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Today we took the afternoon to do some safety drills with logs. When creeking logs can be a major safety hazard and it’s important to be able to be able to dodge them. Branches, leaves can create strainers and you could get caught on. Here’s what they look like:

Strainers and Logs aren’t always avoidable in narrow creeks.There are two strategies for dodging logs:

Going Under- There is more than just playing limbo with logs. First you need to judge if you can fit underneath the log based on your size. You should slow down before you come to the log. When your bow starts to go under the log you should tuck back into a back deck/airscrew position with your head pointed down. It is important to point your head down so it doesn’t snag on anything sticking out underneath the log.

Going Over- If you cannot fit underneath the log you could boof over it. If the log is 3-4 inches out of the water you can book over it. You need to charge at the log and pull over the lip of the log and then immediately tuck forward and take a strong forward stroke. If you don’t take a good forward stroke then you will fall over backwards, and get stuck on the log. Raising the log by only by a few inches can make it super challenging.

It took me 3 attempts to go under the log without flipping over and I failed everytime trying to boof the log. It is important to practice so you know what to do when you do run into logs on the river.