Souhegan Poling Cruise - October 29, 2022

Stand tall and carry a big stick

Its been a while since I've had my poling boat out, and my recent trip up to Maine got me thinking that it was time for a poling cruise. We got the crew together, and decided on an up-and-back trip on the Souhegan.

The Souhegan River arises in New Ipswich at the junction of the river's south and west branches, and flows generally northeast for 34-miles to its convergence with the Merrimack River in Merrimack. The name Souhegan comes from the Algonquin and means "waiting and watching place". Tribal fishermen set weirs across the rapids, and then waited and watched for fish, including salmon, alewives, sturgeon, and eels. There are popular whitewater runs from Greenville to Route 101 and Route 101 to Wilton (Trash Dump). I've done the Greenville section, but not the Trash Dump section.

Pushing up the drop at the 101 Bridge

We would be poling a section further downstream in Amherst from Post Road to Route 101 – an up-and-back trip of about 6-miles. The river was at a nice level – 4-feet, 120 cfs. on the New Milford gage. We had 11 paddlers/polers – 8 poling, 2 tandem poling, and one paddling.

We met at 10:00 at the at the Souhegan River Boat Ramp (Amherst) on Boston Post Road in Amherst (42°49'38.2"N 71°35'04.6"W). The river twists and turns through woodlands before eventually flowing through the Amherst Country Club. There is a small drop at the Route 101 Bridge. Most went up the shallow drop on river left. I tried the deeper drop on river right and made it to the top before taking a swim – oh well. The trip back down was uneventful.

The crew takes a break for lunch

Links;

My Pictures
New Milford Gage
Souhegan River Paddling Guide