Troop 37 August 11-12
Contacts: Gary Banks,
Zach A.
BSA Tour Permit No. – 2007-08-07-B
As of: August 8, 2007
There
is a lot of information on this web page. I have a “highlights section”, “canoe
personal and crew packing list section”, “safety afloat and safe swim defense
link”, a ‘canoeing operational guide”.
Parents and scouts should read the web page carefully. Parents and
scouts should contact me if they have any questions about this trip.
o
We met at church
Saturday 9:30am promptly.
o
We distribute
troop and patrol items promptly.
o
We leave church
10:00am
o
Saturday arrival time at Buchanan boat ramp is
12:00pm. Leave vehicles at Buchanan.
o
Livery company takes us up river. We are on the
river -- 12:30pm or so.
o
We pull out around 4:00pm to 4:30pm Saturday
o
We pull out around 3:00pm to 4:00pm Sunday at
Buchanan
o
The river is 4” above ‘canoe zero’. If you attempt to paddle a river below “canoe
zero” then you have a nice walk! We have 20 class I and 4 class II rapids to
move us along. The livery company has a
campsite.
o
We are covering 22 miles total. See these two maps – Eagle Rock to HorseShoeBend HorseShoeBendToBuchanan
(we camp at mile marker 38 and we pull out ˝ down the map at Buchanan at mile
marker 27)
o
Trip description highlights – Canoe
Livery Company Flyer, Canoe Company web site , company cell
540.460.0767
§
We are covering Eagle Rock
§
Day
one - Mainly flat water with Class I and one Class II.
§
Day
two - Mainly flat water, numerous riffles and Class I rapids and one Class II
rapid which may be avoided.
o
Classifying of rapids
was made on the American Whitewater Affiliation Scale of River Difficulty
(Class I-VI, Class
§
Class I: Easy. Fast moving water
with riffles and small waves. Few obstructions, all obvious and easily missed
with little training. Risk to swimmers is slight; self-rescue is easy.
§
Class II: Novice. Straightforward
rapids with wide, clear channels which are evident without scouting. Occasional
maneuvering may be required, but rocks and medium sized waves are easily missed
by trained paddlers. Swimmers are seldom injured and group assistance, while
helpful, is seldom needed.
o
Camping on the
river is primitive (no facilities, take everything you need)
·
Itinerary
o
Saturday 8/11
§
Be at church 9:30am. Everyone should have had
breakfast.
§
Leave C'Ville 10:00am
§
Arrive Buchanan boat ramp,
§
12:30 put in water
§
4:00pm – 4:30pm or so pull out, set up camp &
overnight. Weather eyes needed for thunderstorms.
o
Sunday 8/12
§
9:00am start floating
§
3:00pm pull out
§
4:00pm leave
§
5:30-6:00pm arrive church
·
Reasoning
o
Saturday departure saves
leaving Friday night and Friday camping.
o
Shorter first day canoeing to shake out and train
folks how to canoe.
o
Easier meal planning
§
Saturday breakfast at home, lunch packed from home
for Saturday.
§
Field cooking is just Saturday dinner,
Sunday breakfast and Sunday lunch.
·
Administrivia
o
Tent needs - how many of the troop tents will be
needed
o
Swimming skills assessment – Smith Pool available
for testing
o
Med forms, scout permission form, canoe livery
company permission form on file for all
o
Travel permits -
o
Check and tax exempt form -
o
Transportation
Supplement material
Canoe
Trip – Personal Packing List
We will be combining
all the personal gear, and troop gear into one pack for each canoe. I
hope
We will keep
the list simple. My goal is to not have any loose items in the floor of
the canoe. It will make loading and unloading easier.
Crew
Packing List
Adults
please see “Safety
Afloat and Safe Swim Defense”.
Canoeing Operational Guide
The Paddler
The Leader
On Rivers
In the Event of a Capsize
As a Rescuer
Go after the crew. The craft can wait until the crew
and you are safe.
See also http://www.canoekayak.com/howto/slice/
PADDLING TECHNIQUES
One brief remark should
precede this section. Basically only three sources of force are available to
move a canoe: moving water, gravity, and your paddle. Frequently the first two
forces tend to take the boat into some undesirable place and the only solution
is to use that third force to prevent it from happening. Some basic yet very
effective paddle strokes will be outlined here.
The first
stroke to learn is the back stroke. Its purpose
is to slow down the canoe relative to obstacles. Maneuvering is easier when
moving slowly. The paddle is placed in the water toward the stern and stroked
towards the bow. In large waves this is a good way to minimize the water
splashed on board.
The second
stroke to learn is the draw. It turns the canoe by
moving one end of it towards the side on which the paddler
is paddling. To execute this stroke, the paddler
leans over the gunwale (side) and reaches out with the paddle. He places the
blade in the water and strokes (draws) the paddle towards the canoe. This
sweeps water under the canoe.
The third
stroke is the pry. This has exactly the opposite
effect of the draw. It moves one end of the canoe towards the side on which the
paddler is not paddling. In this stroke the side of
the canoe is used for a fulcrum and the paddle for a lever. The blade slides
under the canoe and the paddler pulls the top of the
shaft towards himself. Care should be taken not to pinch fingers. At this
point, it should be obvious that there is no necessity for both people to
paddle on the right to turn left. It should be possible to spin the canoe
simply by having the bowman and sternman paddle on
opposite sides and do the same stroke. There are few occasions when both
paddlers would be caught paddling on the same side as this procedure invariably
ends up in a spill.
Once the back
stroke, pry and draw are mastered you may draw your attention to the forward
strode. This is the stroke you will be using 90% of the time
so you owe it to yourself to become proficient to avoid tiring easily. The
lower arm should remain relaxed and the primary force should be applied by the
top arm to the top of the paddle. Viewed from behind, the paddle should be
nearly vertical, and at the end of its thrust it should be swinging in a wide
arc parallel to the water. You should not
lift the paddle, or you will soon become fatigued.
The forward stroke is fairly obvious. Even though the
paddlers are stroking on opposite sides of the canoe at the same time
(synchronized), there will be a tendency for the canoe to turn. This turning
effect can be reduced if the sternsman will extend
the paddle behind the canoe at the end of his stroke. By using a pry (as in a
pry stroke) his paddle will act as a rudder to counteract the turning movement
his forward stroke has created. This is known as ruddering.
It will turn the canoe towards the side on which he is paddling. Ruddering is a commonly used technique although experienced
sternmen will generally use a J-stroke, sweep or
other stroke to steer the canoe. These other strokes should be learned as they
give the sternman more options in navigating the
canoe.
The bowman can also help to avoid sudden obstacles by ruddering. In this case he simply swings the paddle over
the bow and ahead, placing the paddle almost parallel to the water. The canoe
will move toward the paddle.
Inexperienced
canoeists should practice the basic strokes in calm water prior to starting the
trip. Canoeing is a skill in which each paddler
must learn his part. A little practice allowing the paddlers to learn to work
together will result in a more enjoyable trip rather than a long series of
arguments.
A few last remarks should be made. The bowman is almost one full canoe length ahead of the sternman. For this reason the bowman has a better view
of upcoming obstacles and can better chart the path of the canoe. The sternman should learn to follow the bowman. Cooperation is
essential in tricky passages and nobody misses all the rocks. Everyone goes for
a swim occasionally. Make the best of mistakes. Figure out what the mistake was
(not who made it) and go back and try again. Finally if (when) the canoe hits an obstacle in the stream, lean
downstream. This makes the upstream gunwale higher so the water does
not fill the boat. Beware of stepping out of the canoe to dislodge it as a
sudden shift in weight may cause an upset or find the unfortunate paddler in water over his head.
Water is a viscous fluid. That means that it moves more
swiftly farther away from the banks and bottom where the forces of friction
come into play. Another characteristic of a river is that it carries a
relatively uniform amount of water regardless of variation in depth or width.
Therefore, if the river is narrow or shallow in one place and wide or deep in
another, the water will have to travel much faster where it is shallow or
narrow.
When the path of a river bends, the water tends to attempt to
continue in a straight line. This causes the river to move more swiftly on the
outside of the curve and slowly on the inside. An eddy is a place where the
water is either not moving or sometimes even moving slightly upstream. These
are found either along the bank, particularly at the inside of turns, or behind
obstructions in the current (like big rocks). Deep water is frequently found
adjacent to the steepest bank of a river.
Few people are strong enough to overpower a river. With that in mind it behooves a prudent
canoeist to learn to let the water do the work whenever possible. Learning
to read the water is the most important step towards becoming an experienced
canoeist.
Waves are a phenomenon
which is characteristic of moving water colliding with water which is moving
more slowly. Frequently quiet spots in
the midst of turbulence indicate submerged rocks. Oddly enough, turbulent spots in the midst of quiet water
also usually indicate submerged rocks. Generally speaking the majority of
the water will go through the path of least resistance. This can usually be
identified by a "tongue" or "v" in the water.
Looking down on the rapids, the boat should usually enter the wide part of the "v"
and go straight into the point. The waves below the point of the "v"
are generally standing waves as described above and do not usually hide rocks.
The importance of an alert bowman should be emphasized, as many canoes become
hung up on rocks in quiet water that give no warning at all.
This section has been intended to only present the basics.
Several good canoe books have been written. If canoeing gets "in your
blood" you may want to do some additional study. Since canoeing has become
a popular sport, most bookstores and libraries carry a variety of worthwhile
publications. The American Red Cross also publishes basic canoeing and water
safety books.