Analyzing and Planning a Whitewater Kayak Line
When you get out to scout a river, to a non kayaker or a novice, you will just see a series of rocks, drops, waves and other river features. How do you analyze those features so that you know what is the best line for you? The first thing you need to do is familiarize yourself with river features so you understand how and what is forming each feature and hydraulic. Once you have done that you will be able to look carefully at what are the hazards and obstacles when you scout and how to decide a safe route.
The first step now is to go scout the river and make a mental list of all the obstacles and things you will need to avoid to safely go down the rapid. Look for things like holes that could trap your kayak and routes around them. Once you have identified the obstacles you want to avoid in your descent, you will then have the more difficult task of figuring out a safe route around each obstacle. Break the river up into pieces and figure out how you can run each piece of it. You may figure out multiple lines around each obstacle. Think about it carefully and piece together one line that you can run without risking any serious bodily harm. It may not be possible to easily piece one together easily. The harder it is to put together a clean line, the more difficult the river is. Look for eddys that you can travel from to piece together the route in event of not finding one clean line. If you still cannot find a clean route through the rapid, its time to consider walking. It is not worth it to run a risky line if you can easily walk around the outside of the rapid. Evaluate your fitness level and equipment level. A small volume playboat should not be used to run a large volume river and if you are dead tired, you should not be running a mile or two long rapid. You will run out of energy halfway through and start making mistakes. Practice planning routes more and you will get better at it!
