are all vastly experienced. Four people, there to witness the first legal kayak run through the gorge from the U.S. side, were issued tickets by state parks police for not using a designated trail into the gorge. Issued the appearance tickets for 9 a.m. Oct. 2 were: Donald W. Honkala, 61, of North Tonwanda; Walter W. Smith, 30, of Buffalo; Adolf Rupnig, 32 of 2134 North Ave., Niagara Falls; and Charles Zaranski, 35, of Buffalo. According to Mario J. Pirastru, regional parks director, Glansville's request to make the trip was denied by the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. So Glanville took the parks department to state Supreme Court this summer and obtained a permit to run the three miles of the Niagara River above the Whirlpool. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. 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It's called Striding. it's standing up in an IK and running whitewater. Jeff Snyder pioneered this technique years ago as an extreme binge of kayaking. Might even be him in the photo. here's a couple links http://www.metrotimes.com/20/35/Features/culHigher.html http://web.outsideonline.com/magazine/0398/9803dispinnovation.html steve Alder Creek Kayak & Canoe N 45º 36.285' 250 NE Tomahawk Isle Dr. W 122º 39.841' Portland, OR 97217 Web: www.aldercreek.com Phone: 503.285.0464 Email: aldercreek_at_qwest.net *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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