LiquidLore: Pre Spring Update: Hell Or High Water Petawawa

Part 1: Come Hell Or High Water - The Petawawa Downriver Race

From Petawawa local/mastermind Philip Kompass comes the first ever (and hopefully not the last) Petawawa River race. Book off the time, kiss the kids goodbye, quit work, do what you have to do and get up there on May 9th for an ample helping of sweet rapids, fast lines and of course good times.

The Petawawa River, a major tributary of the Ottawa River upstream of the well-known rafting and playboating section is a fantastic and wild river with origins deep in the heart of Ontario's majestic Algonquin Park. Several hundred kilometers long, the Petawawa offers a variety of river opportunities ranging from a short but action-packed section of class III-IV right through the heart of the town of Petawawa to several amazing canoe routes in its upper reaches. Sometimes flooding upwards of 300 cms, the river offers big water rapids and play that rival the Ottawa during the spring melt, fun low volume river running the summer and everything in between.

Aside from promoting the Pet as a boating destination and encouraging boaters big and small to get out and celebrate the excitement of spring, this event also is of more sombre significance. Like many our our whitewater treasures, the Pet is under threat of hydro developement. Philip explains:

"The Petawawa River is currently being considered and assessed as a site for a hydro dam.

The Petawawa River is a gem. It is one of the few remaining whitewater rivers in “southern” Ontario that remains largely untouched; free of major dams, and any major industries as it flows from the heart of Algonquin Park. Let’s ensure that the recreational value of the river is more visible, and recognized by the general public.

More so, it is important to demonstrate that the river has recreational value to the general public at all water levels, conditions and temperatures.

Do those behind the dam projects realize the importance of the river from our perspective, as whitewater enthusiasts? Do they know that the general public can and does enjoy the river at its highest flow level? I don’t know, but I’d like to ensure that we demonstrate this."

Hopefully this gets you motivated to go up and check out this great river. For information on the race, click on over to the Come Hell Or High Water page for all the details. You can also download this convenient PDF of the beta, or use the link on the right hand sidebar to get the info too. Stay tuned to LiquidLore for more details as race day approaches.

Philip paddling into one of the Petawawa's fine rapids - Lovers.

Part 2: The LiquidLore Photo Gallery

Not much to say here - the LiquidLore Photo Gallery is now online for you viewing pleasure. Because weather, lighting and all those wonderful things don't always cooperate when we head out to gather beta for the LiquidLore guidebook, the photos in the write-ups aren't always prize winning. Maybe not prize winning, I thought it would be cool the keep the best photos as they happen all in one place, for easy viewing pleasure - check it out!

Here's a sample, and with that stay tuned for spring beta updates as they roll in when the snow starts to melt...