Dak Mi River- Ca Dy Canyon
Section Length: 9 km
Put In: start of bedrock below Thon Ngoi Take Out: Ben Giang, A Roong UBND |
Difficulty: III (varies)
Est. Flow: any (minimum apx. 500 cfs) Paddlers: Alfonso Perez and Kit Davidson |
The lowest section of the Dak Mi River is an interesting one. The Dak Mi River is a huge drainage, and in it's natural state was a river of rather large proportions. But, because of a huge hydro power project upstream, the Dak Mi 4, almost all of the river's flow is cut off and diverted. A scant trickle emerges from the dam, and for most of the year, the only flow in the downstream sections of the Dak Mi come from its myriad of minute tributaries that enter evenly along it's way. Together these collectively don't even come close to filling what is a large river bed, and the result is a nearly dry river with usually nothing more than a channel's worth of water.
That being said, the riverbed itself is an alternating mix of sand and sediment bottom and huge sections of bedrock, almost all of it limestone. These bedrock sections are quite interesting as they produce some unusual channels and river features- at times presenting a wide array of channels fanning out through the rock, while also cutting narrow trenches and slots through the rock as well- and the quality of rapids found in them are is surprisingly high. These bedrock sections at higher levels create powerful and surprisingly steep drops, but at low flows they create a feeling of creek boating despite the size of the riverbed, and can provide more fun than you would imagine.
The best put in for this section is at Thon Ngoi, a fairly new ethnic community that straddles the AH-17 / QL-14 / Ho Chi Minh Road. This village is at the end of a fairly long (1-2 km) flat and featureless section of the river. But just below town, and stretching almost down and around the corner, is the first chunk of bedrock. There are a couple of channels here and some good whitewater hidden in the maze of rock, amd this area is collectively known as the "3 Piggies and Big Bad Wolf Section". The section starts with the Leech Rapids, named for a brief and exciting few minutes of dealing with a leech on my toe while floating through the rapids. These are easy and fun rapids. Below this the river splits, with the river left channel dropping into the bedrock and falling over four distinct drops; the first 3 of these are chunky and technical, while the last one one is very easy. We named these the "3 Little Pigs", and they are all Class III, except for the top, which is a recommended portage at lower levels.
On river right, the river enters two small but powerful holes, before falling over the "Big Bad Wolf", which is an awkward ledge drop about 5 to 6 feet high. The line looks to bounce from center to right, but its not that clean and you can expect a hit on the right wall. This drop is easily class IV+. It is possible to run the 3 Little Pigs and then hike up and run the Big Bad Wolf if you so desire. A short ways below the 3 Pigs Section is a short and abrupt ledge of rocks known as "Heart Attack", which has clean lines center and left. Below this are several small rapids, including a manky one with no clean lines.
After this bedrock chunk fades away, there is the aforementioned section of flat river that extends all the way past the highway bridge downstream. This flat is quite long and is a struggle to get through. Expect at least 30 minutes or more to get through this section, more if you have a headwind. A ways after the highway bridge, a brief section of bedrock shows up, where the remains of an older bridge cross the river. Be sure to check the height of this bridge before you get to it as depending on the flow it can be in or out of the water and may create a nasty strainer. The rapid just upstream of this, "Old Bridge Rapid", is a straightforward ledge with lots of clean lines. The easiest line is to go far right, just off the rock.
Below this are two more sections of bedrock, grouped together as the "Pa Cang Rapids". The first series is called the "Misdirection" Rapids and has three distinct drops: Upper and Lower Misdirection, and One Direction. Upper Misdirection is a fun, somewhat long slalom around lots of rocks and past several small holes. It's clean, non-dangerous, and very fun. The second is drop is much more powerful, with a folding seam in the center providing a powerful blast to anyone who goes in. Skilled playboaters may find some brief play in the bottom wave of this drop. Finally, One Direction is a simple and straightforward rapid between some holes. The second section of the Pa Cang Rapids are easy, straightforward rapids around small boulders in the river. They are very easy and are hardly worth mentioning. None of these drops is anything more than Class III.
Finally, after one more flat section, the river goes through one last set of bedrock rapids, called the "Pa Don Rapids". These represent the best section of the run, and there are more than a half a dozen good rapids from Class II to Class IV- in here, all set in a pool-drop, sculpted bedrock mini-gorge environment. The section starts off with Corner Pocket, a fun drop around some holes, set on a gentle left-hand bend of the river. A couple small riffles later is Pa Don #1. This is another simple drop, with some easy channels on left or right, and then comes Pa Don #2, a surprisingly powerful drop with some obviously DEEP holes underneath it. The boils and whirlpools will surprise you!
Next up is Pa Don Falls (or Pa Don #3), which is an interesting ledge drop. There are clean lines left by going over the ledge, or right by blasting through the holes and over the rocks. It goes cleaner than it looks. After a really quick breather, one of the best rapids of the run, Pa Don #4 comes up. Another long, clean slalom around rocks and holes, this may be one of the best rapids in all of Ca Dy Canyon. Below this is another surprisingly powerful drop, Pa Don #5, which has a wet line on the left and a mini-golf line on river right down a micro-channel. One more small rapid and the Pa Don section is complete.
The best takeout from here is all the way down at the confluence with the Song Thanh. Here, a set of stairs leads up to the A Roong UBND, which is a great place to leave bikes and boats. There also happens to be a somewhat decent play wave called "Torrezno" here, which is actually in the last rapid on the Song Thanh. At most levels it may not send up anything more than some simple spins and tricks, but it does make a good end to a mission on either the Dak Mi or the Song Thanh. Thanks to the channelized nature of the bedrock sections, this river can actually be run quite low. This is advantageous, because as previously mentioned this river is de-watered for most of the year. We first ran this stretch is mid-February, when everything was dropping, and still found around 500 cfs in the river, which was definitely enough for us to have some fun. |
All photos and videos copyright Kit Davidson.
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