Hitting the Roaring Water
By Peter Andras
The Environmental Leadership Outdoor Education classes have enjoyed some amazing white water below the dams in Lakefield.
The cooler temperatures and rain, make for high water and lots of great paddling. This week has been excellent paddling as the water levels are slowly dropping and the river features are beginning to appear. With the final written exam behind them, the students are practising their paddling skills to get ready for their final practical exam at Palmer Rapids, in a few weeks.
Students are practising their rescue skills with throwbags, their canoe over canoe rescues and self rescues in the fast-moving water. The Lakefield dam is a perfect location to practice as the channel is deep and safe with no hazards to avoid. After a few swims in the water, students are getting a sense of how to balance and avoid tipping. Students begin on one side of the river and practice entering and exiting the current from still water on the side of the river. The students initiate and execute a turn into the main current from an eddy (slow moving re-circulating current). The manoeuvre begins with the canoeists in an eddy, facing upriver. The canoe enters the main current and initiates a turn to head downstream. Then from the main current, they turn and re-enter into the eddy. Once they have the basic turns from either side of the river we work toward putting the turns together. This allows the students to move back and forth from one side of the river to the other.
Learning how to safely navigate on the river channel is important as it allows students to see how to find safe routes down a river. Putting all of these skills together helps students gain the confidence to paddle safely down rivers.
School Information
4391 County Road 29, Lakefield Ontario K0L 2H0 705.652.3324 admissions@lcs.on.ca
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Lakefield College School is a private, coeducational boarding and day school for students in grades 9 through 12, located in Lakefield, Ontario, Canada.
We respectfully acknowledge that Lakefield College School is located on the Treaty 20 Michi Saagiig territory and in the traditional territory of the Michi Saagiig and Chippewa Nations, collectively known as the Williams Treaties First Nations, which include: Curve Lake, Hiawatha, Alderville, Scugog Island, Rama, Beausoleil, and Georgina Island First Nations. Lakefield College School respectfully acknowledges that the Williams Treaties First Nations are the stewards and caretakers of these lands and waters in perpetuity and that they continue to maintain this responsibility to ensure their health and integrity for generations to come.
We respectfully acknowledge that Lakefield College School is located on the Treaty 20 Michi Saagiig territory and in the traditional territory of the Michi Saagiig and Chippewa Nations, collectively known as the Williams Treaties First Nations, which include: Curve Lake, Hiawatha, Alderville, Scugog Island, Rama, Beausoleil, and Georgina Island First Nations. Lakefield College School respectfully acknowledges that the Williams Treaties First Nations are the stewards and caretakers of these lands and waters in perpetuity and that they continue to maintain this responsibility to ensure their health and integrity for generations to come.
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