Day-After-Turkey Paddle - Tville - November 26, 2022

Cathy's Wave

Like the New Year’s Day Paddle, the Day-After-Turkey Paddle is a bit of a tradition around here. It should be on Black Friday, but for me that didn’t work this year - the kids came over for turkey left-overs. Fortunately, Paul D. was doing a run at Tville on Saturday, so the Day-After-Turkey Paddle was saved.

We met at 11:00 at Tariffville Park to drop our boats and run the shuttle. We had 6 boat – 4 kayaks and 2 canoes. It was nice to have another open boater along, and I hadn’t paddled with Charlie for a while.

Bridge Abutment

The day was sunny and warm, and the river was at a nice level - 1.6 feet, 560 cfs. It was a little boney below the put-in, but there was plenty of water at Cathy’s Wave and Brown's Ledge for some open-boat surfing. I ran the Bridge Abutment Rapid first and got some pictures of the rest of the group coming through.

As usual, I ran the rapids above the Playhole to the left. Below the Playhole are a couple of small ledges that I run to the left. I ran the upper ledge at Double Drop to the right, and had no problem with the ferry to the left to run the second drop. I caught the eddy, but skipped the surf in Typewriter.

The first ledge at Double Drop

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Wonalancet River - November 12, 2022

A typical section of the Wonalancet

The remnants of Hurricane Nicole reached New England Friday night with heavy rain that brought up a lot of local rivers. I was thinking about doing a Tville run with Paul and the CTAMC, but instead made a last minute decision to head north to run the Wonalancet River with Frank and the NHAMC.

The Wonalancet River is named for the Pennacook sachem Wonalancet and arises in the Bowl Natural Area in North Sandwich – a glacial cirque lying between Mount Whiteface to the west, Mount Passaconaway to the north, and Mount Wonalancet to the east. It flows 7-miles south and east to join the southern Swift River before flowing into the Bearcamp River, Ossipee Lake, and the Saco River on its way to the Atlantic Ocean. The Wonalancet can be tough to catch, but when it comes up it is considered one of the best class III runs in New Hampshire - a little tougher than the Mighty Quin, but not quite as tough as the middle section at New Boston.

First drop - Forest Run Rapids

We would be running the middle section from Fowlers Mill Road to the “Short Run Take-out” on Route 113A in Tamworth – about 3.25 miles. The level was .9 (dropping to .75 by the time we finished) on the painted gage on the Route 113A bridge - a medium low level. Above 2 the rocks start to disappear and the river becomes more pushy. The Bearcamp River gage in South Tamworth (downstream USGS gage) was at 5.5 feet, 550 cfs.

The river is narrow and creek-like and alternates between class II and III rapids as it twists and turns through the Hemingway State Forest and Big Pines Natural Area. Rock dodging was the order of the day. Stainers are always an issue on this river, and we encountered one river-wide strainer that I portaged – the kayaks were able to paddle through. The most challenging section is the Forest Run Rapids, which we scouted before running down the center. Three-hour drive each way, but so worth it.

Second drop - Forest Run Rapids

I made a comment on p-net about not getting out in my sea kayak much, and earned another poem from Tom - my new favorite:

The seas immense they dwarf all lands,
they heave in waves or doldrum stand,
ebb and rise to beckoning moon,
unfathomable depths intrigue with gloom.

And traverse there in reverent awe,
this salt of earth from such liquid spalled,
finds not la Mer to nurture soul,
but her vast indifference that swallows whole.

So find me along the riverbanks,
where earth and water entwine their flanks,
as springs that rise and skies that weep,
sweep changing braids shallow and deep.

And there like rock and soil and tree,
I, too, can stand a most earthly,
to let myself be swept in flow,
then eddy out in time’s crooked bow.

TW

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River Description from American Whitewater

Bearcamp River Gage

Turkey Paddle at Wallum Lake - November 5, 2022

Pirates of Wallum Lake

After putting out the Christmas lights in the morning, I headed over to Wallum Lake in the afternoon for the Turkey Paddle with the RICKA Flatwater crew.

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

Bill and Paul

We put-in at the boat ramp in the Douglas State Park (there is also a put-in in Burrillville that I have never used), and headed down the west side of the lake. A storm front was moving through and there were scattered showers and gusty winds. Most of the crew turned around about half way up, but Paul and I continued down to the southern end.

After the paddle I headed home for pot roast - just like in 2021 and 2013.

The crew at the put-in

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