New Course: Advanced Whitewater Canoe Poling & Paddling

This year we’re offering something new; a dedicated whitewater canoe poling and paddling class. The second week in June is usually our week to canoe the Bonaventure river in Quebec, but neither we or anyone else wants to be crossing the border right now. So we’re pivoting and introducing a new program that fills that gap of an advanced whitewater training course for both paddling and poling, with some prime-season fly fishing thrown in.

The plan is to head into the woods and basecamp at Churchill Dam on the Allagash, and run Chase rapids every day, as well as work on whitewater poling and paddling skills, canoe rescue, fly fishing skills, other camp skills, and learn about the history of the area.

We’ll meet Sunday afternoon at the field school, do a gear shake-down and pack the trailer and van for the trip into the woods. Monday morning we’ll head into the North Maine Woods and drive to Churchill Dam on the Allagash Wilderness Waterway. Just above the dam we can go over paddle strokes in the lake, and the first rip below the dam is a great place to practice moving water poling skills, as well as a good fishing hole. We will work through our entire advanced canoeing curriculum.

The plan for the week is to get a lot of reps running the most challenging portion of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway; from Churchill Dam to Bisonette Bridge, also known as Chase Rapids. The most challenging section is the first 1.5 miles. We’ll run the drops, pole back up, and run them again. The goal is to really learn the river, and how to use the currents and eddies to work for us, not against us.

This is the most consistent bit of whitewater around as it is controlled by a dam, making it reliably runnable even during low-water times of year. The water is rated as a strong class 2. It is fast and shallow, with big rocks and some big waves.

More info on this course and a video of a past trip on Chase Rapids in on the course page at: jackmtn.com/wwcanoe