2016 Year End Review

First successful run through
Stokers on the Scantic

2016 started off with a swim on the Lower Winni on New Year's Day, and ended today with an uneventful run at River Island Park.  In between, it was a great year for paddling.  

I did 62 trips this year, which is a little above my 7-year average of 57 trips. I got on a few new rivers including the Lower Winni, Neponset, Bungay, Saco and Sheepscot. I did a few less RICKA trips, but I did lead or co-lead trips on the Assabet, Pawcatuck and Sudbury, and organized a SUP Demo at Lincoln Woods. Here are some of the year's more significant trips:

• January - Lower Winni, Neponset, Lower Millers
• February - Willimantic
• March - Scantic
• April - Pemi – Woodstock, Knightville, Pemi – Bristol
• May - Thursday Night Tville, Otter Brook, Moose River Bow
• June - Simsbury and Tville, Pawcatuck – Richmond to Bradford, Assabet
• July - Pawcatuck – Shannock to Richmond, Whitehall, Bungay
• August - SUP’ing at Lincoln Woods, Sudbury, RICKA Picnic
• September - Fife Brook and the Gap, West
• October - Pawcatuck - Bradford to Potter Hill, Piscat Drawdown, Saco and Sheepscot
• November - Pemi – Bristol, Turkey Paddle
• December - Tville

Paddling my new Wildfire on the
Pawcatuck River

In February, I finally got the composite Wildfire that I've always wanted, and I've been loving it. I did get one good camping trip in – the Moose River Bow in ME. I was going to do a fall camping trip with Jonathan, but we ended up doing day trips instead – the Saco and Sheepscot. I also got to paddle every day of my summer vacation in Narragansett.  

I did a little more hiking this year, even though we didn’t have as much snow. 

• Cumberland Monastery
• Blackstone Gorge
• Tillinghast Pond
• Leominster State Forest
• Flint’s Pond

Here are some of my favorite trips from 2016 from RICKA Movie night.


RICKA Movie Night - My Favorite Trips of 2016 from Erik Eckilson on Vimeo.

In terms of my resolutions from last year, I didn’t do so well on rolling practice, but I did get a camping trip in, and did paddle in all six New England States. Resolutions for next year;

• Practice rolling – I’ll keep including it until I do it.
• Do at least one camping trip – hopefully two with one in the spring and one in the fall

Overall it was another great year, and there are still plenty of rivers I would like to paddle.