Time Sequence Down Otter Rapids

I love this series of photos of  +Bryan Sarauer & +Jay Stark  "running" Otter Rapids on the Churchill River at the end of our 2007 trip. Photos taken by Rod on shore.

So far so good....

At this point we are doing just fine, but the trough between the waves is large enough to completely hide us.

I think Jay just wet his pants.

We might have taken on a few ounces of water here.

Floating a little lower now.

You can't see it here, but there was some valiant bracing occurring in an effort to save our sinking ship.

While Jay does the "Gunnel Grab", Bryan is still reaching for water to brace with and pulling hard on that left knee.

The gunwale can just barely be seen in this photo.

Maybe a bit of extra floatation in the canoe wouldn't hurt.

+Bryan: "You got it Jay? OK, good, I'm going to leave it in your capable hands while I swim to shore now."

All participants involved in the above survived, except for +Rob Kunz's bailer which was never seen from again. Some day we'll have to get Jay to tell the story of his epic swim at the end of the rapids.

Dreaming of Summer

It's -36°C outside (colder with the windchill considered) and time to dream of summer paddling. While sorting photos on my computer I came across this photo that Rod took on our trip in 2007. It's an awesome reminder of warmer season paddling.

Corner Rapids, Churchill River, SK. Rod Smith photo.

So, with those warm paddling thoughts in mind where should NSE head in 2013? Three of us are turning 40 this year so I think it would be a great year to take a couple extra days and do something more ambitious. I think I'm going to lobby for a fly-in trip on the Paull River (see here for the route description [trip 36] and here for a map) or maybe the Wapiskau and Reindeer Rivers (see here for route description and here for a topo/satellite map), or maybe the Sturgeon-Weir River (here is the route description for the upper S-W river [trip 14] and here is the lower S-W [trip 44], and here's the map), maybe we should just start at #1. Time to start scheduling some trip planning meetings.

2012 Canoe/Kayak Trip Photos

2012 Canoe/Kayak Trip, a set on Flickr.

Hey folks, here are the photos from our NSE Canoe trip from September 28 - October 1, 2012. We camped on Nistowiak Lake and did day trips to Nistowiak Falls and Potter Rapids. It was a great trip with great fall weather.  Enjoy!

You can also check out the timelapse that Rob put together on the last night of the trip at it's own blog post.

Radiant Rivers Photo Contest and World Rivers Day

Your friendly NSE blogger is also a kayak instructor and owner of Coldspring Paddling Instruction.  Coldspring Paddling Instruction is helping the Saskatchewan Environmental Society to celebrate World Rivers Day by contributing a gift certificate for an Introduction to Sea Kayaking lesson as a first prize for their Radiant Rivers Photography contest.  I'm probably disqualified, but Chief Photographer Rob should have a good shot at it and in a week and a half we'll be on the water somewhere (yet to be determined!) giving the opportunity to capture some award winning photos.

The following is information from the Saskatchewan Environmental Society about the day and the contest.

World Rivers Day – September 25, 2011
For more information about any of these events, contact water@environmentalsociety.ca, call 306.665.1915 or visit environmentalsociety.ca.


Radiant River Photography Contest – rivers all over Saskatchewan
In celebration of World Rivers Day September 25^th, the Saskatchewan Environmental Society presents the Radiant Rivers Photography Contest to highlight the beauty of Saskatchewan’s rivers.  The photos must fit one of the three categories (action, tranquil, and sustainable). Participants must name the river featured in their photo and describe why water is valuable to them and what they do to protect water.  All winning entries will be displayed as a travelling photo exhibit at locations around the province and will win fabulous prizes, including three outdoor adventure packages as first place prizes. Entries can be emailed to water@environmentalsociety.ca on or before September 26^th at midnight and winners will be announced the following week.  For rules and regulations, please visit our website by clicking here. A big thanks to our sponsors: Sturgeon River Ranch, Coldspring Paddling, Phase 2 Foto source, Outter Limits, and Mister Print.


The following are Saskatoon-based events:


Park Clean Up – 9am Rotary Park
SES is joining Trash Dashers Saskatoon and the Great Canadian Shoreline Clean-Up to pick up trash at Rotary Park in Saskatoon in celebration of World Rivers Day. Bags and gloves will be provided, so all you have to do is show up to help us keep our river valley clean and healthy.  We will meet at the peace torch in Rotary Park at 9am, September 25th. See you there!


Nature Walk and Photo Walk – 1pm Peturrson’s Ravine
SES is hosting a nature walk with the Native Plant Society of Saskatchewan along Peturrson's Ravine in Saskatoon. This river-side location was chosen to celebrate World River Day on September 25th.  If you are a photo-enthusiast, we also encourage you to bring your camera along to capture some of our river valley's natural beauty.
We will meet in the parking lot, just north of the Regional Psychiatric Centre on Central Avenue at 1pm, Sept 25th.


Blue Drinks – 6pm Winston’s
Blue Drinks is like Green Drinks, in that it is an opportunity for environmentalists to meet up, make connections, and talk about environmental issues, but on September 25th, the discussion will be all about water in celebration of World Rivers Day.  This pub-based discussion group is an informal, relaxed atmosphere, so come on out and talk about your local water issues!
We will be meeting at Winston’s Pub at 6pm in Saskatoon.