2020 Year End Review

New Years on the West River

Well, this was a year like no other. My paddling year started on New Year's Day with a flatwater trip on the West River, and ended the Sunday after Christmas with a whitewater trip on the Branch River. In between it was a year of challenges and loss, but we kept moving forward in spite of COVD-19.  

My paddling and hiking was unaffected by COVID in January and February, but then it hit. The first COVID-19 cases in MA were reported in February when a Biogen Leadership Conference became a super spreader event. I was at the gym in early March when I heard about the first COVID-19 cases in RI from a Saint Raphael Academy trip to Italy. Shortly after that a stay-at-home order was issued, I was working from home, and things would never be the same.  

 

With Paul on the Branch

For the rest of March and April I followed the stay-at-home order and paddled alone and close to home – River Island Park, Manville and Lonsdale. I did do a Branch River trip with Paul in April with Michelle providing the shuttle. Once the stay-at-home order was lifted in May, I kept my circle small and paddled mostly no-shuttle, flatwater trips with Bill, Conrad, Al and Jonathan - Nashua, Charles, and Concord.

It wasn’t until July that I started paddling group trips again, but I was still careful about car shuttles. I only did one car shuttle all year – the Magalloway, and only after both Conrad and I were tested.  On the positive side, I did do a few bike shuttles (Blackstone - Lonsdale to Manville, Lower Deerfield, Charles – Medfield to Dover, Tville, Narrow River, Pawcatuck - Burlingame to Potter Hill, Quabaug, Assabet – Acton to Concord, Nashua – Ayer to Groton), and that works great. 

 

Lifetime Membership Award

I led my first RICKA trip on Point Judith/Potter Pond in July. After that I led Bradford to Potter Hill in August, Wickford in September and Tully Lake in October. I was honored with RICKA’s Lifetime Membership Award, which was hand delivered by Bill at the bike path at Rivers Edge Park.

The year ended with my father’s passing after a long illness. I did my first canoe trip with my father in 1989 on the Albion to Manville section of Blackstone, and my first whitewater trip with him in 1990 on the Androscoggin River. I went back to paddle the Blackstone on the day of his passing as a tribute to him. It was cold and gray, and somehow it didn’t fill the hole in my heart the way that I expected. I’m sure in the days and years ahead I will miss him in many ways that I never expected.  

1990 on the Androscoggin River

I did 56 trips, which is slightly less than my 11-year average of 58 trips.  Without being able to shuttle, I did a lot less whitewater and had only one swim - the Lower Deerfield. Here are some of my more significant trips:

• January - West, Hunt, Pawcatuck – Shannock to Richmond
• February - Providence, Quinebaug – Fabian to West Thompson
• March - River Island Park, Blackstone – Lonsdale Canal/River Loop
• April - Manville Dam, Branch
• May - Big River, Nashua – Oxbow Wildlife Refuge, Nashua - Lancaster
• June - Concord, Charles – Bays Region, Lower Deerfield
• July - Charles – Medfield to Dover, Bowdish, Tville, Narrow River, Potter Pond
• August - Ninigret, Pawcatuck - Bradford to Potter Hill
• September - Providence, Wickford
• October - Blackstone Gorge, Tully Lake
• November - Turkey-less Turkey Paddle at Hopeville Pond, Assabet – Acton to Concord, Nashua - Ayer to Groton
• December - Blackstone River – Albion to Manville, Branch River

Here are some of my favorite trips for the year.

Float Down the River with Me from Erik Eckilson on Vimeo.

I paddled almost every day of my summer vacation in South County, including the trip on the Narrow River and the RICKA trip on Point Judith and Potter Pond.

Two Weeks on Salt Water from Erik Eckilson on Vimeo.

Our spring camping trip to the Allagash got cancelled, but I did get out for a fall camping trip with Conrad and Julie. We paddled the Magalloway River down to Lake Umbagog, across Lake Umbagog to the Rapid River, and then back across Lake Umbagog and down the Androscoggin to Errol. The weather was perfect and the foliage was peak.

Fall Camping in NH and ME from Erik Eckilson on Vimeo.

The crew at Noon Hill

I got out for a few hikes with the Papa Joe hiking group before the hikes got cancelled in March, and again when they started up again in the fall.

• Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary
• Wachusett Meadow Wildlife Sanctuary
• Quinaboxet
• Borderland State Park
• Groton Town Forest
• Noon Hill/Shattuck Reservations

In terms of my resolutions from last year, I didn’t do so well. I didn’t take a paddling class and I didn’t get back to the Dead. At least I got in one camping trip. In terms of resolutions for next year, they are a lot like last year with one BIG difference.

• Get the vaccine as soon as it is available
• Take a class III paddling class – especially with my new boat
• Get back to the Dead – always a great trip
• Keep camping – I’d really like to do the St. Croix
• Practice rolling – I’ll keep including it until I do it

Fortunately, there are still plenty of rivers to paddle, plenty of trails to hike, and plenty of places to go camping. Happy New Year everyone.

Branch River - December 27, 2020

Harrisville Dam

With the 2"-3" of rain that we received on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day all the rivers were running this weekend. With family obligations and my self-imposed limitation on car-shuttles, though, my options were limited. The Branch was up, it's close to home, Paul was available, and Michelle was willing to run the shuttle for me, so the Branch it was.

The Branch River technically arises in Oakland at the confluence of the Clear and Chepachet Rivers. From there it flows east for approximately 10-miles through Slatersville and Foresdale to its convergence with the Blackstone River in North Smithfield. 

 

Whipple Drop

The first half of this trip is actually on the Clear River. The Clear River arises in the swamps southeast of Wallum Lake in Burrillville and flows generally east for approximately 10-miles through Pascoag and Harrisville before converging with the Chepachet River in Oakland to form the Branch. The Nipmuc is a major tributary of the Clear River, converging with the Clear in Harrisville above the dam.  

We met at the put-in below the Stillwater Mill at 12:30 and were on the river around 1:00. The river rose to 7.5', 2,000 cfs on Saturday, but was down to a more reasonable level of 4.75', 650 cfs on Sunday – still the highest level that I have paddled it. The day was sunny and warm, at least in the early afternoon when the sun was high.

 

Oakland Dam

We paddled the short distance up to the Harrisville Dam before heading downstream. We hit a couple of river-wide blow-downs above Whipple Drop that we had to portage. I ran the Whipple drop to the right avoiding the rocks and big hole in the center. I did a little surfing below Whipple Drop, once again avoiding the biggest wave in the middle, before heading downstream.

There was one blow-down between Whipple Drop and Oakland that I decided to portage. Paul was able to work his way through on the left. When we arrived, I was glad to see water flowing over the Oakland Dam. Last time we were here the dam was high and dry with all the water flowing through the old Oakland Mill and down the raceway. A big log now blocks water from flowing though the gate into the mill, but it was unclear whether this was random piece of debris or was placed there intentionally.  

 

Atlas Pallet

After portaging the Oakland Dam we did a little surfing below the dam before heading down to Glendale. The Glendale Rapid was big and fluffy, and I ran it to the left, once again avoiding the big rocks in the middle. From there it is a nice quickwater run down to Atlas Pallet. I ran Atlas Pallet to the left and made it through fine. Paul went a little more to the right, and hit some rocks on the way down. After a little surfing below the rapid we headed downstream.

From there, it is quickwater with one portage at the Nasonville Dam. As the sun was setting the temperature dropped and my feet were starting to get cold. I was glad to see my car sitting at the take out.

Oakland Dam Portage

Links:

My Pictures

Branch River Gage

River description from American Whitewater

I lost my bow paddler today - December 20, 2020

I lost my bow paddler today, or maybe I should say my stern paddler because he was always in the background ready to execute the perfect correction stroke to keep me on track. My father – Gustav W. Eckilson (Ecky to his friends and Welton to his family) passed away on December 20, 2020 after a long illness. He is absolutely responsible for my addiction to paddling, and it is one of the many, many things that I thank him for every day.

 

As a young man my father was an active outdoorsman and mountain climber. In 1962 he reached the peak of Mount Rainier – one of the most challenging mountain summits in North America, and a frequent training ground for Everest climbers. Arthritis and a young family ended his outdoor activities for a while, but they resumed in retirement when he enjoyed hiking, camping and canoeing, mostly with the Narragansett Chapter of the AMC.

 

I did my first canoe trip with my father in 1989 on the Albion to Manville section of Blackstone in the Spirit II, and my first whitewater trip in 1990 below the Pontook Dam on the Androscoggin River in the Mohawk. I still paddle both of those boats regularly today. Unfortunately, my young family limited my ability to paddle with him when he was most active. By the time I caught the paddling bug around 2006, his arthritis had returned and he was out of the boat and off the trail. He would ask about my adventures, but we were never able to go on a trip together.  

 

I went out today to paddle on the Blackstone as a tribute to him. It was cold and gray, and somehow it didn’t fill the hole in my heart in the way that I expected. I’m sure in the days and years ahead I will miss him in many ways that I never expected.  

 

Rest in peace Dad – no one deserves in more than you.

Paddling the Errol Rips on the Agroscocggin River in 1990

Noon Hill and Shattuck Reservations – December 6, 2020

View from Noon Hill

I was thinking of doing a Crystal run, but the long drive and the late start meant that it would be an all-day event. The Papa Joe hike was close to home at the Noon Hill and Shattuck Reservations, so I decided to go there instead. 

 

Noon Hill is a 204-acre Trustee’s property located in Medfield and centered on 370-foot Noon Hill, a prominent summit and scenic vista. Noon Hill is part of a larger area of protected open space including land owned by the town of Medfield and the Shattuck Reservation located to the northwest of Noon Hill along the Charles River.

Along the Charles River

We met at the trailhead is near Holt Pond, which was created around 1764 when Sawmill Brook was dammed to create a millpond. In the 19th century, after farmers cleared the forest, the land surrounding the pond became stonewall-enclosed pasture. Woods have since reclaimed these fields.

We had crunchy snow underfoot as we headed west out of the parking lot toward Noon Hill. From there we headed north and then west across Causeway Street to the Shuttuck Reservation and a trail along the Charles River. 

Links

My Pictures

Noon Hill Reservation

Shattuck Reservation

Nashua River – Ayer to Groton – November 29, 2020

On the Bike Shuttle

Last weekend we were hiking along the banks of the Nashua River in the Groton Town Forest. This weekend we decided to go back and paddle that section of the river.

We would be paddling on the South Branch of the Nashua River, which arises at the Wachusett Reservoir in Clinton, MA and flows generally north for 56 miles through north-central MA and southern NH before emptying into the Merrimack River in Nashua, NH. The North Branch of the Nashua River arises west of Fitchburg and flows generally south for 30 miles until it joins the South Branch near Lancaster.

Approaching Groton Town Forest

This would be the third trip on the Nashua River this year for me, Jonathan and Conrad.  Our first trip was at the Oxbow Wildlife Refuge in Harvard, and the second was the confluence of the North Branch and the South Branch of the Nashua in Lancaster.  Today we would be paddling the section from Ayers to Groton.  I have also paddled the section of from Groton to Pepperell with RICKA, and the section of the North Branch from Leominster to Lancaster.

We put in at the northern end of the Oxbow Wildlife Refuge (Filter Bed Rd E, Ayer, MA 01432) and took out at the Petapawag Canoe Launch (Nod Rd, Groton, MA 01450) – about 6.5 miles. Jonathan and I did a 6-mile bike shuttle on the Nashua River Rail Trail. The river is pretty with huge pine trees lining the banks. It opens up significantly after the Squannacook River enters at the southern end of the Groton Town Forest.

And I earned another poem from Tom on p-net:

New England river badges,

begin to form its Morningstar.

Like diamond midst the granite rough,

she travels timeless far.

And in the flow path’s oft not seen,

so passage finds scar and scrape.

But pressing on comes wondrous light

through these facets in nature’s shape.

TW

Links.

My Pictures

Oxbow Wildlife Refuge

Nashua River Rail Trail

Nashua River Watershed Association

Groton Town Forest – November 22, 2020

Plaque at the trailhead

Since I paddled on Friday, I decided to join Papa Joe and the crew for a hike at Groton Town Forest on Sunday.

The Groton (Memorial) Town Forest was established in 1922 to honor the veterans who gave their lives in World War I. Originally 180 acres, the forest has expanded to 513 acres over the years through purchases and donations of abutting properties. It is a nicely maintained property with 14 miles of marked trails (6.4 mile Town Forest Loop, and the 3.4 and 9.5 mile Town Forest Race Loops) and numerous unmarked trails.

Getting the group organized

We met at 9:00 at the trailhead at the end of Town Forest Road. It was a little cooler than I expected as we waited for the crew to gather, but nice once we started to hike. I’m not exactly sure the route that we took since Joe didn’t provide a map, but we went west to the railroad tracks, then south along the railroad tracks and Squannacook River to the Nashua River, and then back along the Nashua and Dead Rivers to the trailhead.

We decided that the Nashua River through Groton looked like a nice place to paddle. I’ve done the section north of here from Groton to Pepperell. We have also done the Oxbows south of here, and the section in Lancaster that includes the convergence of the North and South Branches. Another trip to add to the list.

Along the railroad tracks and Squannacook River

Links:

My Pictures

Groton Town Forest Map

Assebet - Acton to Concord - November 20, 2020

Bike shuttle from Lowell Road

I was checking my vacation time and realized that I still have three weeks of vacation, but only six weeks left in the year to take it. Nice problem to have. I sent an email to Jonathan to see if he could do some weekday paddling. The forecast for Friday was sunny and warm but maybe a little windy, so we decided to paddle the Assabet from Acton to Concord – 5-mile bike shuttle, 6-mile paddle.

The Assabet River arises in Westborough and flows approximately 34 miles west to meet with the Sudbury River at Egg Rock in Concord and form the Concord River. There’s lots of great flatwater paddling on the Assabet including the section from Gleasondale to the Ben Smith Dam. The section through Maynard is an easy class II with some nice surf waves by the Ben Smith Dam and along Walnut Street near the mills. 

No more rapids at the Damondale Dam

I was on my way up to Acton when I got a call from Jonathan to tell me that he had a family issue and wouldn’t be able to make the trip. Fortunately Conrad had signed on as well, so at least I wouldn’t have to do the trip alone. We dropped off out boats at the Acton Canoe Launch at around 10:00 and drove down to Lowell Road for the half-hour bike shuttle back.  

We got on the water a little before 11:00 and headed downstream. The river was low, but still fluid - 1.8 feet, 60 cfs on the Maynard gage.  This would be my fist trip since the removal of the Damondale Dam.  The easy rapids through the breach in the old broken dam were my favorite part of this trip. Oh well - still a great day.

Lowell Road Take-Out

Links

My Pictures

Maynard Gage

King Philip Trail/Lookout Rock - November 15, 2020

King Philip Trail to River Bend Farm

My original plan was to paddle the canal and river loop at River Bend Farm, but on the way there I decided to check out Lookout Rock at sunrise. The view was beautiful so I decided to hike the King Philip Trail on its 2.5-mile loop from Lookout Rock to River Bend Farm instead.   

I started at the parking lot at Wolf Hill Road, and immediately took a wrong turn. I wasn't on the trail to Lookout Rock, but I did find a sign for the King Philip Trail back to the Hartford Avenue parking lot. I retraced my steps to find Lookout Rock, and snapped a few sunrise pictures. 

Through the pine grove

Then I decided to follow the King Phillip Trail back to Hartford Avenue. Several years I tried a sunrise hike from Hartford Avenue to Lookout Rock, but lost the trail as it when through a large pine grove. The trail is better marked now with blue trail markers, but it can still be tricky if you don't know where you are going.

From the Hartford Avenue parking lot the trail goes down through the picnic area, to the right through a grove of pine trees, across a small bridge and along the river.  The trail is well established, but there are lots of rocks and roots. It is relatively flat along the Blackstone River, but climbs about 150 feet to the top of Lookout Rock.  The round trip took me about 1.5 hours.

View from Lookout Rock at sunrise

Links:

Trail Map

Turkey-less Turkey Paddle at Hopeville Pond State Park – November 7, 2020

Hopeville Pond

Traditionally, the end of the scheduled RICKA paddling season is the Turkey Paddle at Wallum Lake. This year the trip got moved to Hopeville Pond State Park in CT where the COVID restrictions are a little less onerous.

Hopeville Pond State Park is located on the Pachaug River – a 16-mile river arising in the Pachaug State Forest and emptying into the Quinebaug River. Pachaug State Forest is the largest state forest in the CT with over 27,000 acres on the CT/RI border.

Pachaug River

The forest was founded in 1928 and was originally managed by the Civilian Conservation Corps. Evidence of their work can still be seen in the pine groves, forest roads, and fire control ponds around the park. In 1938 the area around Hopeville Pond was designated as a state park.

We put in at the Hopeville Pond Boat Ramp and paddled up Hopeville Pond into the Pachaug River to the Pachaug Pond Dam before turning around.  Above the dam, Pachaug Pond is another nice place for a trip.

Pachaug Pond Dam

Links:

My Pictures

Hopeville Pond State Park

Pachaup Pond Boat Ramp

Borderland State Park - October 31, 2020

Masked up and ready to go

A freak snowstorm yesterday left everything covered in snow this morning. I had a couple of options for things to do today. This was the annual Halloween dam release on the Piscat in Goffstown. I actually haven’t done that trip in a couple of years, and was thinking about heading up with my bike and doing a bike shuttle. Unfortunately a trip didn’t materialize, and with the snow I wasn’t sure about a bike shuttle. Instead I decided to do a hike at Borderland State Park with Papa Joe.  

The Borderland Estate was established in 1906 when Oakes Ames, a Harvard botanist and his wife Blanche purchased land on the border of Sharon and Easton. There they built a mansion and created a nature preserve with woodland paths, roadways and man-made ponds. The estate remained in the family for 65 years until it was acquired by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts 1971 and opened as a state park. Today the park includes 1,843 acres with more than 20 miles of trails including sections of the Bay Circuit Trail.

Mike at Leach Pond

We started at the main entrance, and hiked 5-miles around Leach Pond and up through the woods around the Granite Loop Trail. For the first couple of hours snow covered the trees making for a beautiful walk through a winter wonderland. By the time we got back to the Stone Lodge at Leach Pond for our break, most of the snow had fallen off the trees and it felt more like fall again.  

Links:

My Pictures

Upper Blackstone – Worcester/Millbury – October 24, 2020

Visitor Center in Worcester

My talk on historical sites on the lower Blackstone River got me thinking about investigating sites on the upper Blackstone, so I was up with the sun loading my boat and bike for a trip to the Visitor Center of the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor in Worcester. I wanted to find a put in near the headwaters of the Blackstone River.  

The Blackstone arises in Worcester at the confluence of the Middle River and Mill Brook near the Visitor Center. From there, it flows general south for 48-miles through Millbury, Sutton, Grafton, Northbridge, Uxbridge, Millville, and Blackstone in MA, and Woonsocket, Cumberland, Lincoln, Central Falls, and Pawtucket in RI. After the river flows over the Pawtucket Falls it becomes the Seekonk River.

Upstream from Riverlin Street, Millbury

The confluence Middle River and Mill Brook is visible from the Visitor Center, but waterfalls, fences and high retaining walls make the river inaccessible. I hopped on my bike to see if I could find a put-in a little further downstream. Unfortunately, fences along the bike path separate it from the river for most of its course. Where access is available it is far downstream making for a long portage. I rode all the way down to Millbury center with no luck finding an easy put in.  

With no luck at the headwaters, I decided to check out the put-in at Riverlin Street in Millbury. Parking is easy and access to the river isn’t too bad near the bridge from the parking lot of the Goretti’s Supermarket across the street. I paddled upstream until the river became too shallow, and then I bushwhacked it up to the Millbury Rapid under the South Main Street Bridge. It was around 100 cfs on the Milbury gage and looked runnable, so it must be huge with the river is up. I suppose you could try to put in at Elm Street/River Street near the Council on Aging if you wanted to run this rapid.

Millbury Rapid

Links:

My Pictures – Bike Path – Worcester to Millbury

My Pictures – Riverlin Street, Millbury – Upstream

Millbury Gage

RICKA October General Meeting Presentation - Historic Sites on the Blackstone River

Here is a recording of my Zoom presentation for RICKA's October General Meeting on historic sites along the Blackstone River in RI.

If you would like to skip to a particular section, here is the timing: 

History - 4:29 

Woonsocket Falls - 9:16 

Globe - 11:35 

Bernon - 13:26

Blackstone Canal - 15:07 

Providence Worcester Railroad - 16:55 

Hamlet - 21:19 

Manville - 23:15 

Albion - 31:26 

Ashton - 33:55 

Berkley - 35:47 

Lonsdale - 36:42 

Valley Falls - 39:14 

Central Falls - 41:16 

Thanks to Pat for recording and to everyone who joined.

Links:

Video on YouTube

Tully Lake - October 18, 2020

I 've been talking about doing a RICKA trip at Tully Lake for years, and I finally did it. We put in at the Tully River Canoe Launch, paddled up to Long Pond and a short ways up the Tully River before we hit the first beaver dam and turned around. We then headed back and stopped for lunch and a hike at Spirit Falls. The hike was longer and steeper than I remembered, so I'm glad Spirit Falls was flowing. We then paddled around Tully Lake before walking over to Doanes Falls.

 

The crew after a break for lunch

Links:

My Pictures

Blackstone Gorge Foliage Tour - October 10, 2020

Rolling Dam

This was the last weekend for a scheduled Deerfield release at Fife, and I thought about heading up for a run. Then again, the shuttle is a pain, and it a long drive, so I opted for something local instead.  There are usually other released during the year.

There were lots of options for RICKA trips – Saturday at Blackstone Gorge with Gary, Sunday at Potter Hill with Sharon, and Monday at Pachaug Pond with Cheryl. Saturday looked like the nicest day, the Gorge is the closest to my house, and it fit best with my schedule, so the Blackstone Gorge it was.

 

Triad Bridge

I headed over early to hike down into the Gorge for some pictures.  There was plenty of color above the dam, but it will be at least another week for the color to peak in the Gorge itself. I snapped a few pictures at the Rolling Dam and at the Gorge Drop before heading back to the put in to meet the group.  

Paddling upstream from the dam is always a pleasant trip, and the colors were nice – not quite peak, but close.  We paddle through the Triad Bridge site, and took a break to check out the Millville Lock. From there it is a short paddle up to Millville where we turned around.  

Millville Lock

Links:

My Pictures - Blackstone Gorge Foliage

My Pictures - Rolling Dam to Millville

Saranac Dam in Blackstone

Found this short history of the Saranac Dam on Facebook. Saranac Dam was built by Daniel Simmons in 1856 to power the Waterford Mills. The canal and the river intersected at this point, and there was a small bridge used by horses to tow barges to cross the river.

Magalloway River and Lake Umbagog - September 25-27, 2020

Heading out from Wilson's Mills

Work has been crazy – so busy that I didn’t even start to pack for this trip until 8:00 the night before. Fortunately my ”kit” as Jonathan calls it is pretty self-contained so I quickly got everything together – I hoped.

 

I missed my spring camping trip this year due to COVID-19, so I was bound and determined to do something in this fall. Conrad was interested as well, so along with Julie we decided to paddle the Magalloway River down to Lake Umbagog, a short section of the Rapid River, and then down the Androscoggin to Errol. The trip was dictated by the availability of campsites. The State of NH campsites were closed, but Conrad was able to book the Northern Waters sites.

 

Covered Bridge at Aziscoos Valley 

I left my house at 7:00 to get to the put in at Wilson’s Mill by noon. It was sunny and warm when I left my house, but the clouds rolled in as I passed through the Franconia Notch. The leaves also got more colorful as I headed north.  

I passed the Village of Stark on the Upper Ammonoosuc and the 13-Mile Woods on the Androscoggin. The last time I was here was 2009 with the RICKA crew, but I also did my first whitewater run with my father on the Androscoggin back in 1990. As I passed through Errol I checked out the Errol Rips before heading up Route 16 to the put in at Wilson’s Mills.  

 

Canoes at Diamond Peaks

Conrad and Julie arrived around 1:00, and we ran the shuttle down to the dam in Errol. On the way back we stopped at the Aziscoos Valley Camping Area to buy some firewood. It would be a pain lugging firewood around, but it would also be nice not to have to forage for wood each day.

We got on the water around 3:00 for the 6-mile trip down the Magalloway to the first campsite. The Magalloway River flows south out of Aziscohos Lake to the outlet of Umbagog Lake where it forms the Androscoggin River. The upper section is a well-known whitewater run, but the lower section from Wilson’s Mills down is flatwater. It was cloudy as we headed downstream, but the foliage was still beautiful.

Beautiful foliage

We paddled under a pretty covered bridge at Aziscoos Valley Camping Area, and before we knew it we were at our first campsite - Diamond Peaks. It was a grassy and well-maintained site that gave us plenty of room to spread out. (Unfortunately, it is no longer a campsite available from Northern Waters.) We set up camp and got the fire going. It was nice not to have to go foraging for wood, because there didn’t seem to be a lot around. We cooked a late dinner and sat around the fire until 10:00 when we all turned in.

I woke up around 6:30 and got up to start the coffee. Conrad was up right behind me and got the fire going. Breakfast was the usual omelets with home fries.  We broke camp and were on the water by 10:00 for the 14-mile trip down to Cedar Stump on the Rapid River.

 

Sneak route to Lake Umbagog

It was a fast trip for the first 6-miles.  We took a break near Route 16 before paddling the last 2-miles down to Lake Umbagog. Big lakes tend to reveal themselves in the distance with a narrow foreground, a big void in the middle and a far-off background. That perspective then disappears, as you get closer. That’s the way it happened here.

After a mile or two of paddling the background disappeared but I came to a small channel with a view out to the lake – it looked promising, so that was the way I went. The lake opened up with beautiful views of the Presidential range to the east.

 

Mountain view from Lake Umbagog

Lake Umbagog is a pristine lake that forms the border between NH and ME. The lake is 11-miles long north to south, and about a mile wide east to west.  The lake is part of the Umbagog National Wildlife Refuge and Umbagog Lake State Park. There are 33 wilderness campsites on the lake operated by the State of NH, but unfortunately due to COVID-19 those sites were already closed for the season

We took a break at site 29, and planned out our route for the crossing. There were a pair of eagles sitting in a tree at a nearby island, but they were just out of camera range. We set out across the lake toward Pine Tree Point with a slight wind from the east and small wind blown waves. The views got better the further we got across the lake.

 

Breakfast fire at Cedar Stump

From Pine Tree Point it is about a 4-mile paddle across the top of Lake Umbagog and up a short section of the Rapid River. The Rapid River arises at Lower Richardson Lake and flows about 6-miles down to Lake Umbagog. Water from Rangeley Lake, Mooselookmeguntic Lake, and Upper and Lower Richardson Lakes all flows down the Rapid River into Lake Umbagog. The upper section of the Rapid River is another well-known whitewater run.  

We arrived at our Cedar Stump campsite to find a group of local fishermen using the group site for lunch. No problem – there were plenty of other sites across the river. Like Diamond Peaks, Cedar Stump has numerous sites so we were able to spread out. Once again we set up camp, got the fire going and settled in for a nice evening around the fire. Dinner was salmon and grilled vegetables cooked on the fire. After the 14-mile day we didn’t even last until 10:00.  

 

S-Turn rapid on the Rapid River

I woke up the next morning at around 7:00 and got up to start the coffee. Once again, Conrad was right behind me to start the fire. Breakfast was bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches with extra bacon. We decided to pack up early and then take a hike up the Rapid River to see the rapids.

According to Conrad the river was around 500 cfs compared to 1,800 cfs on a normal release day. Even at this low level the rapids seemed to be flowing at what we decided would be a technical class III.  We made it up as far as S-Turn Rapid before we had to turn around. On returning to camp, we packed up our remaining gear and got on the water around noon. 

 

The crew at the take out

The wind was blowing from the south as we headed out so we knew it would be an interesting crossing of the lake. As we came around Pine Tree Point we could see whitecaps and 1-foot rollers out on the lake. We headed out into the waves and made it across without too much difficulty. Once again, we stopped at site 29 for a break, and once again there was an eagle in the tree at the nearby island. This time I decided to head over to get some pictures, and the eagle cooperated. 

We cut through a channel into the Magalloway River and down a short distance to the headwaters of the Androscoggin. The Androscogin River flows 178-miles south and east to join the Kennebec River at Merrymeeting Bay where its waters empty the Gulf of Maine on the Atlantic Ocean. From here, it was a short paddle down to the dam in Errol and the end of our trip.  

 

Fall Camping in NH and ME from Erik Eckilson on Vimeo. 

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