"... no paddler has ever drowned on the portage trail."

The authors of this guide have taken care to insure that the information is accurate at the time of publication, BUT rivers and lakes DO CHANGE! Public access to our rivers and lakes come and go, dams are built, weirs are periodically removed, rapids are scoured out by one flood, and filled in by the next, rivers meander, change channels, wash out old log jams and create new ones. Our paddling environment constantly changes and paddlers must be alert at all times when on the water.

ALL PADDLERS must take precautions to insure that all their equipment is in good working order. When planning trips, they are responsible for ensuring that the water level is safe and that the trip itself does not exceed their abilities as paddlers or the capabilities of the group with which they are traveling. During a trip, each paddler must continuously evaluate the water, the rapids, and the weather, and determine if they have the ability to continue the trip, or to run a particular rapid, drop or other natural or man-made hazard. All trip participants must review and seriously consider the Safety Code of the American Whitewater Affiliation, which can be found in this guide at Appendix A. All paddlers must consider the Paddler‘s Self Rating Guide on pages 8 to 10 of this guide, and then select only trips that match their abilities and experience.