Dooley - check these pics of GatFest out

[cmnypny]

GatFest is typically the weekend in august before labour day weekend.

Here is the website http://www.gatineau.org/index_en.html

Some are from a few years back but you get the drift

Imagine a few of these tractor trailers filled to the brim with boats.



And then you have to unload them somehow.











And then you end up with literally hundreds of boats on the river.

[philcanoe]

any of these on that section?

[img]http://atvriding.ca/images/chutes.jpg[/img]

[cmnypny]

Those names do not look familiar at all. Might be a different section of the river.

This is what is on the section that we paddle during the festival.

[img]http://www.gatineau.org/images/engmap.gif[/img]

It is the Maniwaki / Bouchette section.

Superb 8 km section, mostly class III - IV, those rapids are powerful and located in a beautiful and wild valley.

Here is a link to the description in English but the links on the pics are busted in terms of the detail pics not showing but the description in English works http://www.gatineau.org/en/carte.html

French version is here and links on pics work http://www.gatineau.org/fr/carte.html

[Dooleyoc-1]

Colin,

Thanks for posting those. It sounds like LouieFest on steroids.

I'm planning on coming up for the Slalom Nationals the on the Gull in Ontario on August 1st and then paddling the Ottawa and Gat after the comp.

I am definitely going to put GatFest on my calendar for 2009. It would be pretty cool to see more canoes than ALF. I guess it is probably the largest whitewater canoeing gathering in the world?

[yarnellboat]

That many open boats on a powerful class III-IV river is truly impressive!! There must be lots of carnage. Looks like quite a production!

PY.

[CaroleW.]

http://www.holeriders.com/gat07/

My avitar is on Le Mur rapids

[Open Gate]

Colin,

I guess it is probably the largest whitewater canoeing gathering in the world?

May be, our annual federation outing is similar in OC presence. Dont' have to be a FQCK(fédération québécoise du canot et du kayak) member to attend... just C paddling the same way we do

Didn't I mention HUNDRED'S of open boats in another thread ??? This is truly Esquif country

Carole your avatar looks more like ''Des Cèdres'' lege then ''le Mur'' Rapid just after ''haute tension'', are you sure ?

Carnage, Yes of course, some volunteer, some not

But all spectrum of OC boaters from beginners through expert paddlers running big Class III's and IV's.

Gat fest is a bit too busy for my liking(we're used to having the place to ourselfs) not a good weekend for play (right Colin ???), just river running is more appropriate.

But awsome for meeting and partying with tons of OC paddlers.

Will we see you at Gatawa C Fest ?(Gatineau & Ottawa C fest)

[cmnypny]

I would agree with OpenGate that Gatfest is very frickin busy and play time is very limited due to the number of boats. But it is a great place to meet other boaters/friends.

I personally started meeting other open boaters by volunteering at the Gull River Slalom race. I was the hold the boat start person for 3 or 4 years in a row. You got to talk to everyone running the river.

I have also met lots of great new friends at GatFest as well.

I know of alot of my double-blader friends tend to go up and paddle the Gat thru-out the summer and basically never run into anyother people.

It is a very pretty river. I could spend the whole day just taking pictures instead of paddling.

Dooley ... I will set aside some of my vacation time this summer to paddle with you guys on the Ottawa and Gat.

I will do less paddling at the beginning of the summer and shift those vacation days to when your up.

I will be helping out as a volunteer with the ACA 2008 Slalom Race. My birthday is that week and Carole will be getting me a cake!

[dan.]

Gatfest:

Yes thats a prospector.
[img]http://lh3.google.co.uk/danielsilverste ... r1.JPG.jpg[/img]
[img]http://lh5.google.co.uk/danielsilverste ... r2.JPG.jpg[/img]
[img]http://lh6.google.co.uk/danielsilverste ... r3.JPG.jpg[/img]

[CaroleW.]

It's Le Mur - the rare occasions were it has a tongue to ride.