Grande Cache Whitewater Rendezvous 2005

Muskeg River Hwy 40 to Falls (II - IV)

June 2, 2005

The Grande Cache Whitewater Rendezvous is always a highlight for paddlers in Northern Alberta. The water at this time of year is traditionally high, if not in flood. This year was no different. Ryan Carroll and I headed out south of town like high school boys heading out for a basketball tournament...keen, and giddy. On our drive into town, we stopped off to check out the Kakwa...surprise, surprise...flood! Likewise at the Sheep! The Gun Range rapids were pumping and it was everything we could do to keep on track to get to the Muskeg for the Friday evening run.

In the lounge, we hooked up with a few more boaters heading out on the Muskeg for the evening. Here we met Stu Cobbledick, Roxanne Dobish, and Sheldon Dobish from the Mistaya Paddling Club in Edmonton. We also met up with Jean Bourdua, our gracious host who housed us in his beautiful hotel for a very reasonable rate. Jim & Jay Myers of Grande Prairie were in tow with their classic green VW van.

With eager anticipation, we hummed about the probable level of the Muskeg. Much to our dismay, while everything in the region was pumping, the Muskeg was at an average flow. Last year the surf wave was comparable to the likes of Santa Claus on the Kananaskis, this year it was like the Green Tongue...and much more flushy. A bit of a downer, but no worry, there was plenty more to come. The rest of the run was great. Numerous waves & holes to play in, and the odd sweeper to keep on your game. Multiple ledges inevitably led to Fraiser's Ledge. The water levels were a bit too low for most people, but Jay Myers once again ran the drop.

The skies closed in on the late evening run, giving the eerie feeling of impending doom. The skies fell, and in a blink of an eye we were engulfed by a monstorous downpour. The rain fell so hard it was difficult to even keep your eyes open. The thunder cracked through the canyon walls of the sieve garden, and the falling light was a great stage for the spectacular seal launch below the lower drop of the sieve garden. On our way over to the seal launch, Roxanne slipped and let go of her boat. I think she was more bummed out about not doing the seal launch than swimming with her boat. Oh by the way Roxy, Jay is still looking for his beer!

After regrouping, we finished the lower drops to the brink of the take out above Muskeg Falls. This class VI drop would be a dramatic end to a kayaker's career...so we all opted for the mandatory take out above the falls. Unfortunately, with all of the rain, the normal class IV take out hike up the canyon all of a sudden became a class V+ adventure slog in practical darkness. Epic.

Sheep Creek-Lower Canyon (IV)

June 3, 2005

With a hightened anxiety, the same group who paddled on Friday together headed out for the early morning shuttle to Sheep Creek's Lower canyon. Wild Blue Yonder was gracious enough to host a bus shuttle for the lower canyon, thank you Gina! The group was a bit anxious about the upper section at 6 on the gauge. Apparently last year at 3.5 it was plenty pushy. Besides, everyone brought play boats...except for me (ahh the trusty CFS). The lower canyon would be plenty for the day...and it was.

Our put in at Sheep Falls was a nice little starter for the fun and games down below. At 6 on the gauge, there all of a sudden became a route on extreme river right over the ledge. So instead of getting worked in the regular drop, everyone opted for the sneak route over the 7 foot drop. Everyone had nice lines, some more adventurous than others!

No rest for the wicked, this river has no such thing as a warm up...you just end up cooked right away. The 1-2 punch in the face at the beginning gave everyone a shot of the nerves above the third hole right at the put in. We all popped out of our plastic coffins and took a peek at the hole below. Even standing 50 feet above the monstrous hole, it still looked big! Our fearless leader Jean (who by the way has run this section a billion times) reassured us it is nothing but a big flushing wave. His charismatic big smile has an uncanny similarity to the Joker in the Batman series which makes it hard to tell if he was having a good time...or if he was in sandbag mode! The only way to tell is to send him in first, and watch what happens. Luckily, he was right. Play boat after play boat punched through with vigor and angst.. a precursor to the rest of the day.

Wave after wave, hole after hole we made our way down the river. On our way we stopped an watched in awe how "the slide" surged to 12-15 feet high! This is by far the biggest wave I have ever seen on a river of this volume and nature. Even the haystacks were hardcore. No ride at Disneyland could compare to this ride.

We inevitably found ourselves paddling up to a sweet breaking wave where we styled it out for 45 minutes. It was heartbreaking to leave this perfect feature, but we really did not want to wear ourselves out for the crux of this section...the Boulder Garden.

After a quick snack we donned our javex bottles and set out for an intense ride. Most of the group headed out for the left side of the garden which was a technical +IV pushy ride through holes and boil lines, the extreme right side was albeit easier at III+, but it was riddled with submersed wood. A commiting section regardless of your line.

The whitewater eased, but was still exciting at class III. There were holes where you could put Jim's VW bus into, and it still wouldn't crest over the top of the pile! Epic ride, and a solid ride by all. Overall, a 4 out of 5 on the pucker factor scale! A cool one at the end of the run was a fitting finish to the best section of whitewater in Northern Alberta...bar none.

Sulphur / Smoky River (III)

June 04, 2005

After a hard days night, a light paddle on the Sulphur was a welcome option to Sunday. The same groups stayed together, and we aquired Kathleen Bunnin and Coreen Laing into our group of merry paddlers. The two gals from Edmonton's Angels Kayaking group were welcomed into our lighthearted group. Warren Tutton from the Northwest Voyageurs also came along for the ride. Heck, more the merrier. Other groups from Edmonton had already headed down, which left us the opportunity to play to our heart's content. The river level was up which meant that the eddies were going to be pushy and boily..which they were. This played havoc on my 210 lbs frame in my Juice 6.9 (rated to 180 lbs max weight). Brace after brace, I managed to keep afloat, all the while thanking God that I did not bring this boat on the Sheep the day prior!

After an entertaining ride through the canyon, we headed down the sleepy flow of the Smoky down to our take out at the Highway 40 blue bridge. A nice finish to an intense weekend of paddling.

If you have never been to this rendezvous...you need to make a point of making it next year. The drive to Grande Cache is well worth it. Word of advice...be sure you have a bombproof roll before heading out on these rivers. This is big country, and these rivers can be very relentless. Be ready for it!

Eric Albert

Descriptions

Click here to check out the river details for the Muskeg.

Click here to check out the river details for Sheep Creek.

Click here to check out the river details for the Sulphur River.