Ryan Stuart, explore's gear editor
Ryan Stuart's tell all blog spot on his gear addiction and life and times as explore magazine's gear editor
Putledge Paddle Festival
zoomThis weekend is the annual Puntledge Paddle Festival, surfkayak.org. For the last three years BC Hydro has planned a release of water on the Puntledge River specifically for paddlers. More than 100 boaters show up to play and paddle some of the best whitewater on Vancouver Island and party with other paddlers at night.
As I've mentioned before, the Puntledge is a finicky river. It is dam controlled and hydro can be stingy with releasing water, so the river is only in paddlable shape 20 to 30 days per year. Through the BC Hydro Water Use Planning Process the Vancouver Island Whitewater Paddling Society negotiated the guaranteed release. Plus, now BC Hydro tends to hold water until the weekend and then release it, so more paddlers can take advantage of the flows.
In a couple hours I'll be heading out the door for a pre-festival paddle. We're going to check out a new sweeper on an island and may remove it. And then we'll paddle the river to my house. I have a great location in Courtenay overlooking the Puntledge River – I can paddle to within a few hundred metres of my door.
Hope to see you on the water.
Ah Ryan, there you go again, bragging about your fabulous life where you ski in the morning and surf in the afternoon, and paddle to your front door. Nice.
Here in the Big Smoke (does anyone call Toronto that anymore?) I've got a streetcar outside my front door. I hear if I get on it, I'd end up in High Park in the west end of town. Now that's an adventure I'm sure!
:)
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