Graduation day on the lower Petawawa River All aboard nature’s rollercoaster By Kevin Callan Photos by Paul Chivers
CANOEING
DON’T TRIFLE with the Petawawa River. The ferocity of the lower Petawawa is the stuff of legend on Algonquin Parkʼs only major whitewater canoe route. Dave, Peter, Scott and I cut our whitewater teeth on lesser rivers before we felt our skills were sufficient for the river the Algonkian tribe called “a noise heard from far away.” The Petawawa originates in the western reaches of the 7,725 squarekilometres that is majestic Algonquin Park. The renowned lower stretch separating Cedar and McManus Lakes by about a weekʼs paddle boasts the most intimidating whitewater on the river. As intermediate paddlers, our group elects to limit ourselves to the shorter route between Lake Traverse and McManus Lake. The car shuttle is less time-consuming, the rapids are less technical, and most portages can be avoided with moderate whitewater experience. Beware the river in the www.OttawaOutdoors.ca
spring, however, when itʼs gorged with Algonquinʼs abundant snowmelt – the water may bring to bear too much volume and speed to be safe. And itʼs cold until mid-May. At the Lake Traverse put-in, we take advantage of the frothy water at the base of the rapids to practise our paddle strokes. Most whitewater enthusiasts find the 90-minute flatwater trip across the expanse of Lake Traverse a bit monotonous. It has every bit of the splendour of an Algonquin postcard, but all we can think about are the hammering rapids ahead of us. We finally see where
Traverse narrows and the flat water is pinched between the steep-sided, V-shaped valley. The water slides faster under our craft as we approach the first run at Big Thompson Rapids, but itʼs rather anti-climactic. Some years the water level is low during the summer and autumn from lack of rain. We lift the canoe around the first drop and walk ahead with the gear to scout the lower portion of the rapid. Convinced we can take the canoe through, we return to our craft to find a pair of paddlers dressed to the hilt in purple PFDs, blaze-orange dry suits and metallic helmets. They stand high atop a rock, pointing and planning their route through the churning water below.
INTO THE FAST WATER
Uneasy with an audience on our first run, Scott and I push off and back ferry across to the opposite bank.
O T TAWA O U T D O O R S S P R I N G 2 0 0 4
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