I thought I knew how to paddle until I saw this guy....

[boatbuster]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87_qBovy9ag

This was posted below but I am bringing it back to the top since it has to be some of the best OC1 footage I have ever seen of class V creeks and big water. Way to go, bathtuboy!

[TomAnon]

I particularly like the side surf.

[bathtuboy]

My favourite bit of this is not me at all but the ridiculous bit of side surfing in the middle by my friend Raph. He borrowed my boat for the day having done a fair amount of open boating but nothing above grade II. He then had a whale of a time styling everything and having a play in this hole that all of the kayakers were running away from.

What I have cut out is what happened after he popped out into the eddy and swum in completely flat water as he was trying to do a kayak roll.

Jon

[Jan_dettmer]

nice footage. I recognise Callaghan and the Cheack. Maybe the Soo as well?

Cheers from BC, Jan

[boatbuster]

Please make more videos and post them. I linked this one over on Boatertalk and the kayakers (and open boaters) over there loved it.

www.boatertalk.com

[yarnellboat]

I agree - can't get enough open boat video like that, and the Mexico one too.

Bathtuboy, yeah, I'd say you look pretty comfortable in that Prelude!

Maybe one day... not likely, but maybe.

PY.

[Louie]

you need to meet dooley he loves that boat and paddle the grandchild of the second boat you were in.

[Dooleyoc-1]

Bathtubboy,

Let me say that was some of the sickest open boat footage I've ever seen. Two questions: how was callaghan creek in BC? I've been wanting to do that and figured I would get the first oc-1 descent (looks like I was too late). Congrats on running that.

Also, do you have any plans on coming to the southeastern US in the future? If so we should meet up. You would love the Green Narrows, Tallulah Gorge in, Russel Fork, West Prong of the Little Pigeon in TN etc...

Dooleyoc-1

[bathtuboy]

Callaghan Creek was great fun, except for the fact we put on way to high and ended up walking down a shallow ditch for about an hour.

The run itself was pretty full on, with the two big drops being almost impossible to inspect. I intended to do one portage, but missed the micro eddy above it and ended up dropping into a horseshoe stopper with no speed whatsoever. Luckily I popped out upright after a brief uncontrolled ride much to the delight of my group.

I would love to come out and do some boating in the US, but at present I'm struggling to find the time to get out here in the UK. Hopefully I'm going to do the Coruh in Turkey this summer, not sure if it's ever been run in an OC but should be a good trip anyway.

Would certainly be good to get on some hard stuff with some other open boaters, though I have to say the kayakers I paddle with have always been really positive about me messing around in a bathtub. Some of them are also handy with a camera which is good.

[Dooleyoc-1]

What other creeks did you run while you were in BC? I'm thinking about heading out there this August and I'm trying to figure out what else will be runnable in an open boat besides Callaghan Creek. Also, what time of year were you there? Thanks for the info-

[Jan_dettmer]

good runs to hit in coastal BC (these are the standard runs, mostly class 4 with the odd 5 drop on it, all pretty managable):
- Callaghan
- Soo (boulder garden style, pretty fun. The railway canyon on it is harder than the rest, only do that stretch when it's not too high)
- Upper Cheakamus
- Lower Cheak (little harder than upper)
- middle Cayoosh
- Lower Green (fun when it's high)
- Tamihi (upper and lower, both classic)
- Slesse (hike in, super classic)
- Stein (hike in from the bottom for 10 miles, camp, then run down)
- Clendinning Creek (fly in)
- Ashlu Mine run

Little step up (4, 4+, 5):
- Daisy lake run on Cheakamus (only low)
- Ashlu lower mile (only super low)
- Ashlu Box Canyon
- Fear Canyon Elaho (good name for it)
- upper Ashlu
- Tatlow
- upper Birkenhead
- Rutherford (classic but does not run often these days...micro hydro)
- Ryan Creek
- upper Cayoosh (full on)
- Skookum Creek

We are (slowly) bulding up info at http://www.bc-ww.com

Beware that almost noone in BC rates things 5+ or anything like that. If a creek is rated class 5 it's a good idea to take it serious

Let me know when you guys come up here. I can hook you up with locals or paddle with you (depending on the shoulder). I have run most of the above runs but mostly C1.
As for firstr Ds in OC... never underestimate the locals There has been some very strong open boaters in BC over the years.

Hope this helps. BC...some of the best boating in the world. We have it all: remote wilderness, steep, lots water, lots of logs in the rivers, sieves, more wood, almost no information on the runs (other than the "standard" runs above).

Cheers, Jan

[bathtuboy]

Jan obviously knows a lot more than me about the area than me, but the rivers I ran were;

Calcheak (Callaghan into Cheakamus) Grade III
Elaho Grade III
Middle Cheakamus Grade III (IV)
Callaghan Creek Grade IV
Soo Grade IV
Chilliwack Grade III and IV
Clearwater Grade III
Nahatlach Grade III and IV
Quesnel Grade III (IV)
Cariboo Grade III
Chilco Grade IV

We did a lot of driving and some of these were some way away. My favourites would be the Callaghan, and Nahatlach, though outstripping them all would be the Chilco which was fantastic and well worth the horrendous drive.

I did not run Cayoosh Creek, but there is a video here of my friends running it with the afore mentioned Raph taking a dip.

http://www.robt.cc/poke_productions/Cay ... lowres.wmv

[Dooleyoc-1]

Was Callaghan Creek the hardest or were the other ones that your rated a IV harder than Callaghan? Also, please tell me that what you ran was easier than the video of your friends' run. That looked a little pushy for my taste. Thanks for the info.

[bathtuboy]

Callaghan Creek and the Soo were the hardest rivers I ran, though the Soo is a lot less committing as you can walk out or portage wherever you want (I did not do the railway Canyon which is harder).

The other runs I did were all slightly easier. There are some videos of the other rivers we ran on this page

http://www.union.ic.ac.uk/rcc/canoe/med ... itle=Video

[Jan_dettmer]

Nice video man! Yeah, thats the middle Cayoosh at a normal flow.
The drop where your buddy swims... he's definitely not the first one. I'd say that's the hardest drop on the run. Man, walking in that canyon sucks cause it's all loose!!
Th fold on the last drop is classic, too

That water is pretty typical for a lot of runs I'd say. Callaghan is about same difficulty but more pool drop.

All the rivers in the second part of the list I wrote above are considerably harder I'd say. There is so much stuff here, something for everyone. Def come up here.

Cheers, Jan