River Selection: Consider Your Group

By Nick Pritchard

One of the more difficult things about planning a river trip is trying to figure out how difficult of water you should paddle. There is no clear equation to try and figure this out but with good pre-trip planning you should be able to find something that will interest everyone. With experience this will start to become much easier as you paddle with more people, in more places, and under a variety of conditions. Some of the things that you should consider are:

• Your Group's Experience Level
• Are you the most experienced paddler in the group? Does everyone have about the same experience level? Are there just a few experienced folks? 
• The less collective experience that the group has the easier the river you will want to stick to. This not only reduces the chance that people will be put into a dangerous situation for which they are not prepared. An appropriate river also raises the chances that everyone will have a good time. It is difficult to have fun when you are scared or uncomfortable. 
• The Location Of The Trip
• As trips move farther and farther from civilization it is a good idea to be more conservative about the water that you will be paddling. Not only will you have more gear in your boats which make them heavier and more difficult to maneuver but the consequences also increase as your trips move farther into the backcountry. It is probably not a good idea to try a Class III for the first time when you are on a three expedition into the Canadian wilderness. You should save pushing yourself for your local river or whitewater park. 
• The Duration Of The Trip
• While typically longer trips take place in remote places they do not necessarily have to. In any case on an extended trip your boat will likely be heavy with gear. Also, the river may only be a few miles from the road but if you damage gear or persons by running advanced water that few miles may as well be 100 miles. It will be very difficult to extract yourself from that situation, particularly if you are down a canoe or someone got seriously injured. The river doesn't care how close to civilization you are, it's still the boss. 
• The Type Of Equipment You Will Be Using
• Knowing the limitations of your equipment (mainly your canoe and how it is outfitted) is an important factor when planning a trip because using the wrong equipment in the wrong manner is never a good idea. For example you probably don't want to take your Kevlar flat-water touring boat down Class III whitewater.
• The Environment You Will Be In
• If you are paddling in cold water or weather conditions you will want to take it easy and make sure that you are properly equipped (drysuits, etc.) to handle those conditions. It is no fun if someone becomes hypothermic. 

This is not an all inclusive list but it is a good place to start. When planning a trip it comes down to good planning and good judgement. Experience will ease this process but it always takes some time to figure out.

Feel free to ask us any questions you may have!