How to Scout a River Rapid in Whitewater Kayaking

Video Transcript

"So river reaving comes in 2 forms. One is on the fly just like you're going down the river and you're just checking it out as you go . The other one is getting unsure and scouting a rapid. Always remember, when in doubt, scout. Don't do anything you're not sure of. Let's talk about scouting from shore. When you scout from shore, get out of your boat and start from the rapid from the top to the bottom and then come from the bottom to the top again really looking all the parts, not just the meat of the rapid because entrance way may be a little bit challenging as well or the out flow, so make sure you're checking all parts of it. When you get out to scout, you may want to bring your paddle so you can give river signals and your throw rope so you can be setup for safety just in case. When you get on scout, don't worry about walking. The river's always going to be there. If you've got to walk around that day because you're not feeling right about something, go ahead and do so. It's important to keep in mind that you're having fun out there on the river. The way we scout or taking a look at the river, river reading, is on the fly. That's what these eddies are great for. I can come to this eddy, look over my shoulder, take a look at what's going on down river, and plan my routes. I want to have a couple different options going down the river. If I'm going down the river and I see a horizon line. A horizon line is where basically it looks like the river stops and drops off and it may, or as you get closer, it may be just a little bit of gradient drop and there are other features below there. If you can eddy hop, you can kind of plan you route down river. If the horizon line is very distinct and you don't know what's down stream, I suggest getting out and taking a look at it before you continue on downstream. So don't be afraid to walk, don't be afraid to scout. "