Branch River - March 26, 2023

Jeff running Whipple Drop

Yesterday I was on the Scantic River to paddle the Scantic Spring Splash. Today I was on the Branch River to paddle the race course for the old Rhode Island Whitewater Championship.

The Branch River Race, later the Rhode Island Whitewater Championship, was established by RICKA in 1980 and was always run on the third weekend in March. It was the first race of the year on calendar of the NECKRA Downriver Series. The race continued for 25 years, but was eventually discontinued due to the high cost of insurance and problems with river access.

Mike running Glendale

RICKA has continued the tradition of running a spring trip on the Branch River. This year we were a week late and the group was small - me, Mike and Jeff. We met at the put-in below the Stillwater Mill at 10:00 to run the shuttle. Since the usual take out is now posted “No Trespassing”, we decided to take out a Mike’s house. The river was at 3-feet, 175 cfs. – low but runnable. The day was sunny and in the high 50’s/low 60's - it felt like spring.

The first half of this trip is actually on the Clear River. There were lots of blowdowns in this upper section. I got spun sideways on one strainer and dumped when the boat moved and I didn’t – second swim of the weekend, and the year. We ran Whipple Drop down the center and continued to Oakland, where the Branch is formed at the confluence of the Clear and Chepachet Rivers.

Jeff running Atlas Pallet

After portaging the Oakland Dam we headed down to Glendale. The Glendale Rapid was shallow and boney, but we bounced down using the left of center line. From there it is a nice quickwater run down to the Atlas Pallet rapid. We ran Atlas Pallet left of center and made it through fine.

The remainder of the trip is quickwater with one portage at the Nasonville Dam. The take-out at Mike's house worked out fine – “head straight for the fire station”. We often call this trip the Branch River "Icebreaker", but there was no ice to break this year!

The crew - Mike, Jeff and Erik - at the Oakland Portage

This picture earned us another poem from Tom on P-net.

!!!
From Idaho,
there’s a ghostly rustle.
Spiratoose Papa,
has grab ahold Mike Bussell!

To Have and Have Not?
I’d say what’s had here’s wicked style,
with The Old Man and I see,
melted Snows of to kill a man Rhode Isle. 
TW

Links:

My Pictures
Branch River Gage

Trip Description from American Whitewater

Scantic Spring Splash - March 25, 2023

Looking for the line at Stokers

We were supposed to babysit my grandson this weekend, but he got sick, so babysitting was out. With a free day, I decided to run the Scantic Spring Splash downriver race. I have run the Scantic River many times, but have never done the race, which is part of the NECKRA (New England Canoe and Kayak Racing Association) Downriver Series. This would be only my second race since I started paddling - the first was the BRWA Canoe/Kayak Race way back in 2010.

The Scantic arises in Hampden, MA (southeast of Springfield) and flows general southwest for 40-miles to join the Connecticut River in South Windsor, CT. We would be running the "Expert Course" from Quality Avenue in Somers to the Powder Hollow Barn (South Maple Street) in Hazardville – about 5-miles. There are 4 class II+ (maybe class III) rapids - Trestle, Stokers, Chimney and Staircase.

Entering the rapid at Stokers

I decided to bring my Yellowstone Solo for the race. I thought it would be faster then my Outrage, but it was probably slower since I needed to stop and bail after each rapid. I dropped off my boat at the put-in and headed down to the Powder Hollow Barn to register and pick up my bib. I saw a lot of familiar faces as I headed out to catch the shuttle bus back to the put-in. After the mandatory safety meeting we got on the water around noon with my class – Men's OC1 Recreational – going first.

The river was at a nice level with 1 foot, 40 cfs on the Broad Brook gage and additional water from a release from the dam upstream. The race starts off with 2.5-miles of quickwater. The removal of the Springborn Dam in 2017 created the first major rapid – the Trestle under the railroad bridge. Shortly after Trestle is Stokers - a 3-foot ledge that needs to be run about 10 feet off the left bank, moving right after the drop to avoid the rock pile at the bottom. There was a big crowd of spectators there, so I was glad I made it through.

Running the main drop at Stokers

After some more quickwater the next major rapid is Chimney - an “S” turn through some rocky ledges that is generally run down the center (maybe center left). I filled up my boat running the rapid, and bounced over the rocks in the shallow water below the last ledge before I could finally find a spot to empty my boat.

The last rapid is Staircase, which is exactly what you would expect - a series of ledges that look like a staircase with a large shoot at the bottom. I came down the ledges too far to the right, and dumped in the eddy above the shoot trying to set up for the drop - first swim of the year. After getting back in my boat, I peeled-out and ran the drop fine. 

In the hole below Stokers

It was cool paddling under the bridge to the cheers of the spectators above and crossing the finish line. I finished third (last) in my class with a time of 50:22. Rick was the winner with a time of 43:22. After dropping off my boat I walked back over to Staircase to watch the runs, snap some pictures, and help recover boats. 

Here is a video of the OC1 runs (including Dory who had her own class but still beat me) and some boat recoveries at the bottom of Staircase. You can see me take a dump at around 0:30 - if I had just paddled forward it looks like I would have made it. Thanks to Pinay & Mainer for the video. 

Scantic Spring Splash from Erik Eckilson on Vimeo.

Links:

My Pictures

Scantic Spring Splash

Pictures at Stokers

Video at Stokers

Video at Staircase

Race Results  - I am class G - OC-1 Men's Recreation

Broad Brook Gage

River Bend Farm – March 19, 2023

At the put-in on the Blackstone River

We had a family party on Saturday, and I needed to help at the Saint Joseph’s Day Mass on Sunday, so I had to stay close to home this weekend. I did want to test out my new drysuit, so I ended up running the canal/river loop at River Bend Farm.

River Bend Farm is part of the Blackstone River Canal and Heritage Park – a 1,000-acre state park in Uxbridge, MA with hiking trails, paddling on the Blackstone River and Canal and historical sites like the Blackstone Canal’s Goat Hill Lock, King Philip’s Lookout and the Stanley Woolen Mill.

Water flowing over the spillway dam

I parked at the Tri-River Medical Center and carried my boat over to the put-in on the Blackstone River below the spillway dam. The day was sunny with a little wind and temps in the mid-40's. The river was high - 4.5-feet, 1,000 cfs on the Northbridge gage. Water was flowing over the spillway dam, which you don't see very often.

At this level the river moves fast, and the trick is to stay in the current on the seam between the fast moving water on the outside of the turn that is often filled with strainers, and the huge eddies on the inside of the turn that will quickly spin you around. The river section went quick and I was soon at the take-out for the portage over to the Blackstone Canal.

Blackstone Arch

The Blackstone Canal opened in 1828 and utilized a series of 49 locks to move the barges up and down the 450-foot difference in elevation from Providence to Worcester. The canal operated until 1847 when it was replaced by the Providence & Worcester Railroad. Following the demise of the Blackstone Canal, the section through what is now River Bend Farm was purchased by the Taft family who converted it to a mill race for their Central Woolen Mill. Later known Stanley Woolen Mill, it would become one of the most successful woolen manufacturers in the country.

I was paddling against a slight downstream current as I headed back up the canal. There were a couple of strainers across the canal, but I was able to get around or over them without portaging. After snapping a few pictures of the River Bend Farm Visitor Center, I was soon back at my car for the trip home.  My new drysuit worked great - a little baggy, but very comfortable.  

River Bend Farm Visitor Center from the Blackstone Canal

Links:

My Pictures
BRNHC Paddle Guide
Northbridge Gage

Moose Hill – March 12, 2023

The crew on the Summit Trail

I was thinking about doing a Tville run today to try out my new drysuit, but the group wasn’t meeting until noon, which would have made for a long day. Instead, I decided to stay close to home and do the Papa Joe hike at the Moose Hill Wildlife Sanctuary in Sharon, MA.

Moose Hill was established in 1916 and is Mass Audubon’s oldest wildlife sanctuary. Moose Hill has 20-miles of trails through forests, fields, and wetlands. We started on the Summit Trail, which takes you up the to the highest point on the sanctuary - 534-feet with an abandoned fire tower at the top.

View of Gillette from the Bluff Overlook

From there, we worked our way over to the Bluff Trail which includes the Allens Ledge Chimney and the Bluff Overlook with its great views of Gillette Stadium. Shaped by glaciers thousands of years ago, you can still see striations in the bedrock that were left by glaciers.

Billing's Loop was closed for maple sugaring tours, but we worked our way back to the parking lot, and we finished up with a loop around the Vernal Pool Trail. The Bay Circuit and Warner trails pass through this property as well.

Links:
My Pictures
Moose Hill Trail Map

Bay Circuit Trail

Warner Trail
Warner Trail Guidebook

My New Drysuit Is In

New drysuit on the Hunt River

I was getting dressed for a Tville run a couple of weeks ago and I ripped a hole in the latex bootie of my drysuit. To be honest, I’ve put on a few pounds and added a few inches around the waist over the past couple of years, so my old drysuit was getting tight anyway. I took this as an opportunity to buy a drysuit that is the next size up - more baggy than tight.

In the past I have always bought the NRS Extreme, but they only had the fire department rescue version in my size, so I decided to spend a couple of extra bucks and go for the Kokatat Legacy instead. Everyone always raves about Kokatat quality, so we’ll see. I forgot how tight the gaskets are when they are new. I can deal with it around my neck, but I had a hard time getting off over my head, so I decided to trim it.

I used a razor blade on a 4" can of ice tea. I found the more I stretched the gasket the harder it was to see the rings. Maybe just my bad eyes, but the 4" can worked fine - just tight enough that it stayed in place. I took one ring off to start - it was still really tight, rolled over on top of itself, and I still had a hard time getting back over my head. So I took off a second ring an it seemed just about right - tight enough to allow for some stretching with use but it lies flat and I can get it back over my head without too much of a struggle. 

Its funny that NRS seems to be the only manufacturer/retailer that says not to trim. I’ve always had NRS drysuits and I never had to trim them. Don’t remember them being particularly tight when they were new. This Kokatat had to be trimmed - I couldn’t have worn it the way it was. To quote Spirtboat on P-net - trim fearlessly! I have since fixed the bootie in my NRS Extreme, so I now have a sprare.

Mercy Woods Preserve - March 5, 2023

The crew - Sue, Mike, Steve and Erik

With a new drysuit on order and a family party scheduled for Saturday, I decided to put a hike on the RICKA Message Board for Sunday at the Mercy Woods Preserve. We met at 9:30 at the trailhead on Sumner Brown Road. We had about an inch of snow on the ground, which was frozen when we headed out, but wet and slushy about an hour later. We did the Ridge Trail to the south and then the Mercy Trail (behind the nursing home rather than along the road) to the north – about 3.5-miles. The hills were a little slick with the wet, slushy snow, but otherwise it was fine. It took us a little over 2-hours.

Links:

Cumberland Land Trust
Mercy Woods Trail Map

Trip Description from Explore Rhode Island