2021 Year End Review

Upper Winni - New Year's Day

With the COVID-19 pandemic at its peak, the year started off with a walking shuttle on the Upper Winni on New Year’s Day, and a couple of bike shuttles along the bike path at Crystal (January, Frebruary, March). Otherwise I stayed close to home – River Island Park (February, March), Martin Street Bridge and the Branch.

That started to change after I got fully vaccinated. I did my first car shuttle  on the Pemi in April, and paddling returned to a more normal schedule. I didn’t do a lot of whitewater, but I did get back to some old favorites - Otter Brook, Tville, Knightville and the Upper Millers.

Riverton section of the Farmington

I did a couple of trips that I hadn’t done in years with Bob Rankin and the Hackensack River Canoe & Kayak Club – Housatonic – Cornwall to Kent and Farmington - Riverton. It was also nice to get out on some new trips – Dedham Loop on the Charles, the Quinebaug - Danielson to Canterbury (low water, high water), the Housatonic – Sheffield to Falls Village and the Lakes Region on the Charles.

I only did two Blackstone Valley Paddle Club trips – Riverview Landing on the Quinsigamound, and the 20th Anniversary at Sycamore Landing. I did a virtual Flatwater Leader Training for RICKA in April, and I led RICKA trips at Bold Point in Providence, Point Judith Pond, Alton to Bradford on the Wood/Pawcatuck , Natick to Framingham on the Charles and Sheffield to Falls Village on the Housatonic. I also helped Bill with his Sudbury/Concord trip.

Brown's Ledge at Tville

I did 55 trips, which is two less than my 12-year average of 57 trips. I had two swims – one on the Pemi and other at Tville. If we count Umbagog Lake as ME, I also paddled in all six New England states. Here are some of my more significant trips:

• January - Winnipesauke - Tilton, Farmington - Crystal
• February - Farmington -Crystal
• March - Farmington - Crystal, Branch River Icebreaker
• April - River Bend Farm, Pemi – Thornton to Campton
• May - Otter Brook, White – Hancock to Stockbridge, Housatontic – Cornwall to Kent, Farmington - Tville, Quinsigamound – Riverview Landing
• June - Umbagog Lake, Charles - Dedham Loop, Farmington - Riverton
• July - Providence, Westfield – Knightville, Point Judith Pond
• August - Blackstone – Manville to Albion, Charles – Medfield to Natick, Wood/Pawcatuck – Alton to Bradford, Sudbury/Concord – Lincoln to Bedford, Quinebaug – Danielson to Canterbury (low water)
• September - Quinebaug – Danielson to Canterbury (high water), Millers – Athol to Royalston, Quinebaug – East Brimfield Lake to Holland Pond, Wickford Harbor
• October - Housatonic – Sheffield to Falls Village, Blackstone Gorge
• November - Wallum Lake – RICKA Turkey Paddle, Charles River Lakes Region
• December - River Island Park, Blackstone - Albion to Manville, Martin Street Bridge

Here is my favorite trips video from RICKA Movie Night.


Favorite Trips 2021 from Erik Eckilson on Vimeo.

I paddled almost every day of my summer vacation on Great Island, including a RICKA trip during the Blessing of the Fleet in Galilee.


South County Vacation from Erik Eckilson on Vimeo. 

I did get out for a spring camping trip with Bill and Earl on Umbagog Lake.


Camping on Umbagog Lake from Erik Eckilson on Vimeo. 

In the fall we used Taconic State Park as the base camp for day trips on the Housatonic from Sheffield to Falls Village.

Housatonic Foliage Weekend from Erik Eckilson on Vimeo. 

Hiking at Noanet Woods

I did a few hikes, but COVID put a bit of a damper on that as well. The year ended with a nice hike at the Hodges Village Dam.

• Noanet Woods
• Diamond Hill
• Wachusett Meadows
• Rocky Narrows
• Hodges Village Dam

With COVID, my resolutions for 2021 were more aspirational than realistic. I did get vaccinated as soon as possible, and I did do some camping. I didn’t take a whitewater class, get back to the Dead or practice rolling. 

Turkey Paddle at Wallum Lake

In terms of resolutions for 2022, they are a lot like 2021.

• Do some paddling in southern Maine - I got the perfect paddling guide from Justin for Christmas.
• Keep camping - hopefully the Allagash in the spring, and I would love to do a guided trip on the St. Croix.  Who knows, maybe Michelle and I could get out with the new sleeping pad that I got from Justin for Christmas.
• Paddle more whitewater – I’m still feeling rusty, especially with the new boat.
• Get back to the Dead – always a great trip
• 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

Hodges Village Dam - December 31, 2021

Where are we?

Instead of paddling, I ended 2021 with a 5-mile hike at the Hodges Village Dam in Uxbridge on what All Trails calls the Hodges Dam West Loop.

The Hodges Village Dam was built by the Army Corps of Engineers in 1959 in response to flooding in 1936 and 1955 which caused considerable damage downstream in CT. The site includes 1,200 acres along the French River with over 18-miles of hiking trails. A pool is impounded behind the dam only during flood control activities.  

The three amigos

We started at the Hodges Village Dam OHV Parking Lot off Clara Barton Road in Uxbridge. We headed south on the OHV trails along the French River before crossing over and heading back along the Midstate Trail and over Rocky Hill. 

Some of the trails were a little soggy, but we also got to see some pretty waterfalls along usually dry streams as we hiked the Midstate Trail. Nice way to end 2021 - now I'm ready to start 2022.

Waterfalls on the Midstate Trail

Links:

My Pictures

Midstate Trail
Hodges Village Dam

Day after Christmas - Martin Street Bridge - December 26, 2021

Christmas is always a time when I get some new paddling gear. This year I go a new liner for my drysuit from Mom, some nice fleece socks from Michelle and a paddling guide for southern Maine from Justin along with a double camping pad for base camping. I went to try out my new drysuit liner and socks down at the Martin Street Bridge today - they worked great. No snow, and not very cold, but still a winter wonderland in my mind. 

 

Martin Street Bridge from Erik Eckilson on Vimeo.

Albion to Manville - One Year Later - December 19, 2021

Albion Dam

It will be a year tomorrow since my father’s passing. Coronavirus has upset our lives in so many ways, but none more than in the people it has taken from us. I often heard people say of their loved ones “I think of them every day”, and wondered how that could be true. It is true – I think of him every day.

It was spring 1987 when my father bought his first canoe - a Wenonah Spirit II. It was sometime early that summer when we did our first trip together – Albion to Manville on the Blackstone. This was long before the bike path was built. We put-in on the mill trench across the street from the Albion Mill and paddled upstream to the Manville Dam. I remember wondering about the concrete piers in the river, and my father worrying about scratching his new boat in the shallow, rocky water below the Manville Dam.

Manville Dam

Little did I know on that trip how many times I would end up paddling this section of the Blackstone, or how much I would enjoy boating later in my life. This was just a nice summer trip out on the river with my dad. I paddled this section last year on the day he passed, and it was cold and raw. It was cold and raw again today, but still good to be out on the water. 

Rest in peace Dad - thinking of you always.

Links:

My Pictures

River Island Park - December 5, 2021

Take-out below the power lines

It has been a while since I’ve had my whitewater boat out, so I took it out yesterday down at River Island Park. This has been my go-to park-and-play spot for as long as I have been paddling. The river was at an easy level – 2 feet, 600 cfs on the Woonsocket gage.

I put in behind the Bandstand at River Island Park and warmed up with some ferries in the quickwater before checking out the pour-over on the other side of the island. Underneath the Bernon Street Bridge are the remnants of the old Bernon Dam. There were some nice easy waves, so I surfed for a while. The section just below Bernon Street was boney, so I skipped it and paddled past the Bernon Mills to the Court Street Bridge.

Portage back to the car

I skipped the small waves directly above the Court Street Bridge and eddied out from the right behind the big rock in the center of the river. From there it is easy to move out on to the surf wave below the bridge. Downstream from the Court Street Bridge but before the Providence & Worcester Railroad Bridge is big ledge in the middle of the river. At most water levels, it just creates a big eddy that I usually catch from the right. I also caught some of the easy surf waves on the left.

Below the railroad bridge it is mostly quickwater with a couple surf spots. The best is created by a pipe running across the river. I eddied out behind the rocks and spent a little time shedding back and forth across the wave at the pipe. I paddled backwards down the boney rapid below the powerlines before lugging my boat up the flood control levee for portage back to my car.

Links:

Woonsocket Gage

Rocky Narrows - November 28, 2021

I had three days off from work for Thanksgiving, but with the holiday, family stuff, Christmas decorations and yard work I didn’t get my canoe out once. On Sunday an early morning hike with the Papa Joe crew fit into my schedule better than a mid-day paddle, so I hiked instead.

The hike was at the Rocky Narrows Reservation. The site is named for the granite cliffs that rise up over the Charles River as it twists and turns between the Sherborn Town Forest in Sherborn and the Medfield State Forest in Dover. I have paddled beneath these cliffs many times, but had never been to the top.

In 1897 The Trustees acquired 21-acres on the Charles River known as Rocky Narrows, the “Gates of the Charles.” It became their first reservation. A forested site with granite cliffs that date back 650 million years, the reservation would grow to over 80-acres with later acquisitions.

We met at the trailhead at 100 Forest Street in Sherborn and headed north to Mount Misery. We then headed south past the Farm Pond and Canoe Landing before climbing the cliffs up to the overlooks – the Narrows Overlook and King Philip Overlook.

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My Pictures

Rocky Narrows

Charles - Lakes District - November 22, 2021

At the put-in

There was a time when you rarely saw a tandem canoe. Everyone wanted to captain their own ship and paddle their own boat. Now people are realizing the benefits of paddling tandem – especially on windy flatwater. With tandem paddlers the toughest part of organizing a trip can be figuring out who paddles with whom, and who brings the boat.

I was talking to Al last week at the Papa Joe hike, and we decided to paddle the “Lakes District” on the Charles. The Lakes District is formed by the backwater of the Moody Street Dam and runs for 5.8-miles from Washington Street in Wellsley to Moody Street in Waltham.

Sculptures on the banks

In it’s glory days, this section of the Charles was home to Norumbega Park in Newton, named for the Norumbega Tower just downstream, and the Riverside Recreation Grounds a little further upstream in Weston. Established in the 1890’s, these parks were located at the end of the Boston trolley lines and attracted hundreds of thousand of visitors each year. The Lakes District became the most heavily canoed river on earth with more than 5,000 canoes berthed at over a dozen clubs along its length.

Today, there are two put-ins on this section of the river - the Duck Feeding Area at the end of Norumbega Road in Weston (across from the Marriott Hotel) and 48 Woerd Avenue in Waltham. We decided to launch in Waltham. Conrad and I were going to paddle tandem, but I ended up bringing a solo boat for him instead.

Matching WildFires

We headed upstream past a home where the homeowner has placed statutes along the river – an elk, a bear, some deer and a life-sized bison and Native American. Shortly after we came to the dilapidated boat ramp at Norumbega Tower.

Nurumbega Tower is a stone tower erected in 1889 to mark the supposed location of Fort Norumbega, a legendary Viking fort at the confluence of Stony Brook and the Charles River. We hiked over to the tower and climbed to the top to check out the view.

Waltham Watch Company

Unfortunately we had a few problems getting back in the boats. First Georgie jumped out of the boat and landed in the water. Then, with an unstable boat, Julie tipped over at the dock. We got everyone back in the boats, and decided to head back downstream in case Goergie or Julie got a chill.

Julie and Georgie were fine, so we paddled past the put-in and down to the Waltham Watch Company. This huge mill was also known as the American Watch Company and produced over 40 million watches between 1850 and 1957. We continued down to the Moody Street Bridge (and dam) before turning around and calling it a day.

The crew at Norumbega Tower

Links:

My Pictures

Charles River Watershed Association
Waltham Gage

RICKA Movie Night - November 16, 2021

Here is the video from the RICKA Movie Night.

Wachusett Meadow Wildlife Sanctuary - November 14, 2021

With all the rain this week there were plenty of opportunities to paddle this weekend, but none seemed to fit my schedule, so I decided to join Papa Joe’s hike at Wachusett Meadow Wildlife Sanctuary.

Wachusett Meadows is an old farm that has been converted into a 1,124-acre wildlife sanctuary with 12-miles of trails through woods, wetlands, and meadows. The trail system makes connections to the Midstate Trail and the Wachusett Mountain State Reservation. We set out from the Visitor Center and headed south down to the Quartz Boulder, then west on the Brook Trail, then north to Brown Hill – about 4.75-miles.

Link:

My Pictures

Wachusett Meadows Wildlife Sanctuary
Trail Map

Turkey Paddle - Wallum Lake - November 6, 2021

After visiting my mother at rehab, I headed over to Wallum Lake for the Turkey Paddle with the RICKA Flatwater crew. 

Wallum is a 200-acre lake on the border of MA and RI. The northern section lies in the Douglas State Forest in MA. Much of the west shore in the southern half lies in the Buck Management Area in RI. It is about 2 miles long and ¼ to ½ mile wide.

We put-in at the boat ramp in Douglas (there is also a put-in in Burrillville that I have never used), and headed down the west side of the lake. The day was sunny and relatively warm, and the winds were light. After exploring some of the coves, we turned around and headed back to the put-in.

Most of the crew headed off for a turkey dinner.  I headed home for pot roast - just like in 2013.

Links:

My Pictures

Blackstone Gorge - October 23, 2021

I had errands to run with my mother on Saturday, and a birthday party with the kids on Sunday, so there wasn’t much time for paddling this weekend.  I did get out for foliage run up to the Blackstone Gorge.

I put in at the Bike Path in Blackstone.  After carrying down the steep hill, I paddled up stream past the Tupper Mill into the Gorge. This section of the river can be shallow, can have current, or both.  This time I had both. I lined past the island below the confluence with the Branch River. 

There was not much water flowing though the Gorge itself.  The color was OK, but I was probably a week early for peak color.  It has been a weird year for foliage – every thing seems later than usual. 

Housatonic – Sheffield to Falls Village – October 9 – 10, 2021

Covered Bridge in Sheffield

My springtime trip on the Housatonic got me thinking that this would be a great river for a weekend camping trip. I decided to do a fall foliage trip with RICKA paddling the flatwater sections from Sheffield, MA to Ashley Falls, MA on Saturday, and Ashley Falls, MA to Falls Village, CT on Sunday.

The Housatonic originates in the Berkshire Hills of western MA and flows south for 150 miles along the western border of MA and CT before emptying into Long Island Sound. There’s lots of great paddling along the Housatonic River. The best-known whitewater section is a class IV run known as Bulls Bridge - it's well above my skill level. There is also the quickwater section from Cornwall to Kent that I have run several times.

Paul on the first log pile

Bill and I headed out on Friday to check out the put-ins and take-outs before heading over to the campground at Tatonic State Park in NY. As we checked out the put-in at the Covered Bridge in Sheffield a guy on a bike rode up and asked us if we'd seen any tingleys. “What are tingleys?” we asked.  “They are UFO’s” he said.  Apparently this was the site of a famous UFO sighting back in the 1960’s, but there were no UFO sightings or alien abductions on our trip.

When we arrived at our campsite we found Jim Cole waiting for us. He had made the 1,400-mile drive from FL to NY to join us - how’s that for determination. I originally wanted to stay at Housatonic Meadows State Park in CT, but it was closed for the season. None of us had stayed at Taconic State Park before, but it turned out to be perfect. We had 11 campers for Friday and Saturday nights, and a few even stayed through Columbus Day.

Portaging the broken dam

On Saturday, we did the 9-mile trip from the Covered Bridge on Covered Bridge Lane in Sheffield, MA to Rannapo Road in Ashley Falls, MA. In addition to 11 campers, we had 3 who came out to run this section as a day trip. The river was high – 4.7 feet, 2,500 cfs. on the Falls Village gage, after peaking at 6 feet, 4,000 cfs. on Wednesday. The higher water was a blessing and a curse. A blessing for the fast moving current, and a curse for the steep, slick banks and soggy lunch spots.

We put in at the Covered Bridge and headed downstream. The river twists and turns through fields and meadows along the foothills of the Berkshires. There was some nice color, but we probably missed the peak foliage by a couple of weeks. The trip was uneventful except for two river-wide log-jams that we had to portage, and a tough hill to climb at the take-out.

Jim below the broken dam

After the trip, Bill and I took a detour to check out Bash Bish Falls – the tallest waterfall in MA. We then returned to the campground for a nice potluck supper around the campfire. The food was plentiful and the conversation was great.

On Sunday, we did the 11-mile section from Rannapo Road in Ashley Falls, MA to the Great Falls Dam in Falls Village, CT. This trip begins where Saturday’s trip ended, so we once again had to deal with the steep hill at the put-in. The river had dropped slightly to 2.2 feet, 1,500 cfs. We still had good current but the banks were still slick and our lunch spot was still soggy.

Take-out at Great Falls

The main feature on this section of the river is the broken dam in Canaan. Supposedly the rapid on the right side of the island is runnable, but it would have been difficult to scout, so we all portaged on the left. Once again, a steep bank at the end made for a challenging portage, but we managed fine. 

From there it is about 5-miles to the take-out at the dam at Great Falls. We snapped a group picture and checked out Great Falls before heading out from another great trip.

Housatonic Foliage Weekend from Erik Eckilson on Vimeo.

Links:

My Pictures – Sheffield to Ashley Falls
My Pictures – Bash Bish Falls
My Pictures – Ashley Falls to Falls Village
My Video

Falls Village Gage

Housatonic Paddle Guide - MA

Housatonic Paddle Guide - CT

Seekonk River - September 26, 2021

Cormorants on the shoreline

I had some time free in the afternoon, so I decided to head over to Pawtucket to paddle on the Seekonk River.

The Seekonk River is the tidal extension of the Blackstone River that begins just below the Pawtucket Falls. The two rivers could not be more different. The Blackstone is freshwater with lots of twists and turns, while the Seekonk is a wide-open saltwater estuary.

Division Street Bridge

I put in at Festival Pier off School Street and paddled upstream toward the Pawtucket Falls. I paddled under the Division Street Bridge, the Route 95 Bridge, and up to the Pawtucket Falls under the Main Street Bridge.

The Pawtucket Falls is the largest waterfall on the Blackstone River. As I looked upstream over the falls I could see the Old Slater Mill. Built in 1793 by Samuel Slater, it was the first successful water powered textile mill in the United States. Lots of potential for this section of the river, but unfortunately it still has a ways to go.

Old Slater Mill and the Pawtucket Falls

RICKA Picnic - Wickford - September 25, 2021

Heading out form Wilson Park

Once a year, the entire club gets together for the RICKA Family Picnic. This year's picnic was held at the North Kingstown Town Beach – a new location with great views of Narragansett Bay.

In the morning, Sea Kayakers made the crossing to Hope Island while Flatwater paddlers met at Wilson Park to explore the backwaters of Wickford Harbor. After the paddles, we all gathered under the oak trees at North Kingstown Town Beach for the picnic and awards ceremony.

Picnic and awards at North Kingstown Town Beach

Links

My Pictures

Quinebaug River Canoe Trail - East Brimfield Lake to Holland Pond - September 18, 2021

A foggy start t the trip

We were looking for something close to home, so we ended up back on the Quinebaug River – this time the section from the East Brimfield Lake to Holland Pond.

The Quinebaug River arises above East Brimfield Lake and flows generally southeast for 60 miles through MA and CT to Norwich where it joins the Willimantic to form the Shetucket. I have paddled several sections of the Quinebaug including this section as a RICKA trip in 2007, Sturbridge to Southbridge, Fabyan to West Thompson,  Putnam to Dayville/Brooklyn and Danielson to Canterbury.

Swamp Maples have turned

East Brimfield Lake was created by the Army Corps of Engineers with the completion of the East Brimfield Dam in 1960. The dam was part of flood control work after the devastating floods of 1955. East Brimfield Lake now includes Long Pond - a natural body of water that was incorporated into the dam's pool as the water rose. Upstream of the dam are over 2,000 acres of flood control land that can be inundated when the reservoir is filled for flood control, including Holland Pond.

Between East Brimfield Lake and Holland Pond the Army Corps of Engineers created the Quinebaug River Canoe Trail – a 3.6-mile section of the Quinebaug River that meanders through forest and marshland. Boat ramps are located on Long Pond, on East Brimfield Lake and at Holland Pond. There are three "rest stops" along the river with benches for a quick rest. There were fire rings at stops 1 and 3, but overnight camping is prohibited.

Eagle at Holland Pond

We met at 8:00 a.m. at the boat ramp on East Brimfield Lake. The river was at a nice level at 3.2 feet, 100 cfs. on the East Brimfield gage - it gets scratchy below 50 cfs. East Brimfield Lake was infested with milfoil – an aquatic weed that makes it difficult to paddle, so we didn’t paddle down to the dam. A sign at the boat ramp said that the milfoil was being treated with a chemical herbicide – we'll see how that works.

It was foggy and misty as we headed out, and the swamp maples along the banks had turned bright red. We took a break at rest stop 1 before continuing up to Holland Pond. The water was too high for us to paddle under the Holland Pond Bridge, but we decided to portage over to Holland Pond anyway. It is a small pond, but we were fortunate to see an eagle high up in a tree. The river was moving nicely as we headed back downstream to the take-out.

Paddling with Bill

Links:

My Picture

My Pictures from 2007 RICKA Trip

Quinebaug River Canoe Trail

East Brimfield Gage

Quinebaug River Paddler's Guide

Holland Pond and the 1955 Flood

River Bend Farm - September 12, 2021

Jim and Phil head downstream

I had family obligations this weekend, so I stayed close to home and did an early morning run at River Bend Farm. The river was at a nice level – 4.5 feet on the Northbridge gage after peaking at over 10 feet after Hurricane Ida. I put in at the Visitor Center and paddled up to the Goat Hill Lock in Rice City Pond before crossing over for the run down the river. I met a couple of kayakers (Jim and Phil) as I was beginning the river run, so I ran the river section with them.

Hartford Avenue Bridge

Links:

My Pictures

Northbridge Gage

Trip Description from the BRVNHC

Upper Millers - September 4, 2021

Heading out

Like everywhere else on the east coast, Hurricane Ida dumped a ton of water on us here in southern New England. I was planning to lead a RICKA flatwater trip on the Pawcatuck, but it was just below flood stage so I had to cancel. One door closes and another opens - I was now free to paddle one of my favorite whitewater runs - the Upper Millers.

The Millers River arises in north-central MA and flows generally west for 52 miles to merge into the Connecticut River at Millers Falls. There are two sections that are popular for whitewater boating – the Upper Millers from Royalston to Athol (class II/III), and the Lower Millers from Erving to Millers Falls (class II/IV).

Pictures at the first RXR Bridge

I got an early start so I could drop my boat off at the put in on Blossom Street in Royalston. Then I headed down to meet the crew at the take out on Crescent Street in Athol. The weather was beautiful – sunny and in the mid 70’s.

The kayakers outnumbered the open boaters on this trip with 6 kayaks and 4 canoes. If you are a Millbrook canoe fan, there was a 20/20 and 2 Shachos. I was feeling a little old school in my royalex Outrage. The level was around 1,200 cfs – a nice open boat level. The river alternates between class II and III rapids, with some quickwater in between. 

Running Mile Long

The first class III rapid starts just below the put-in and continues down to the first railroad bridge. After a bit of quickwater, the second class III rapid – Mile Long - begins at a sharp left turn. The last class III rapid is the Gorge that begins after an island after some class II rapids below the big waves at the lunch spot. 

I spent my time dodging rocks, bouncing over waves and dumping out my boat. Still it was a great day.

Great day on the water!

Links:

My Pictures

Birch Hill Dam Gage

River Description from American Whitewater

Quinebaug - Danielson to Canterbury - High Water Run - September 3, 2021

I got together with Paul, and we decided to start off the Labor Day weekend back on the Quinebaug River for another run on the section from Danielson to Canterbury. 

We ran this section last weekend at 3.6 feet, 600 cfs on the Putnam gage. Today it was closer to 7’, 3,000 cfs. – just below flood stage, but still up in the trees with fast moving current. The rapids were still there, but there we no rocks to dodge – just long wave trains with 1’ – 2’ rolling waves. The biggest waves were at the broken dam with about a 3’ wave at the bottom (I found a sneak route to avoid it), and the rapid above the Wauregen Road Bridge (Route 205) with some large 3’ waves on the right at the top. I found a sneak line through the center, but the waves pushed me over to the trees on the left by the time I reached to the bottom. 

I brought my Outrage, and I was glad I did. The run only took us an hour and a half. I left my camera in the car, so no pictures from the run. I did get these at the take out.