Has anyone open boated the Taureau river in Canada?

Dooleyoc-1 · Post by **Dooleyoc-1** » Thu Aug 27, 2009 2:12 pm

I was just looking at it on a kayak blog and it looks amazing. I would like to go up there some time and I was curious if it had been paddled in a canoe.

I'm thinking maybe Jim Michaud has paddled it? I've talked to Marko about it before and I know he hasn't run it yet but said it's on his list.

marclamenace · Post by **marclamenace** » Thu Aug 27, 2009 2:31 pm

Hi Dooley,

That one ain't no walk in the park but feasable in an open canoe.

Five paddlers from my canoe club ranned it a couple of years ago. I was told it was for them 11 hours of the most intense paddling they've ever done, not including shuttle and with as little scouting as possible. They felt lucky to get out of this river with only one broken ankle and another with bloody chin among the group. Not to mention any boat damage!

I could try to help if you are looking at getting a group together, maybe some people around here would be interested.

If you ever do the trip from where you are, take also the occasion to run the neilson, tourilli, sautauriski or other rivers of the quebec city area. Plenty of class IV-V+ creeking to do around there.

You probably know that resource already but you can find a river description, map, suggested water level and gauge here:

http://www.myosis.ca/fi_taureau.htm

Good luck!

Marc

Mr.DeadLegs · Post by **Mr.DeadLegs** » Thu Aug 27, 2009 2:59 pm

Marc, I don't know what is up with my machine but that all came out as gibberish. Couldn't read a word of it. Is there a translation/filter for S/E Hillbilly. We could then get Louie to read it and tell us what it all means.

marclamenace · Post by **marclamenace** » Thu Aug 27, 2009 3:55 pm

Sorry for the french link... I could use some translator on the internet but I am not sure how useful they would be.

The trip description is from Fortin, he ranned it at low water on a 3 days self-support kayak trip. He's saying only 2 boats out of 5 made it to the take out. I don't see that format as such a great idea myself, an empty (plastic!) boat is a better idea to me, and the section is feasable in one day if you are skilled/in shape enough and if you do the shuttle in advance the day before. The place is so remote you have to plan a whole day to get there anyways...

You can see the map, probably tells more than the actual description and needs no translation!

http://www.myosis.ca/ca_taureau.htm

Or wait, maybe it does:

S-6 means class VI drop
C-2m means waterfall, two meters (about 7 footer)
K means cascade. Is this the english word also I beleive? Waterfall at an angle, or you may call it a slide...

And a big X across the river means this is not runnable, sometimes they don't describe exactly what it is though... Often a natural fallen wood dam.

So basically 13km of continuous class IV-V rapids, with other surprises in between. This section is also not runned often at all so you can expect fallen trees anywhere.

Another thing that adds to the difficulty is that the place is VERY remote. An intelligent safety plan should include satellite telephone.

You can get the water level by dividing the value of this station by 3. Sorry it is m3/s, not CFM! Recommended water level to run the taureau is between 15 and 40.

http://www.cehq.gouv.qc.ca/Suivihydro/g ... ion=050801

Mighty, mighty Taureau...

marclamenace · Post by **marclamenace** » Thu Aug 27, 2009 4:12 pm

Just found back that old thread: yes it looks like Jim Michaud ranned it already.

http://www.cboats.net/cforum/viewtopic. ... c&start=15

Alden · Post by **Alden** » Fri Aug 28, 2009 2:18 am

Dooley,

Yes, I have video of Jim running the Taureau in 1991 in a Whitesell Descender. There was also another open boater on that video as well. I'm sure Jim can tell you more about open boating it.

I haven't run it in a few years, but all I know about that run I put into my guidebook.

Alden

Jim Michaud · Post by **Jim Michaud** » Fri Aug 28, 2009 3:50 am

I remember Taureau as being a bit harder than the Green Narrows if you took out Gorilla and Sunshine. It's very doable in an OC-1 as long as you don't paddle it at too high a level. The character of the river is more like the Green Narrows than Linville. With Dooley's skill level I think that he'll smooth it.

Don't ask me to go though. I no longer have the stamina to paddle class V rapids all day long.

Jim M

Dooleyoc-1 · Post by **Dooleyoc-1** » Fri Aug 28, 2009 1:02 pm

Thanks for the input guys. It sounds like an awesome run. Way to go for knocking it out in open boat Jim! I'm definitely adding this run to the to-do list. Maybe I can make it up there in 2011...

PS-Alden, if Jim is cool with it you should post that video on youtube. I would love to see some open boat footage of that run! (BTW, nice job on your book. I bought a copy of it and really like it)

pe_lord · Post by **pe_lord** » Fri Aug 28, 2009 4:42 pm

Dooleyoc-1 wrote:Thanks for the input guys. It sounds like an awesome run. Way to go for knocking it out in open boat Jim! I'm definitely adding this run to the to-do list. Maybe I can make it up there in 2011...

PS-Alden, if Jim is cool with it you should post that video on youtube. I would love to see some open boat footage of that run! (BTW, nice job on your book. I bought a copy of it and really like it)

http://picasaweb.google.ca/jimbsport/Taureau#

On this picasa web album, there is some video and pictures from that run. They are in kayak but you can imagine the result in OC-1.

Post by **sbroam** » Fri Aug 28, 2009 5:30 pm

Surely someone has paddled it in a Taureau...

Beautiful pix in that album, pe_lord. The videos seem to indicate that "whoo hoo!" means the same in French as it does in English

cheajack · Post by **cheajack** » Fri Aug 28, 2009 6:47 pm

Beautiful scenery. Even though the trees are all leafed out it still looks very cold.

Alden · Post by **Alden** » Sat Aug 29, 2009 1:36 am

That's an interesting idea about posting the video -- maybe I will.

Is it hard to get VHS onto Youtube? I have no idea how to do this.

Alden

Bob P · Post by **Bob P** » Sat Aug 29, 2009 12:06 pm

Alden wrote:That's an interesting idea about posting the video -- maybe I will.

Is it hard to get VHS onto Youtube? I have no idea how to do this.

Alden

You need to "capture" it through a video input card or a vhs-to-USB converter. About $50. Or you can lend it to me for the process.

http://www.jr.com/diamond-multimedia/pe/DDD_VC500/
(Might not work with the Mac...)

pe_lord · Post by **pe_lord** » Sun Aug 30, 2009 5:21 pm

sbroam wrote:Surely someone has paddled it in a Taureau...

Beautiful pix in that album, pe_lord. The videos seem to indicate that "whoo hoo!" means the same in French as it does in English

It's sure, someone has paddled it in taureau.. I'm not sure but I heard that some people from Quebec city has paddled it in detonator...

Pierre

yarnellboat · Post by **yarnellboat** » Sun Aug 30, 2009 10:08 pm

When you're done with the Taureau, here's a BC river that's being explored. Too carzy an adventure for me to want any part of, but these kayakers seem to have liked it...

http://playak.com/news.php?idd=331272766970

Pat.