Madawaska River Via The Paddler Co-op (2 Days / 30km)

Probably the best place to learn how to whitewater paddle? We're biased, but we love it.

The Cover:

Typically the place where I plop my favourite shots that are 'cover-worthy' for this little story, but not this time round. The weather was absolutely horrendous. Rain, rain, rain, and more rain. Risky business with a camera in hand, but not a go-pro! So with much sadness, enjoy this single, lonely photo - courtesy of my depressing phone.

Rating:

We LOVE the Paddler's Co-op. The vibes are on point. Think crunchy granola, tie-dye, hippy magic, where like-minded folks and their passion for paddling collide. You can camp on-site, make new friends, and most importantly, learn the skills required to whitewater paddle, be it by kayak or canoe. We've had the opportunity to visit this wonderful place many times for both recreational and educational purposes. We've never ever been disappointed. This is the first place we recommend for folks looking for an opportunity to access great rapids, learn new skills, and have an epic time.

I Want to Live Here Rating: 3/5

People-Meter: 2/5

Anxiety Scale: 1/5

Pain Train: 2/5

10/10 Recommend: 5/5

The Prologue:

Situated in Palmer Rapids on the banks of the Madawaska River, the Paddler Co-op lives. With an assortment of campsites scattered underneath towering pines and rapids incredibly close at hand, this is a sneaky little find (but well-known in the paddling community) for those looking to find some adventure and an adrenaline rush somewhat close to home.

Here's our trip report!

The Story:

Day Zero:

Cambridge to The Paddler Co-op

The Wismer Clan squeezed into the Supervan (our well-loved Dodge Caravan) at 4:30PM on a Friday evening in Guelph with the aim of driving all the way to Palmer Rapids to begin the second stage of our whitewater learning (i.e., running the lower Madawaska, an actual river).

This was our second whitewater paddling course - we took the first half the year before, mainly an introduction. Why? Being avid and experienced paddlers we've seen a lot of flat water in southern Ontario. Admittedly, we're beginning to run out of canoe routes that don't require a more technical skill set. Inevitably (and not without some excitement), it was time to open up our options by learning something new.

The drive to the Paddler Co-op was uneventful. We arrived at 10PM meeting the remaining members of the Wismer Clan (Gavin being the honorary member) at our campsite. I was feeling a bit under the weather - Isaac was battling a cold (you could barely tell) and I knew that I wasn't going to be spared. The best I could do was pump myself full of Tylenol Cold and Flu, and hope that some sleep would do the rest.

Day One:

Paddler Co-op to the Madawaska River

Breakfast was a granola filled extravaganza underneath a rain-soaked tarp that was still dripping from the near-constant downpour overnight. Unseasonably cold for June, we were hoping for a lull in the shower, but the forecast was just seeming more and more confident. I wasn't particularly happy given my newfound cold - predictably, Isaac was kind enough to share it with me.

As we ate away, we made preparations for our lunch out on the water (i.e., bagels as always). Courses at the Paddler Co-op begin at 9AM sharp. You roll in with whatever gear that you have, (i.e., wet-suit, life-jacket, helmet, paddle, whitewater canoe or kayak if you have one - gear can be rented as needed) and the learning begins. Personally, we rented several Esquif Canyons and paddles. We have not yet made the jump fully into the whitewater world, however, I don't imagine this will last for very long.

Once all geared up, we hit the Madawaska River and spent the majority of the morning refreshing the skills that we learned the year before. C-turns, S-turns, MITH turns, ferrying, back-ferrying - the works. The water level was around 50 cubic meters per second, so nothing crazy, but certainly made a difference compared to our previous experience out on the water.

Isaac and I were the first to go down at Piano Rock. We leaned a little too far trying to jet ferry and just couldn't recover before the out-wash took us down. The second time I've ever wiped out in a canoe, and it was a little scary. My foot got stuck in the thigh straps and for the briefest of moments, I thought I wasn't going to be able to get it out. However, I stayed calm and BAM - it was free!

Sarah and Gavin were the next victims of the out-wash. They, too, took a rather unfortunate turn and found themselves going for a swim. They took it like champions and didn't let the dip set them back for very long!

We played in the upper set for several hours before breaking for lunch back at camp. The beginning of the day was dry-ish on the water, but as the morning progressed, the rain came back to play. It would downpour and drizzle out on the water, and man, was it chilly! There was no point in changing clothes given the damp weather. We were all shivering and knew that we'd just be getting wet again, so why bother?

Once we returned to the water the goal was to pull all of our skills together to run the lower set. Not just once, but for the rest of the day to prepare for our guided run of the Madawaska River. No one else took a tumble into the water, and by the end of the day, we paddled approximately 13 kilometres, so very tidy on the same section of water. So much portaging!

At 4PM we finished paddling for the day. Isaac and Gavin decided that the paddling train had to keep moving, so they transitioned to the trusty kayak (Isaac learned how to roll). I decided (rather than continue freezing my butt off in my sickened state) that it was time to hide in my tent for a little nap. I scampered out once the call for dinner was made, all of us returning to our semi-dry tarp situation to end the night.

Day Two:

Paddler Co-op to Cambridge

A new day at the Paddler Co-op only means one thing - time to run the Madawaska River! Unfortunately, the universe was still dumping tons of rain on us, so we rather reluctantly left our tent, ate breakfast, prepared lunch, and scrambled to catch the shuttle at 8AM. The plan was to be on the water for 9AM, so we needed to leave camp early to account for the 45 minute drive to Quadeville. Our plan was to access the put-in at Aumond Bay.

With all of the rain, the drive along the access road was rough - borderline sketchy at points. Parts of the road were just about washed out. At one point we had to pass another shuttle and my goodness, what an experience! Much like us, the shuttle was pulling a bunch of tandem canoes and somewhere between eight to ten people. Both vehicles ended up getting stuck in the mud. There was a tug-of-war (shuttle edition, of course) to free the wheels from deep mud divots from hell. Eventually we made it to the parking lot, however, our plans to be on the water before 9AM kind of fell apart.

Our crew did not actually start paddling on the river until 11AM. While waiting for the shuttle to be sorted out at the put-in we floated around Aumond Bay, practicing some paddle strokes, particularly the back-ferry. Once we actually hit the rapids though - incredible, incredible fun!

We started with the 'Island' (Class II+), a short, but rather variable rapid depending on the water level. A big wave train with a whole lot of bark, but not a lot of bite - just enough to keep you humbled. Our crew hopped out of our boats to scout, make a plan, and run the rapid!

The plot twist of the morning was, funny enough, the water level. Our instructor got a call notifying paddlers that Ontario Power Generation (OPG) was releasing a butt ton of water from the dam (fun fact, the Madawaska River is controlled). The result was going to be a 150 cubic meter per second extravaganza for us inexperienced folk. You could literally see the water change as we analyzed the rapid. Everyone was successful, although for a moment, we thought that Sarah and Gavin were going to send it broadside.

The 'Dog's Leg' (Class II), 'Narrows' (Class II/II+), and 'Exam Time' (Class II) were the next three rapids that we tackled on the Madawaska River. All of which are semi-long, wavy, involve some rock dodging, and searching on the go (or via a solid scout depending on your comfort level) for the most optimal route. Like most rapids the difficulty may increase or decrease depending on the water level. In our case, it was more or less a go with the flow, point and shoot situation.

One of the most entertaining rapids along the river that we tackled was 'Rifle Shoot' (Class III). This is the set with the most elevation loss. In high water, the wave train is something else! There's really only one way to run this one, and that's the classic point and shoot. If you're really up for the challenge, there's a sweet little eddy you can catch behind a couple of rocks on river right. We didn't have the chance this time round, however, I challenge everyone else to give this a go!

We stopped for lunch to take in the rapid before taking it on. Our break didn't last though - Isaac and I were pretty keen to hit the water again. We were the first to send it, and my goodness, you could hear my laughter from kilometres away. What an adrenaline rush! We turned to catch an eddy slightly prematurely and ran the risk of going broadside, but kept our hips loose and rode it out.

Sarah and Gavin weren't so lucky on this one. Rifle Shoot was hungry and just couldn't be denied. From the looks of it, a wave hit their boat at just the right angle to cause a little chaos. They flipped and took a little swim in the washout. Our guide was quick to paddle out, grab their canoe, and help to drag everything ashore. Don't worry though - both Sarah and Gavin still had smiles on their faces.

Now 'Split Rock' (Class III) is probably just as entertaining as Rifle Shoot. This is a reactionary set that is split by (big surprise), a giant rock. The right-hand channel features a horizon line that obscures the water downstream. Until you hit the drop, there isn't much time for thinking or planning. You just try to survive? The other channel is a bit more friendly, and from the looks of it, a bump and grind depending on the water level.

This time round, Isaac and I were not the first to run the set. Unfortunately, this really didn't give us much of an advantage given the nature of the rapid. Our group chose not to scout this one. Our instructor assured us that we all had the skills, and it was time to put them to the test. While we certainly had the skills, out of the 5 canoes in our group, 2 took a tumble. On this set a flip is a tad risky since 'Post-Split' (Class II) is nearby, and while a bump-and-grind, probably wouldn't be a 10/10 experience.

Our ride was a success, but I would say that from a technical perspective, this one was a little meaner than Rifle Shoot. It took our group a hot second to reconvene, dump boats, and discuss the next rapid (there were a lot of waves, and man, our boats took in a good chunk of water). We completed Post Split very quickly and made our way toward 'Racquette (Class III), by far the most complex and technically demanding set of the day.

Want to see a wipe out? Here you go! Paul and Karen (aka., Mom and Dad) took on too much water and lost control of the canoe. It just very slowly sunk and flipped sideways. Shortly afterwards we jumped into action to save the boat, paddles, and any other gear that we could find.

Racquette is a rapid that does not require speed at all for the most part. Quite the opposite, in fact. It requires patience, skill, and manoeuvring around rocks, holes, and other obstacles before you arrive at the finish, and even then there's still the 'Can Opener' to close things off. Now what's that? A giant boulder that has a reputation for wrapping both boats and people. Not an exciting prospect.

Only Isaac and I, along with one other set of paddlers, chose to give this one a try. We were golden right until the very end. We didn't flip our canoe, but the legendary Can Opener certainly let us know that it was alive and well.

The final rapid of the day was the 'Rattle' (Class II), a straight-forward wave train that is basically just a point-and-shoot. After this we were reunited with flat water again until the put-out at Buck Bay. As a warning, paddlers in the area like to call this spot 'Bug Bay' due to the rather healthy population of mosquitoes. I can confirm that they too, much like the Can Opener, were alive and well. We practically raced to get out gear packed up and in the shuttle to avoid getting destroyed. As a result, the drive back to the Paddler Co-op was quick. The condition of the road on this end was significantly improved, no tug-of-war with mud this time round or other shuttles to compete with.

Back at our campsite we packed up our gear, changed our clothes, and bit farewell to our friends (new and old), before driving back to Guelph. The drive was uneventful - I mainly napped given my lovely cold. I don't think I was the only one. Our weekend adventure was action packed and rain filled. I think everyone was tired, not quite ready to return to work on Monday.

The Appendix: