Whitewater Window

BYJOHN ALLEN
PHOTOS BY CHAS. J. DEES

The raft spun counterclockwise as a rock the size of a Volkswagen loomed off the port side. Four intrepid souls paddled furiously to skirt the boulder and at the same time avoid going over the waterfall backwards: We should have rowed harder.

Along shore, a group of kayakers clad in every hue of the rainbow stood by their equally colorful craft and laughed as we were nearly swamped by the deluge from the waterfall. Oddly, we were laughing as loudly as the kayakers.

It took several more minutes of shoulder-straining paddling against the current before the four of us—two men and two women—were able to beach our bright blue raft alongside the sleek fiberglass kayaks.

"That was fun!" one of the women exclaimed as we dumped the water out. "Let's do it again!"

Whitewater rafting in the western states is fun. Each year, thousands of people run rivers on rafts in the mountains. The rides are thrilling: the scenery spectacular.

However, the water sloshing around in the bottom of our raft wasn't from out west. And those boulders hadn't fallen from some craggy mountain peak. Our whitewater adventure took place on the Big Vermilion River, right in the heart of Illinois.

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The Big Vermilion starts its approximately 50-mile course as a pair of creeks on the border of Ford and Livingston counties/deepens as it rolls through Pontiac to the dam at Streator, picks up speed as it meanders past Matthiessen State Park, and empties into the Illinois River near LaSalle-Peru. Not To be confused with the Little Vermilion River just south of Danville, the Big Vermilion is one of the rare rivers in the U.S. that runs south to north rather than north to south.

According to Bob Herbst, who owns the only whitewater rafting outfit on the Big Vermilion, the best place for this sport is a 91/2-mile stretch from the. Route 178, bridge at Lowell to the County Road 651 bridge near Oglesby.

For a modest charge of $25 per adult and $20 for chidren under 16, Vermilion River-Rafting supplies a four- or six-person raft, "paddles, life vests and, rafting instructions. "We also shuttle, your car to the Oglesby bridge take-out so it's right, there waiting for you when you get out of the raft,"' Herbst said.

Herbst's rustic A-frame house, which he built just north of the Route 178 bridge 13 years ago, sits on a bluff overlooking a public river acces area at the end of a township road. With the help of stepson Brett Hazen and Ruth Kreiser, he has been running his raft rental business out of a large garage on the property for three years. The number of trips has increased from 800 the first year to 1,600 last year.

Putting in at the base of the 20 foot limestone bluff, one immediately notices the speed of the river. "The river varies so much," Herbst said. "Every six inches (of depth), different rapids appear and others fade away. It's only good up to about 51/2 or 6 feet After that it's a fast, choppy trip and you lose all the rapids. When it's 13 or 14 feet, high (flood

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stage), it's real fast.There are no rapids. You are just flying." The best time of year to run the river is May to July, when spring rains Bring water levels up to about 31/2 to 4 feet deep. "

This river drops in the summer." Herbst said. It runs from about May1 until the Fourth of July. If we get quite a bit of rain after that, we can go a couple weeks later, but usually, the river dries up and gets so low you can't put a boat in.''

Although Herbst's 36 Colorado River-quality rafts come with paddles, they're not really needed until rapids or waterfalls are encountered. The river propels the rafts along leisurely. With minimal rowing, the trip wilI last about 31/2 hours.

That 3-mph pace-reveals another striking feature of the Big Vermilion total lack of development along its banks. "It's a unique river because during the whole trip the only building you see is the Lone Star Cement plant near the end," Herbst said. "There's not another building along the river, you aren't pestered by a bunch of cars running along highways next to you, or anything else."

Instead of the houses,malls and factories one encounters along other Illinois rivers, the Vermillion is lined with flowering crabapple, red bud and hawthorn trees, towering limestone bluffs sporting an occasional waterfall and a few farm fields dotted with deer stands. "

There used to be a glass factory in Streator but it's gone so there's no industry along the river," Herbst said. "From Lowell down either the cement plant or the state owns all the property."

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Bob Herbst runs the only whitewater rafting outfit on theBig Vermillion River near Lowell.

Also lining the river's edge are numerous small sandy beaches that Herbst says are ideal for swimming, picnicking or fishing.

The Big Vermilion looks like a fisherman's paradise, with numerous eddies, slack pools, overhanging and downed trees, deep holes and rocky shorelines. Herbst said the best places to fish are below the Streator Dam (walleye, sauger and white bass), the Lowell bridge (smallmouth bass), and Wildcat Rapids and Matthiessen State Park (smallmouth, channel catfish).

Gary Lutterbie, Region III streams biologist for the Department of Natural Resources, rated the fishing as follows: walleye and sauger, good populations of 1- to 3- pound fish; smallmouth, good populations of 3/4 to 3 pounders; white bass, good populations of 3/4-to 11/2- pound fish; rock bass, good populations of small fish; channel catfish, good populations of 1 to 5 pounders, with occasional catches of 10- to 12- pound fish; carp, good populations up to 10 pounds; flathead catfish, fair populations up to 20 pounds; and white and blaek crappie, fair populations of 1/2 to 3/4 pounds.

If a leisurely trip is what you have in mind, bring along your fishing poles and picnic lunch. Don't forget, however, that this is a whitewater trip and sooner or later you're going to get wet.

Using the International Scale of River Difficulty from the American Whitewater Affiliation, the Big Vermilion would probably be a Class III out of six classes.(see related story.)

Vermillion River Rafting owns 36 quality rafts, and supplies paddles and life jackets.

Herbst's description of the Big Vermilion: "There's a canoe rental place up near Streator, but they usually take out at Lowell. That's because from Lowell down, open boats and canoes almost always swamp or get flooded out and the rocks just beat them up, especially aluminum canoes. There are about 14 sets of rapids in this 91/2 miles. Most are ones and twos. If the river's up over four feet, you get some threes like Wildcat Falls and the Lone Star Dam. The narrows are classified as threes. Oou of all the rafts going down, we probably only flip two or three a year. Nobody's ever drowned. I've had a couple people get caught in the undertow below the dam, but they were fortunate enough that kayakers could throw them ropes and pull them out.

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Kayakers like to hold informal competitions at Wildcat Falls to see who can do the best "enders."

"It's a good beginner's river," Herbst continues. "It's a lot of fun for kids. Boy Scouts, church groups, whatever. They can go out and have a nice afternoon. The most fun time is when it's about four feet deep. That's when Wildcat acts like a wildcat the way it rolls off the rocks. The narrows below the Lone Star dam are real nice. There are usually about a dozen waves that are anywhere from three to five feet high, one right after another. It's like riding a roller coaster."

Wildcat Falls also matches the undeniable thrill of a roller coaster. After battling through rapids that force the raft to go left while the river bends to the right, there's hardly enough time to catch one's breath before the falls appear. Expeditious paddling is required to get to the far right where it's safe to go over the falls. Once over them (usually with a raft full of water), another set of rapids sends the boat hurtling downstream.

More furious paddling is required to turn the raft around and head for the beach below the falls. You'll want to do this to drain the water from the raft and to watch the kayakers do their thing.

"Kayakers have competitions down at Wildcat to see who can do enders-stand their boats up on end and turn 360-degree circles-and stuff like that," Herbst said. "It's a maneuverability competition. It's just for fun, not a sanctioned tournament or anything like that."

Weekends are the best time to see kayakers and the best time to rent Herbst's rafts. "We're open all weekend, but during the week I like reservations because I'm semi-retired," Herbst said. Rafts are rented from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

"We sometimes start earlier than 9, but we don't like to put people on the river after 2 because if they want to stop and play, they're out there until seven or eight at night. By the time we get the rafts back here and dry the jackets and everything else, it's well after midnight."

In case you're wondering, the 62-year-old Herbst says he runs the river himself three or four times a year. "I used to go down a lot more, but now that I run the business I don't have as much time," he said.

Vermilion River Whitewater rafting is located four miles south of Starved Rock State Park off Illinois Route 178. For reservations, call (815) 667-5242.

International Scale of River Difficulty The 8,000-member American Whitewater Affiliation uses the International Scale of I River Difficulty to assign ratings to rivers and streams, stressing that individual rivers may not easily fit into any one category and that accurate local guidebooks are a necessity. The ratings are as follows: Class I: Easy. Fast-moving water with riffles and small waves. Few obstructions, all obvious and easily missed with little training. Risk to swimmers is slight; self-rescue is easy. Class II: Novice. Straightforward rapids with wide, clear channels which are evident without scouting. Occasional maneuvering may be required, but rocks and medium-sized waves are easily missed by trained paddlers. Swimmers are seldom injured and group assistance, while helpful, is seldom needed. Class III: Intermediate. Rapids with moderate, irregular waves which may be difficult to avoid and which can swamp an open canoe. Complex maneuvers in fast current and good boat control in tight passages or around ledges are often required; large waves or strainers may be present but are easily avoided. Strong eddies and powerful current effects can be found, particularly on large volume rivers. Scouting is advisable for inexperienced parties. Injuries while swimming are rare; self-rescue is usually easy, but group assistance may be required to avoid long swims. Class IV: Advanced. Intense, powerful but predictable rapids requiring precise boat handling in turbulent water. Depending on the character of the river, it may feature large, unavoidable waves and holes or constricted passages demanding fast maneuvers under pressure. A fast, reliable eddy turn may be needed to initiate maneuvers, scout rapids or rest. Scouting may be necessary the first time down. Risk of injury to swimmers is moderate to high, and water conditions may make self-rescue difficult. Group assistance for rescue is often essential, but requires practiced skills. Class V: Expert. Extremely long, obstructed, or very violent rapids that expose a paddler to added risk. Drops may contain long, unavoidable waves and holes or steep, congested chutes with complex, demanding routes. Rapids may continue for long distances between pools, demanding a high level of fitness. What eddies exist may be small, turbulent or difficult to reach. Swims are dangerous, and rescue is often difficult even for experts. Class VI: Extreme and Exploratory. These runs have almost never been attempted and often exemplify the extremes of difficulty, unpredictability and danger. The consequences of errors are very severe and rescue may be impossible. For teams of experts only, at favorable water levels, after close personal inspection and taking all precautions. More information on whitewater rafting is available from the American Whitewater Affiliation's website at www.awa.org.

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