The Lorne

Once you've worn yourself out playing the eddies and holes of McKoy's, and cartwheeled your way down through the ensuing wave train, you will find yourself drifting through a swirly pool that carries you toward some small rocky islands where you can pull out and take a breather. You now have a decision to make - which way to go?

Carrying on downstream through a very large pool (it's actually more aptly described as a lake with current), you will come to a widening in the river where the Rocher Fendu Dam feeds additional volume into the river from the left hand shore. Here the river splits into a myriad of different channels, most of which are dead-ends. By going straight, you will eventually come to two rapids which mark the start of the Middle Channel of the Ottawa. Bearing hard right instead will take you into what is, for all practical purposes, yet another lake. Halfway across this lake, you will begin to sense a low rumble which grows into a roar as you approach the top of the first big rapid on the Main Channel, "The Lorne".

Obscured by an island until you are almost on top of it, The Lorne is a crashing, spectacular rapid made up of huge waves, even bigger holes, and the exposed bedrock of the Canadian Shield. Contained within it's violence are some of the best playspots on the entire river. In order to aid in visualization, the rapid will be broken down into three individual sections.