West River - September 28, 2013

Waiting for my turn at a play spot

Had a good time yesterday with Paul on the upper section of the West River in Jamaica, VT.  The release was about 1,500 cfs.  Looking back, I’ve run it at that level before, but the waves seemed bigger than in the past.  I was constantly pulling over to empty my boat - I need to get a pump.

We did three runs that were mostly uneventful.  My only swim was about half way down Initiation. I started in the center, (should have started a little more to the left of the rock in the center) and went sideways into the big hole and in the middle.  Fortunately, I was able to get my boat near the shore eddy on the right side where Paul was able to grab it.  It might have gone a long way otherwise. 

We used the shuttle at the Jamaica State Park for the first time, and it worked out great.  It’s a bit of a hike up to the top of Initiation, but not as bad as hiking down the dam. 

A pretty section of the West River

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River description from American Whitewater

West River gage