Shooting the rapids

A crew of voyageurs "shoot the rapids" in their freight canoe.

The term shoot the rapids refers to travelers navigating through a rapids -- a section of a river with a fast turbulent flow.

Extra skill is required to navigate fast, turbulent water. The current in some sections of fast, turbulent water is so fast that travelers rely on the current, and devote their propulsion efforts to avoiding navigational dangers, like hidden rocks, or whirlpools. Water that fast can only be navigated downstream, and is called "shooting the rapids". Vessels traveling upstream must be towed, or portaged.