Hitting Rocks – It’s All About Bouncing in the Right Direction

Creeking Rocks!

Hitting Rocks – It’s All About Bouncing in the Right Direction

By: Andrew and Carole Westwood 

Recently, the thrill of running a steep creek was heightened when I crested a horizon line and looked downstream. Though I would be following a path of mostly water, the best part would be bouncing off a series of rocks, which if all went well, would direct me toward my next eddy.

Running steep, low volume rivers draws on both traditional water reading skills and a host of unique tricks designed to take advantage of the many exposed rocks. Using rocks to guide your canoe through rapids is a common trick used on shallow creek runs. Colliding with rocks may be shunned in deeper rivers, but in creeking, doing so is all part of the game.

A pioneer of many first descents of creeks in the Southern U.S., Dave “Psycho” Simpson coined the phrase that went something like, “It ain’t if you hit a rock or not, it’s if you hit the rock and bounce the right way”. Low flow rocks often are not to be avoided, rather, they are used to assist boat placement. Some of the best lines use a mix of channelized water and boulders to descend a steep run. Besides, rocks offer that quick change in direction that no stroke could ever match.

Hitting rocks can also help to stabilize your canoe.  When fast water piles onto boulders it builds a pillow wave with an upstream seam of descending water.  Getting caught here may pull your paddle deep upsetting your balance, or perhaps cause you to catch your edge. Either way the risk of capsize is increased. Better to cross the seam and aim to hit the rock. Then reach out a hand and grab the rock to reduce the risk of capsize.

Things to remember while developing your rock hitting skills:

  • Lean and tilt into rocks
  • Use your hands to cushion and guide your boat’s path
  • Account for friction after slamming into rocks. You may need to to speed up after impact
  • Strike using the front half of your canoe. A hit past midships can spin you out of control
  • Though not essential, a plastic boat is both the toughest and slipperiest for bouncing off of rocks
  • Elbow pads!

Steep, low flow creeky runs often require hitting rocks. Bouncing the right way is key to holding your line and definitely adds to the excitement of your run.

Andrew  and Carole Westwood are Paddle Canada Moving Water Canoe Instructor Trainers. See Westwoodoutdoors.ca for information on paddling instruction, books, articles and videos.



New Updated Website!!

New Updated Website!!

Well, it took awhile but we finally have arrived to this decade so to speak. True. We’re ludites by nature, but we can’t stick to that behaviour if we want to share information with you. So voila! Welcome to our revamped webpage which, thank goodness, looks much better and can be viewed on a phone as well.

We’ll be going through it in the next weeks to clean up some areas and post new items. As you look through the pages, let us know what you think! At the moment, some areas repeat themselves, but all will be organized shortly.

Thanks for your patience, and hope the information gleaned helps with your paddling where ever you are!

New Video! Eddy Turns Using Arcs

We’ve been asked quite often why it looks so easy when we paddle. Andrew’s passion is looking at how experts paddle and translate that into teaching progressions to show others how to paddle the same way – or at least explain what’s happening at that time. Our latest video looks at how you exit and enter eddies based on your planned arc trajectory and the force you need to launch yourself into current to achieve the arcing path. Carving arc shaped paths is the most effective strategy for moving into and out of eddies in a canoe. “Eddy Turns Using Arcs” is the first in a 3 part Eddy Turn series of videos showing the progression of Novice, Intermediate and Advanced eddy turn maneuvers. Stay tuned for the Intermediate level “Eddy Turns Using Wave Troughs” and then Advanced level “Eddy Turns Using SHArc” both coming this winter. Look on the website for additional video resources including “Carving Tandem Eddy Turns Using MITH and for solo canoes “Carving Using 2X4”.

Video: Solo Canoeing – Carving using 2X4

This video is a must for solo open boat control!

This describes a modern approach to solo canoe carving turns used in catching eddies and front ferries. Learn how to carve arcs using 2X4 and acronym C.A.P.T. into and out of eddy pools, maintain momentum, and use bow waves to control your solo canoe.