Its Miller Time - February 24, 2018

It was February, but it felt like spring as I drove up to the Upper Millers. The last time I had my whitewater boat out was also on the Uppers Millers, but that was back in November, so I was afraid I might be a little rusty. It worked out fine. The level last time was around 1,600 cfs – a solid class III. This time the level was around 930 cfs - class II+, but still plenty of features. Here is the crew doing some surfing below the first railroad bridge.

Upper Millers from Erik Eckilson on Vimeo.

It was a big group – 18 boats, 8 canoes and 10 kayaks. I got to paddle Rick's Millbrook Outrage - definitely my next boat. Good time had by all.

Links:

My Pictures

My Video
South Royalton Gage - USAME

Blackstone Gorge - Running Laps

Video of Karl Jenson running laps below the Gorge 4.4 feet on the Northbridge gage, 9 feet on the Route 122 gage and 1400 cfs, 3.7 feet on the Woonsocket gage.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F85vr_fgenU&list=UUZ4ZoixoxSWgPUez4Gcs7ew&index=8

Blackstone - River Island Park to Albion - February 17, 2018

Tandem paddling with Bill

I stayed close to home today and paddled with Bill and Earl on the Blackstone from River Island Park to Albion - about 6 miles. The river was at a nice level – 3.5 feet, 1300 cfs.  Bill didn’t wear a wetsuit or drysuit, so I didn’t either, which limited the surfing and other playing around.  With two dams to portage, we were glad we brought the portage cart.

Portaging the Albion Dam

Links:

My Pictures

Woonsocket Gage

Willimantic – February 10, 2018

David running the dam

With another warm weekend in the forecast, I put out the word to see who would be interested in paddling on Saturday. I thought about the Branch, or maybe Shannock to Richmond on the Pawcatuck, but Jonathan suggested the Willimantic, which worked for me. 

The Willimantic River arises in Stafford Springs and flows south along Rt. 32 to Willimantic where it joins the Natchaug River to form the Shetucket River. As I was scouting the river, I saw a car with an orange kayak drive by – unusual for February. It turned out to be Dave Nowak who met us at the put in on Plains Road. We decided to run the section from Stafford Springs down to Merrow Road in Mansfield – about 11.5 miles.

Jonathan running the dam

After running the shuttle, we put-in at the Municipal Parking Lot on River Road at around noon. At this level (4 feet, 300 cfs on the Coventry gage, 1.8 feet, 200 cfs on the Merrow Road gage), this section is just barely runable. About a mile down is a small dam that we ran just left of center. Quickwater continues through a small gorge just above the bridge at the Plains Road put-in. Today actually would have been a better day to run this since the gage jumped a foot overnight.  Oh well…

From there, the river alternates between flatwater and quickwater as it twists and turns along Route 32. We did out best to pick our way through the shallow channels, and stopped at the surf wave at the old bridge abutment below the Route 195 Bridge. It was just starting to rain as we pulled into the take-out at Merrow Road at around 3:30. 

Links:

My Pictures

Coventry Gage

Merrow Road Gage

Willimantic River Alliance

Planning for Upper Connecticut River Camping

After a fun paddle last fall on the Connecticut River from Bloomfield, VT (North Stratford, NH) to Lunenburg, VT(South Lancaster, NH), Bill and I have been thinking about going back to do the upper section this spring. I have been looking at the maps, and it doesn’t look like that there is much in the way of camping above Lake Francis. Between Lake Francis and Canaan there is a class III/IV rapid above the Covered Bridge in Pittsburg, so it looks like the best place to put-in is the Canaan Dam. We would need flow of 500 cfs, on the North Stratford Gage. 

Put-in - Canaan Access – mile 373 (Located just below the Canaan to West Stewartstown Bridge. Park in the field downstream of the access, on land recently conserved by the Vermont River Conservancy.)

Waypoint - Lemingyon - Colebrook Bridge – mile 363 (A foot bridge and small set of stairs leads to a sandy area on the New Hampshire side of river.)

First Night - Holbrook Point Campsite (VT) – mile 361 (Holbrook Point is a beautiful campsite with room for 3 tents situated under a canopy of silver maples on the edge of a floodplain forest. It is situated at a bend in the river, about 1.3 miles south of the Colebrook Bridge.)

Back-up Campsite - Columbia Campsite (NH) – mile 359 (Quiet campsite on edge of field upstream of the Columbia Covered Bridge.)

Waypoint - Columbia Covered Bridge – mile 359

Lyman Falls Rapid (Class II/III) – mile 351 (At high water, a large hydraulic forms behind the concrete dam remnants. Approach this section from river left, where a safe passage can usually be found. Otherwise, line your boat past the dam remains by landing on the island just upstream of the breached dam, on river left.)

Second Night - Lyman Falls State Park (VT) – mile 351 (Several campsites below breached dam - river and foot access only.

Back-up Campsite - Lyman Falls (NH) – mile 351 (A campsite has been developed for paddlers' on an island immediately across the river from Lyman Falls State Park and just upstream of the breached dam at Lyman Falls.)

Take-out Day 3 - Debanville Landing – mile 348 (Unimproved path at the mouth of the Nulhegan River. Park by the Northern Forest Canoe Trail kiosk on the other side of Rt. 102.)

Third Night – Maine Central Railroad Trestle Campsite (VT) – mile 341 (Beautiful campsite maintained by the Northern Forest Canoe Trail. The site is immediately downstream of granite railroad trestle, on the Vermont side.)

Take-out Day 4 - Maidstone Bridge – mile 336 (Cartop access on New Hampshire side, down river of bridge.)

Fourth Night - Scott C. Devlin Memorial Campsite (VT) – mile 324 (Situated in a shady stand of pines about two miles below the confluence of the Upper Ammonusooc, after the river makes a tight 180 degree turn near 102.)

Take out Day 5 - Guildhall/Wyoming Dam – Mile 323 (A take out is located immediately upstream on the Vermont side. A portage trail takes paddlers up to Rt. 105.)

As a side trip, I wouldn’t mind putting in at the Pittsburg Covered Bridge (mile 382) and paddling down to the Canaan Dam (mile 374). This is just downstream of the class III/IV ledges above the covered bridge, but does include the Beecher Falls Rapid (class II, mile 375). Beecher Falls can be portaged at Beecher Falls Landing behind the closed Candlestick Restaurant, immediately downstream of the Rt. 3 bridge on the VT side. Might be nice to paddle one of the lakes as well. 

Bill looked at his AMC guide, which is probably 50 years old, for dams below Guildhall. There are 13 active dams, some of which may have been taken out or breached since then:

Gillman Dam - 23 miles

Moore Dam - 12 miles below

Comerford Dam - 7 miles below

McIndoe Falls Dam - 7 miles below

Ryegate Paper Dam - 4 miles below

Wilder Dam - 37 miles

Hartland Rapids

Bellows Falls Dam - 20 miles

Vernon Falls Dam - 15 miles. 

Most of the dams are from 10' to 150' high and are used for storage. The longest portage route is 1 mile at the longest and average 1/2 mile. So we have some things to consider about another trip. 
We'll see.

Links:
Pittsburg Gage
North Stratford Gage

Connecticut River Paddlers Trail

Hiking among the Icebergs - Quinapoxet River - February 4, 2018

Taking a break

The river was too low to paddle, but it was a nice morning for a hike along the Quinapoxet River on the Mass Central Rail Trail. It was 9 degrees when we started but we soon warmed up in the February sun. We stated just above the put-in on River Street and hiked along the river past the Sprindale Rapid. The huge blocks of ice along the river were amazing - hard to believe all that ice floated down this small river.

Bill on the ice

Links

My Pictures 

Mass Central Rail Trail