Piscat Drawdown and BBQ - October 26, 2013

The annual Piscat drawdown and BBQ has become something of a ritual.  It's not a very difficult paddle, but the steak tips are sure good.

This was actually the first whitewater trip that I did after I attended the NHAMC Whitewater School back in 2005. It seemed much bigger then, and I was glad just to make it down the river without swimming.  It got me started on a great hobby, so it holds a special place in my heart.

We had the usual crew for this trip - me, Paul, Andy and Jeff, and one new addition - Mike.  We met at the dam at 9:30 and ran the shuttle to the new take out behind the County Center and Prison.  It was nice to skip the long flatwater section at the end.  Level was 5.5 feet on the Goffstown gage.

I don't think it was as crowded this year as it has been in the past. There were still a lot of people, but fewer that I knew.  There were definitely fewer canoes.  We put in around 10:00 and headed down stream.  There are a couple of short wave trains, and a couple of nice surf spots along the way.  The best is a great hole for side surfing just above the bridge.  It has become a bit of a tradition for me to swim in this hole.  It seems that I do it every year, and this year was no exception.  At least every year my swims get a little longer.  

I headed into the hole and worked my way over the the side surfing spot.  Once in, I got spun around, but managed to back paddle into a back surf.  I got spun again, this time with my paddle downstream, so I decided to do some side surfing.  It lasted a little while before I did my traditional swim.

We paddled the rest of the way down to the take out and got of the water around 12:30.  The rest of the crew went to the BBQ.  I went to Family Weekend at St. A's. Another good day. 

Links:

My Pictures
Goffstown gage