Little Southwest Miramichi above Libbies Brook

[riveraddict]

Finally had a chance to run this at around 1.44, which was a little low for the open WW boat. Getting spun around before the features gave me second thoughts for a few rapids but the WW kayaking boys ran them all. Beautiful, remote stretch of river! Put in at the bridge at the upstream boundary of the Charlie's Rock crown reserve section and took out just above the old Tractors and Equipment camp at the forks. Derek made a video but his battery died just before the 7 sisters so some footage is missing. I should mention this section varies from Class 3+ to Class 4+ (or higher) depending on discharge. Can't wait to run this again with about another 20cm of water. The next day we put in at the take out and spent 2 days fishing our way down to Catamaran Brook. This lower section is much more tame, but with a few exciting rapids and some nice pools. Another nice access is at Flaherty's Pitch on the LSW (just upstream from Libbies Brook- see Ken's story), then you can see the pitch and one of the 7 sisters above if you are willing to walk upstream a short distance but there is a short carry to reach the water.

vimeo.com/99888242

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[dbradford]

It was a great trip! Reminds me that I have to pack my spare battery. I lost the last two features in the 7 sisters above Flaherty's. One was a real nice boof, hit on river right, and the other was just kind of scary because the water was low enough that I fetched up on a rock right above the drop...with the water all pushing into a couple of large rocks that looked like a potential pin. Worked out with a little bit of maneuvering though! If you plan to run the upper stretch, I would recommend 1.7m on the gauge. Most paddlers walk the falls when it is up to 2m or higher. Thanks for sharing your footage of the run Aaron, it made for some added perspective at Indian Falls and elsewhere. Definitely want to paddle this river again!