The Rambler

28
PADDLING
Seven club members set out Saturday,
June 26 th , on a beautiful, sunny day to
enjoy paddling the Provo River from
below Deer Crest dam to Vivian Park.
This is a particularly beautiful section
of the river with magnificent views of
Mount Timpanogas and the adjoining
peaks of the Wasatch front. The
group was comprised of Kerry Kelly,
Vivian Lee, Carroll Mays, Carol Milligan,
Cathy Mooney, Jeff Puckett and Fred
Tripp. After getting their gear ready,
participating in a safety briefing and
running a car shuttle, the group put
their boats in to a robustly flowing river
just below the dam.
THE
PROVO
By Fred Tripp
Left to right: Vivian Lee, Carroll Mays, Cathy
Mooney, Carol Milligan, Kerry Kelly, Fred Tripp
and Jeff Puckett at the picnic area in Vivian.
The current provided some mild whitewater but the trip was not overly challenging
to one’s boating skills with one exception: there are two bridges to pass under about
two-thirds of the way down the river. The first bridge is not a problem. The second
bridge is a railroad crossing primarily used by the Heber Creeper trains. This bridge
provides a more significant challenge and the way to pass under it was discussed in
detail during the safety briefing. The kayaks passed under the bridge with no difficulty.
The hard shell canoe, carrying Vivian Lee and Carroll Mays, did not fare quite as well.
Just before the point to go under the bridge they were pushed by the current and wind
into a perpendicular position relative to the bridge supports. The rest of the group
gasped in horror as they envisioned the canoe wrapped around the bridge abutment.
However, with a few strong strokes of his paddle, Carroll was able to turn the canoe
enough for the bow to clear one abutment and the stern to bounce off another
abutment. This maneuver straightened the canoe and the passage was completed
successfully as if it had been planned exactly that way. There were a lot of observer’s
hearts pounding hard for a short period of time.
The group passed many fishermen and women along the way and saw people out
enjoying their summer homes along the river. It was certainly a great day to be
outdoors. After just over an hour on the water they reached the take out point at
Vivian Park. After taking out the boats and organizing their gear the group enjoyed
lunch at one of the picnic tables in the park. Everyone arrived safely at the destination
so it was a successful day on the Provo.