Whitemud falls are the first rapid in a serie of 5. The difficulties of the rapids vary between 1 and 3, already difficult for loaded canoes. The rapid classes are estimated for average water level, this year the level was low and subsequently the difficulties of the different rapids are lowered. Places where rapids are normally dangerous because of underwater rocks are now almost dry and sometimes we have to stand up to pull the canoe across places of shallow water. Over all, this is not bad at all. In case of high water, we would have to carry the canoe and our luggage across the portages parallel to the different rapids. Still it is not always that easy to navigate our canoe through the rapids. Once, we were heading in the direction of a hanging rock because of a strong current. Luckily, on the last moment we were able to steer our canoe straight on the rock. Because of this, we simply bounced away from the rock and didn't fall into the water.

In fact, those rapids are also the obstacles for people from the city to navigate upstream. By this, we encounter the first houses on the sides of the river. People were also fishing in the deep waters behind the rapids. From this moment, we loose a little bit the feeling of being in the wilderness. A wrong supposition, as we will see in the following days of our trip...

The last of the rapids, 'Cascade Rapids' was really the most exciting one. These rapids consist of some different individual ones. There is a relatively long portage around it with on the end a nice camping site. If you take out your luggage and carry it to this campsite, you can take the rapids without load. It is really exciting to feel the difference without the 50 kilos of material. The canoe just floats on the water and sometimes even jumps out of in on some wild parts of the river. After navigating the 3 rapids, you have all the time to put the canoe on the riverside next to the camping spot.

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