50 Years of Umko 1966 - 2016 1966 - 2016 | Page 99

a fibreglass racing K2. Pete Peacock famously got swept over it next to his
boat and Frank Emmett lost Tony Scott’s whitewater boat over it while he
safely made the bank above the falls.
If we were American we would have the exact location of each one
(“Granite at Mile 93.9”) but we’re more approximate. A lot of Umko
paddlers go through rapids thinking WTF was that!? By not knowing the
names or exact location we paddlers can claim we ‘got through all the big
ones but swam in a little unnamed bubbly, would you believe!?’

Portaging - often a good decision

In the marathon - as in life - one is allowed to portage any rapid, but
portaging is only allowed on the riverbank. No overland portaging to cut
out stretches of river is permitted. The portaging should always be slower
than a successfully-shot rapid. Each paddler decides for himself whether he
feels confident enough to shoot a rapid or not. It is obviously wise to find out
what you can from experienced paddlers beforehand, scout the rapid and
watch others negotiating it if possible. And even then, if you don’t see a clear
line and/or don’t feel confident you can make it, portage.

Named rapids from Hella Hella bridge to Goodenough’s Weir. There are different names used by other paddlers (Stripey Rapid, Yellow Cliffs Rapid,
Charlies’ Rapid, Washing Machine). Here are the names as known by most KCC paddlers:
The Approaches
No.1
2
3
4
5&6
House Rock has developed a huge hole at certain levels
7
8

Staebrae’s
T-Junction
Arthur’s Rapid
The Bitch
The Staircase
Captain Honk’s
4ft Drop
Old Buck

Mpompomani
Bad Rapid
Kingfisher Falls (‘The Waterfall’)
Whirlpool
Gully
No Name
Goodenough’s Weir

Gradient:
Steep - 7,6m per km over 19km

Gradient:
Moderate - 3,5m/km over 76km

Gradient:
Steepish - 4,7m/km over 35km
William Nealy
- courtesy Menasha Ridge Press

sources:
1. The Annals of Umkomaas by local historians - Killie Campbell Museum

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UMKO 50 Years