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May 2003 Volume XV Issue 1 Abridged Edition |
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Newsbriefs
Trip Leaders Attend Wilderness First Aid CourseBy Tom Todd On Saturday and Sunday, February, 22 and 23, 2003 twenty or our group took an intensive Wilderness First Aid Course given by SOLO of Conway, NH at the PSNH Amoskeag Fishways. The attendees were Walt Andry, Dennis Belliveau, Garry Crane, Sean Donohue, Rod Dore, Attila Farkas, Nancy Gero, Mike Jacobs, John Jenkins, Sue Keros, Jeff Lamping, Mirium Langer, David Moore, Laura Morgan, Conrad Nuthmann, Dave Sanford, Julia Steed-Mawson, Tom Todd, George Trudel, Beverly Valley and a couple of the Fishway Staff.
Back: George Trudel, Dennis Belliveau, Jeff Lamping, Sean Donohue, Walt Andry, Tom Todd, Sue Keros, Nancy Gero, John Jenkins, Mirium Langer, (psnh), Mike Jacobs. Front: Garry Crane, David Moore, Attila Farkas, Julia Steed-Mawson, Dave Sanford, Rod Dore, Conrad Nuthmann, Beverly Valley, (psnh), Laura Morgan, & instructor. This course was funding by AMC Joy St., NH AMC Chapter, and NH AMC Paddlers. The course taught how to handle first aid problems when there is the expectation that it will be hours before the patient is extracted. The assume about 6 hours being the normal expectation for patients in the wilderness reaching proper medical aid. The course focus on immediate remedial action and stabilization of the patient. Of course there was practice in splitting using materials at hand. And of course here is the picture.
Ratings Committee Approves Rafting ProgramJohn Jenkins Awarded First Rafting Leadership Rating By Bruce Healey, Chair, NH AMC Paddlers Ratings Committee The Ratings Committee is pleased to announce that John Jenkins has been awarded the first NH AMC Paddlers “Raft Leader” rating. John has been rated as a Class IV Raft Leader (RL4). Rating Raft Leaders is a new endeavor for the Committee. Outlined below is the criteria the Committee set for both a Raft Leader rating and the requirements for rafts to either participate in, or lead, scheduled NH AMC Paddlers white water trips. The Committee will follow the success of rafting trips and we will adjust our criteria as we gain more experience with these trips We hope you will watch for these new scheduled rafting trips and that you will get out and take advantage of this new and exciting paddling opportunity. Thanks, Bruce Rafting Trip Requirements The Ratings Committee has approved the following requirements for rafting trips: I. - Leader Qualifications: 1. Raft Leaders must be “certified” to have completed a river rafting leader or guide training program, which meets the highest standards possible from either a State agency or a recognized commercial company in the river rafting industry. 2. A Raft Leaders rating level (II, III, IV) will be determined from the “Certification”. 3. It is expected that the training program certifies the person’s skills in raft maneuvering, river and rafting safety, first aid, river rescue, raft rescue and rafting participants safety. 4. Certifications must be current or the person must have remained active in guiding at least one raft trip per year. II. - Raft Trip Qualifications: Rafts can participate in, or lead, scheduled NH AMC Paddlers white water trips provided the following: 1. The water level at any point in the trip cannot exceed Class IV. 2. The trip is not a commercial activity. Raft Leaders may only collect shared trip expenses. 3. Each raft on the trip must be guided by a person with a NH AMC Paddlers Raft Leader rating; the Raft Leader(s) must be a current member of AMC; and the Raft Leader(s) rating level must be equal to or greater than the level of the river to be run by the trip. 4. Raft Leader(s) must ensure that all participants in the trip are properly outfitted for the trip. This minimally includes wearing proper water temperature clothing, life jacket and helmet. 5. Raft Leader(s) are required to have all non-AMC participants in the rafting boat sign a “Liability Release”. 6. The “trip” must include at least two support “boats” (K1, OC1, OC2). 7. At least 50% of the rafting participants must be AMC members. Jim Lewis Paddling AlaskaLate last summer, Jim Lewis followed his dream by moving to Alaska. Jim, the second or third longest standing member of the NH AMC Paddlers is a class IV paddler who also founded our sea kayaking program. Jim promptly linked up with the local paddlers, managing to paddle up through December in Alaska. Jim sent back several pictures he took of a canoe trip he took on the Matenuska River in October in Alaska.
Note the color of the water, caused by the melting Matenuska Glacier. He writes the most difficult thing about paddling in Alaska is the slate gray color of the water. You have to step very carefully as your next step could be in six inches or six feet of water. Jim notes that often there is vegetation growing on the sediment covering the ice. NESS Race Information:From http://users.bestweb.net/~keech/a-ness.htm The New England Slalom Series is a whitewater slalom series for open canoe and well as C/D ranked and unranked decked boaters. All races are sanctioned by the ACA, and points earned count toward national rankings. Open canoe paddlers from this series are usually among the top finishers in the Open Canoe Slalom national championships. The series warmly welcomes people of all ages, from those who are complete beginners in whitewater slalom racing to those who race just for fun and excitement. Slalom Race Schedule in the Northeast For more information see: http://users.bestweb.net/~keech/a-ness.htm ACA 2003 National Poling Activities
The following are some nearby events sponsored by the ACA.
You'll also find the national ACA poling schedule here: http://www.geocities.com/cmalik@sbcglobal.net/canoepole.htm Additional Pontook Dam ReleasesBy Kenneth D. Kimball, Director of Research, AMC In 2002 the Pontook Dam on the Androscoggin River required major work due to poor engineering and construction. As a result all scheduled late summer and autumn whitewater releases were dropped last year, releases which were part of the original license requirements that AMC had negotiated for in the 1980s. The AMC requested that the owner provide make-up boating days in 2003 and the dam owner refused. AMC's Research Director, Ken Kimball, then brought the question to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). FERC required the dam owner to provide additional whitewater boating days in 2003. The revised whitewater boating schedule in 2003 will be the same as in years past, that is: all holidays, Saturday and Sundays from Memorial Day until July, all holidays and Friday, Saturday and Sundays from July through Labor Day Saturday and Sunday for the two weekends following Labor Day. In addition supplemental whitewater release days will occur on the Wednesdays of July 9, July 23, August 6, and August 20 and the Saturdays of September 20 and 27 in 2003. All white water releases are 10 AM to 4 PM. This section of the Androscoggin is a popular class II run on which we schedule several weekend trips through the year. |
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