High Water Paddling
By Teresa Gryder, originally appeared in Cascade Currents, January 2020
Experienced paddlers love rainy season because rivers and creeks that have been dry all summer fill up with good base flows and spike with every downpour. Beginning paddlers are more likely to hang up their drysuits and wait for warmer weather. Intermediates might consider trying new things, but are at risk of being surprised by what they find.
High water is riskier than low water. These tips are intended to help you recognize, assess and manage that risk.
Kayakers Evan Garcia, Isaac Levinson and Ben Marr completed a record high-water descent of Washington’s Little White Salmon River in January 2020.
BE CONSERVATIVE
High water usually increases the difficulty rating of a run. That’s not to say you shouldn’t try your runs at high water, but exercise extra caution. Know the difference between high water and flood stage. Go on familiar runs at incrementally higher flows. Scout at every opportunity. Ask around to know what to expect, and get details about the group you plan to join. Even if you can handle the high water, it’s no fun to spend your day chasing boats. It is always OK to run shuttle instead of paddling if the river looks, sounds, or smells too high for your instincts, or if the group seems nervous or weak. Seek advice and cues from people who have more experience than you.
EVERYTHING CHANGES
The lines through rapids can be completely different with higher flows. Rapids can disappear, or appear out of nowhere. The river will be more continuous than usual; pools are gone and eddies become rare. The banks may be hostile with brush and shrubs. The takeout might not be recognizable. If you act as if it were a whole new river you’ll be starting on the right foot.
GO ON RECEDING FLOWS
Wait until after the flows have peaked and the bulk of the rain has fallen. There are exceptions to this rule but it’s still a good one. Current streamflow conditions are easily available on the internet so there is no excuse for getting on a river without a clue. To search for a USGS gauge, google the river name, the gauge location, and add the word “streamflow.” For example, google “Wilson Tillamook Streamflow” and one of the first results will be the USGS gauge. Try “Hood Tucker Streamflow,” “Clackamas Three Lynx Streamflow,” “Washougal Hathaway Streamflow” and “Molalla Canby Streamflow” to really get the hang of it. Try the NOAA website if you want flow predictions. Please remember that even NOAA’s predictions are imperfect. As a paddler, you could get better than NOAA at predicting the timing and magnitude of spikes in a river that you know well. For more information you can look in guidebooks and on the American Whitewater website.
GO WITH STRONG PADDLERS
It is unwise to launch on a high water run with an under-skilled group. Most of us underestimate the risk of high water until we have a bad experience. Save yourself the bad experience and help protect your friends.
ROLL
If you have a roll practice it, polish it, and use it. In big, pushy water it is more difficult to get set up and execute a roll. Be prepared to try several times. Playboating in big waves and holes is the best way to polish your combat roll. Use nose plugs if they increase the number of rolls you are willing to attempt before swimming. If you don’t have a roll, leave flood stage paddling to others and limit your exposure to high water.
LOW BRACE
The low brace is handy in big water. Get good at it. During the recovery part of a stroke the paddle blade can be flat on the water’s surface, reinforcing your balance even while you are getting ready for another stroke. The high brace can keep a kayaker from flipping over, but a low brace can keep you from needing a high brace.
LEARN HOLE TECHNIQUES
The holes you encounter at high water can be gigantic. Practice paddling out of holes, and study hole-escape techniques for swimmers.
FULL FLOTATION IN YOUR BOAT
For canoes, the more water you can displace using float bags and bulkheads, the easier your boat will be to paddle when it is swamped—which happens more when the water is big and splashy. For kayaks this only matters if your skirt pops or you swim, but maximal floatation in both ends of a K1 make it easier to get the boat to shore—and it is less likely to get broken when tumbling through rapids.
CLIP EVERYTHING IN
If you swim in high flows, smaller pieces of gear can easily escape. Your rescuers will have their hands full just getting your boat stopped. Clip things like your rope and water bottle in tightly so that that they are not dangling to make your boat easier to rescue and less likely to hang up. Float bags should be secured as well.
WEAR A DRYSUIT
Being immersed in cold whitewater is exhausting and proper immersion gear helps prevent flush drownings. Double check your zippers! One forgotten pee zipper could add up to a suit full of water and a very difficult self-rescue, not to mention getting cold. Burp your drysuit! It’s hard to roll or to swim effectively if your suit is full of air. Burp it before getting in the boat and every time you open a zipper.
WEAR A GOOD LIFEJACKET AND HELMET
Old lifejackets that barely float are not suitable for high water. If you’re stepping it up to bigger water, get a new life jacket. Some modern helmets have a lot of floatation in them and this is also an advantage. When you flip over in high flows you will be moving faster and any collisions with rocks will be more dangerous.
MAKE SURE YOUR SHOES WILL STAY ON
Hiking barefoot in the wilderness stinks. Secure your shoes tightly or get shoes that will stay on.
PADDLE AGGRESSIVELY
The river will be more pushy and chaotic than usual. You will have to apply yourself to maintain your speed through waves and holes. For really big water it’s essential to use the waves and holes to get where you are going, instead of always trying to avoid them. The best line may be through the meat of the whitewater because the river’s edges can develop boils and whirlpools that are impossible to paddle through.
READ WATER FAR AHEAD
Learn to look far downstream and assess the speeds and sizes of river features. This is not easy. Take a look downstream from the top of each wave. You want to know in advance about the giant hole that is down there somewhere. The water moves fast and you must start in the right place and get your momentum early to make the moves. People can get mesmerized with whatever is crashing right in front of them. Instead, refocus to the long view as often as possible.
RECOGNIZE SIGNS OF RISING/FALLING WATER
Notice and understand water marks in the sand and the way leaves wash away in the forest and grass hangs in trees. Pay attention to how much and what size of debris is floating downstream in the river. All of these things will help you recognize if the water is coming up. Know the signs so that you can make intelligent choices before you end up in a pickle.
SAVE YOURSELF
Don’t wait for a rescue. Swim to shore at your earliest opportunity, ditching your boat if necessary. Look around, make a plan and execute it. Know when to conserve your energy and when to bust a move. You may have to simply focus on getting some air through a rapid before you get a chance to swim out of the current.
HANG ONTO YOUR PADDLE IF YOU SWIM
Kayak paddles can be used while you are swimming to move through the water: use your paddle to get to shore. Even though canoe paddles are not as useful for swimming as kayak paddles, they can be used as grip extenders and they are much less likely to get lost if you can hold onto them.
GROUP UP IN THE BIGGER EDDIES
It’s easy for groups to get spread out so stop any time there is a good opportunity, and make sure all are present and accounted for. Canoeists will need to empty water from their boats after each splashy section, so don’t leave them behind.