Need ideas for backcountry trip!

[bathond]

I wanted to pick everyones brain and get a few ideas for a trip me and my dad want to do together.

I'm looking for a 3-7 day river run I can do with my dad, either guided or by ourselves. We're willing to go anywhere in the US and Canada, and probably run anything up to a class 2, maybe 3 (or run rivers with rapids that are easy to line the boats down), or we could do a long stretch of flatwater.

My dad, who is a healthy 57 yr. old, had two vertebra in his c-spine removed in 2007 so he has limited ROM in his neck and increased mechanism for spinal injury as a result. I want to do something remote and physically challenging to give him that experience, but also be in a situation where I can still mitigate SOME risk (thus the upper limit on rapid difficulty).

I've done a bunch of flatwater expeditioning in the Everglades/10,000 islands, I've been open boating whitewater in the WNC area the last 4 years, and I've done a 7 day self-supported expedition on the Rio Grande last year, so I feel comfortable planning something that could be logistically complex.

I've been working full-time for Outward Bound the last 4 years and I just got married, so I haven't had much time to spend with my father, and I want to get something truly memorable in before life circumstances limit our ability to do things like this.

If anyone has a guide service they would recommend, I'd be up for that too. My father likes to rough it, but guides typically offer a bit more amenities that I'm sure he would appreciate

Criteria:
- scenic river run
- maximum of class 3 rapids (if higher, than with a reasonable portage or lining option)
- remote/backcountry feel
- U.S. and Canada
- can be with a guide service.
- flatwater or whitewater river

Thanks all! Links to resources are helpful too!

[cadster]

The Dolores in Colorado comes to mind. It's one of the few extended river trips with whitewater that you can still do without a launch permit in the western US. Downside is that it has a short dam release season and can get very busy. Deso/Gray on the Green also meets your criteria.

Here are Dolores pics:
http://www.whitewatercampsites.com/Dolores/index.php

If you go to the home at that site, you'll get other ideas.

[Shep]

There is some great canoe expeditioning in Maine, and you might even be able to get some support from the OB base in Newry if you are on the western side of the state. There are some great class 2/3 rivers where you could line or run depending on the water and your feeling. Shoot mean PM if you want more specifics.

Thanks,
Shep

[mattm]

there's a few guys on this site who know a lot about the Maine rivers
http://www.npmb.com/cms2/e107_plugins/f ... rum.php?13

it's npmb.com, I just linked you right to the tripping/poling forum. If you see a grey bearded guy with orange helmet standing in a canoe at the top of the page, that'd be me

and this may help as well
http://www.myccr.com/

I know this guy and his wife a little. Good people from what I saw. Got a list of the runs he does on his site, you can use them for reference or I'm sure check in for advice/shuttle whatever.
http://www.allagashcanoetrips.com/alcanoe1.shtml

Just want to let ya' know, as the dad of a 17 year old who I've done so much with and as I watch him start planning his future, I like seeing posts like yours.

[Larry Horne]

You might check out stillwater cayon on the green river, utah.
I did it twice with my wife years ago., and loved it. we did 6 day trips with our old town canoe loaded to the gills . You could go a lot faster, but we actually could have stayed longer.
50 something miles down the green from mineral bottom to the colorado confluence. The "shuttle" back to moab is via a 50 mile jet boat ride up the Colorado.. pretty frikin cool!
No rapids, but the water is moving along nicely. Excellent hiking, and the scenery is unbelievable. Un- believable!
The shuttle service (tex's riverways) can set you up with most everything too.

[Cheeks]

The Petawawa River in Algonquin Park, Ontario fits your bill very closely, I think. It has a full spectrum of difficulty, from Class I riffles to unrunnable falls. What makes it unique, though, is that there are marked, maintained portages for every rapid, even the riffles, so that if you get to something beyond your skill level, you can walk it. That would be my vote.

(Paid Liar who is trying to set up a Petawawa trip himself this September)

[Alan S]

I agree with recommendations for the lower Green -- from the town of Green River to the confluence of the Colorado is 100 miles through amazing canyons with lots of archiological sites. You can hire a jet boat shuttle from there back to Moab. Great trip, no rapids, nice side hikes, spectacullar secenery. Others recommnded possibilities include the Bowron Lakees loop in Northern BC, John Day in Eastern Oregon (early season only), Grande Ronde in Easter Oregon, lower Missouri in Montana, Quetico. The two in Eastern Oregon have some whitewarter, the others are flatwater.

[bathond]

Wow, thanks to all for the responses. I really dig the idea of Maine as I grew up in the NE but never got into the outdoors until I moved south, thus missing out on all the NE has to offer the paddler.

Utah and the Green sound awesome too, and I think the more I consider it, no rapids sound like a great idea just because my dad has such a high mechanism for a spinal. The risk/reward think it tough to consider.

Either way, thanks for the beta and I look forward to doing some intensive research into all of these. Keep 'em coming!

p.s. Mattm, I'm sure your son is lucky to have grown up with somebody who likes to expedition paddle. Thanks for the info.

[philcanoe]

You mentioned flat water...

... so maybe a few days paddling slot canyons on Lake Powell. You can get way back up into some seldom seen places, and get further up into them than the power boats can... and do some really great day hikes at the end of some. I did 5 day/4 night'er and saw few people around the Natural Bridges area of the lake as it's one of the more remote sections.

If interested a few Facebook pics here

I did my trip on my own, on the cheap... but would be surprised if there weren't outfitters who specialize in such, and who could boat/shuttle you into some of the more remote areas to get started.

[jatakasawa]

I had a similar post a few months back. Here is the help I got from the gang. Hope it can be of some help. I think your idea is awesome!


http://cboats.net/cforum/viewtopic.php? ... d+canadian

[bkebs]

If you want flat water the BWCA in Northern Minnesota is great.

Another option could be the Green through Mammoth Cave Notional Park in KY. You could do the entire thing in a day, but my wife and I made a 3 day weekend out of it by doing a cave tour one day then paddling a day and a half camping on the river.

We did it in early spring before the trees filled in and it was really nice. We only saw 3 people and they were all at one of the ferries. All class one and flat water. There are a few outfitters there that could probably put together a 3 plus day trip for you.

[bigspencer07]

Add to a few mentions of Maine offering choices.. The advantage north-central(and up) Maine has is the availability to do both WW and flatwater all in the same day, if desired. Lots of water scrunched together(DeLorme's state Atlas & Gazeteer is excellent for showing the woods roads). A good snow-year has resulted in lots of water in the watersheds for all types of bodies of water.
An outfitter, that I haven't personally tried(don't need any = life-long customer, original native)...but haven't heard of any negative stories about is:

Northwoods Outfitters(in Greenville(southern tip of Moosehead L.))

$.01

[billcanoes]

Not too far away is the New River- you can paddle from Boone to WV, maybe not in a week but before Claytor lake nothing is more than class III and class III is very debatable. For the most part it's pretty scenic even with a fair number of homes along the bank