Activity

Belgium 2023-01-22 - Ardennes - Packraft Ourthe Occidentale

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Trail stats

Distance
20.4 nm
Elevation gain
1,818 ft
Technical difficulty
Moderate
Elevation loss
1,818 ft
Max elevation
1,439 ft
TrailRank 
19
Min elevation
869 ft
Trail type
Loop
Coordinates
2157
Uploaded
January 23, 2023
Recorded
January 2023
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near Roumont, Wallonia (Belgique)

Viewed 250 times, downloaded 2 times

Itinerary description

An intense solo daytrip of no less than 38 km, composed of a 17 km class II whitewater descent of the western fork of the Ourthe river (Ourthe Occidentale), 4 km of flatwater paddling on the Nisramont reservoir and a 17 km return hike across snowy plateaus. The day is murky and cold with a high steadily hovering around -2°C and a dusting of snow in the river valley.

After more than 10 days of river closure due to a water flow exceeding the allowed maximum, I am most likely the first to descend the river after its reopening. I fortunately do not encounter any obstacles and can make good progress thanks to a good current.

I manage to complete the entire trip in 7 hours and 45 minutes, which yields an average speed of almost 5 km/h. Quite impressive if I may say so, taking into account time lost due to transitioning from packrafting to hiking mode and short breaks to get something to eat and drink.

(Amberloup: 5.5 m3/s; Ortho: 17.5 m3/s)

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