I was in session 2 last year and I made a blog about beatdown Thursday. This year instead of beatdowns it was just a high water run of the Ottawa. The level usually is higher in this session so we got around 14 on the gauge. This meant that the waves on some of the rapids were 10+ feet tall and super fun. First part of the day was a normal Phil’s surf, having fun in left side and surfing if possible (Note: we only really did one run). Next was a paddle down on the flat towards the Lorne/Lunch stop. This was a humungous rapid with a hole we named “Demetor” that looked so very fun. Mini bus and big bus were in and we got to run the lines and surf. After lunch and some mini rapids we arrived at Coliseum. This rapid has a hole named white face monster with a tongue to the left and a wave train followed by a small hole. The bottom of this also had a huge pour over where dogs leg usually is. All in all this was one of my favourite days kayaking ever and I hope the rest of this session (and the next 2) have as good of a Thursday as this past one has been.
Monday 1 July 2024
How to Avoid Becoming a Popsicle on the River: By Auryan Silva
Here's how to survive the cold on the river at Keeners. There are going to be cold rainy days, so here is a survival guide to avoid freezing.
Bring a dry top and wear long sleeve layers underneath. If you do not possess a dry top, wear several neoprene tops.
Never stop moving. Sitting still in one position will make you colder than paddling around.
If your hands start to freeze, move your shoulders up and down with your arms straight and fingers pointing to the sides.
If you get out of the kayak, find stable ground and jump in place to heat your body with exercise.
If none of the above works, getting thrashed at Mini bus will momentarily make you forget your discomfort and focus on not drowning. Later, the adrenaline from surviving will kick in.
In conclusion, when packing for Keeners, don't listen to those cold immune people when they say that the water will be warm and the weather sunny and hot. Don't listen! Bring your polar hoodies, kids, and dry top with fuzzy under layers because you will find yourself on the water chattering your teeth. Being at Keeners will make it more bearable because you're so excited by the events that sometimes you will forget that your hands feel numb.
P.S the month of your session may vary the temperature and even if you are in the cold you are going to have a great time play boating or if you're like me trying to, I guarantee you'll maybe freeze to death but you'll die happy.
What Is Trust: By Elliot Straszynski
There are many different types of trust and it is circumstantial. Dangerous settings are usually the times trust within a team is the most important.
On the river safety is your number one priority, shared with having fun. This means you need to have people who you can trust to have fun and focus on their paddling, while also making sure everyone around them is safe.
There have been many times where I relied on people to help rescue my boat and paddle.
Setting up for safety is also important you need to trust that people know what to do when a situation arises.
I ask someone to go before me and set up safety for when I’m riding a wave, because then if I cannot get my roll (which happens way too much) I don’t need to bail and waste more time.
The other thing that is extremely important is being able to trust that people have your best interests in mind. When someone tells you the tongue between minibus and big bus is fine that there isn’t an island with and undercut around the corner after.