View topic - Upper Red Deer River - 28 and 29 August 2009

My son and I just finished two memorable days enjoying the whitewater on the Upper Red Deer River. It was just the two of us but in order to make the shuttles work, we took a car as well as my truck and boat trailer. We camped at Wysenchuks, which is an unserviced site (except for two outhouses) about 6 km west of Cache Hill.

The first morning we paddled (James in his whitewater kayak and I in a canoe) the section of river from Wysenchuk's to Cache Hill (about 6-7 km). This was my first truly solo whitewater paddling experience and I had taken out one of the saddles from the Caption and moved the remaining saddle to the centre of the boat. At the put in we ran into a group of kayakers from the British Army who were on "Adventure" training. I joked with them a bit that it must be tough to have to go whitewater kayaking and get paid for it. We paddled through a range of rapids along this route including a couple that were CII/CIII. We finished up the route by about lunch time, and decided to repeat it again that afternoon.

The next day (Saturday) we paddled the stretch of river from the Forestry Trunk Road bridge (near Mountainaire Lodge) to Wysenchuks, which was about 15-20 km along the river. This section included many many rapids including Big Rock, Gooseberry Ledge, Jimbo's Staircase, S-Bend, Nationals site, and a host of others. At the current water levels (about 25-30 cu-m/s) the level of difficulty was no higher than about CIII, but I understand there are CIV's at higher flows. We had a blast. No swims today for either of us, but I did have to stop several times to dump a bit of water from the Caption.

We finished up at about mid-afternoon, picked up the truck from the put-in, and headed for home. It was an awesome experience that I want to repeat again. I think I am hooked on solo whitewater paddling. Here are a few pictures we took:
Lining up to run Gooseberry Ledge

Paddling over Gooseberry Ledge

Kayaking over Gooseberry Ledge

Jimbo's Staircase

Old Man of the River watching us from the far bank


regards
dave

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Dave W
"Everyone must believe in something. I believe I'll go canoeing" - Henry David Thoreau

Great TR, Dave, thanks for sharing.

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aka Cyberhun, callsign VA7FAB

Mariners must navigate these waters the same way a mouse negotiates a kitchen patrolled by cats: by darting furtively from one hiding place to the next.
"The Golden Spruce", John Vaillant

Brand new to the sport. Could someone please advise me on what kind of skill is required to attempt the Red Deer River from Mountainaire Lodge to Sundre? From what I understand in this trip report, the Red Deer River up from the Lodge should only be done by experienced paddlers?

Cody1774:
If you are brand new to the sport of canoeing, the section of the Red Deer River from Mountainaire Lodge to Sundre is likely going to be much more than you can handle. This section of river has many challenging rapids and drops that require you to have reached a certain level of paddling skill and river reading abilities prior to attempting.

I would suggest trying some of the tamer rivers around Alberta that are more suited to new paddlers and that would offer you a chance to build up your skill level prior to hitting the more challenging rivers. If you let us know where you are from and what you are looking for in a paddling experience (scenery, overnight camping, etc), I am sure there will be many suggestions from forum members for places that you can paddle in your area.

cheers
dave

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Dave W
"Everyone must believe in something. I believe I'll go canoeing" - Henry David Thoreau

Thanks for the help Dave. I enjoyed reading your trip report, and great photos as well!