Info for New LCCC Members
WELCOME
Thanks for joining! We know it's a bit of an uphill climb to get connected. Fear not, we've all done this. Here’s a little intro and some steps you can take to get started.
WHAT KINDS OF TRIPS WE DO
Mostly we do whitewater day trips of class 2 and 3 difficulty. We use whitewater kayaks, canoes, packrafts, and IK's. Sometimes we camp out for a long weekend. Some of our trips push the upper edge of class 3. Class 3 missions are not good for beginners; running whitewater is harder than it looks. Indeed, most beginners are best served by starting on class 1 and building skills on less risky waters. Whether you are experienced or not, repeated self-assessment is part of being prepared for the river.
Some members have lightweight, fast flatwater canoes, but they don’t post trips, only trip reports. By being in the club you get to hear about their destinations, and perhaps to meet the individuals who go. Whether flatwater or whitewater, most multiday trips happen outside the club, but often with groups of friends who find each other through the club.
Experienced paddlers move to our area all the time, and most of them find us on their way to finding a crew. The LCCC niche is the "harder" whitewater trips that clubs do, with a strong emphasis on personal responsibility, skills, and safety. Class 3+ is the outer limit for our insurance.
A person who already has class 3 skills will enjoy the tour of local runs. For rookies, the OKCC does a better job of getting beginners on the water. Many locals are members of both clubs, so they can get lots of river time through the OKCC and sometimes get on a new run with the LCCC. Occasionally the LCCC will do a flatwater paddle, or have a picnic or party that doesn't get on the water.
HOW TO FIND OUT ABOUT TRIPS
Traditional (annual) LCCC trips are posted on the LCCC calendar on our website.. These are weekend camping and paddling adventures that we do every year, or day runs that our members are willing to commit to in advance. Far more trips happen impromptu and get planned by email on our google group. We have a facebook page and group, but for the most part we don't coordinate our trips there. In the future we may coordinate trips on RallyCrew, a free, new-in-2025 platform just for paddlers.
GET ON THE GOOGLE GROUP
For now, we coordinate our trips by email. To start getting club emails, go to the group and request access. Set the emails how you want them--to arrive when sent or as a daily or weekly summary. Watch for trip posts on Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday for the weekend following. Sometimes the post won't come in til Friday or even Saturday for a Sunday trip. If you are eager to get on the water, it pays to have your paddling kit already sorted. If you're already added to the google group, you can email us all.
SIGN THE WAIVER EVERY YEAR
If you can't remember if you signed the waiver or not, it doesn't hurt to do it twice!
MEMBERS-ONLY AREA OF WEBSITE
On this LCCC website members have access to the club roster, old newsletters, info on discounts and a whole lot more. You'll need the password you create when you join.
WHITEWATER: GETTING STARTED FROM SCRATCH
Learning to paddle whitewater takes time. Being a good swimmer helps a lot, because everybody ends up in the drink eventually. We encourage new paddlers to join all the clubs, take all the classes, go to roll sessions and work on skills. Just rounding up the right gear takes a while. There's a lot to learn and dedicated practice is needed. Perhaps the best way to get started is to find a stretch of river that's not too intimidating, a few friends at the same level or more advanced, and team up to go as often as you can. The river will teach you a lot.
Make sure you have the right gear and have been on moving water a few times before getting on whitewater. A couple of the best summer learning stretches (for whitewater) in our area are Mill City to Mehama on the North Santiam River and the Lower White Salmon from below Husum to Northwestern Park. When the rains come in folks with drysuits train on the Washougal (down to Hathaway), East Fork Lewis (below Stewart's Landing), and the Sandy below Oxbow. There's no shortage of things to learn--it keeps us amused for a lifetime.
If you just need to get your boat wet and see how it feels, flatwater is a good place to start. Go with friends so you can help each other! And always wear your life jacket. We have big slow rivers like the Willamette, and some lakes too. You can even put your boat in the water at Lake Oswego.
