A couple of weeks ago I took a ride down to Sabin Point Park in Riverside to paddle out to the Pomham Rocks Lighthouse. Unfortunately, it was a wasted trip since I brought pieces from two different paddles that didn't fit together. I decided to give it another try today.
Sabin Point is a 4-acre park juts out into Narraganset Bay at end of Shore Road in Riverside. The Providence River is almost a mile wide here so wind, waves, tidal currents, and large boat traffic are common. There was a strong wind from the south as I launched from the boat ramp and headed north along the shore toward the Ponham Rocks Lighthouse.
Pomham Rocks Light (aka Pomham Lighthouse) was established in 1871 and is one of a group of lighthouses built to the same plan after an award-winning design by Vermont architect Albert Dow. A nearly identical light stands on Rose Island in Newport. I paddle out into the wind and small chop toward the lighthouse to take some pictures. Unfortunately, the camera lens got fogged, and I had no way to clean it. This is the only picture that I got.
Its that time of the year when Santa visits cities and towns around the country to get kids excited for Christmas. Usually he arrives by fire truck, but in the coastal village of Wickford he arrives by fire boat, and RICKA elves escort him down the harbor into town. This year, Michelle decided to come along to watch and take some pictures from shore.
Wickford is located on the West Passage of Narragansett Bay, and is built around a large, well-protected harbor. It was settled in the early 17th century when Roger William purchased land from the Narragansett Indians and established a trading post. Wickford grew to become a major port and shipbuilding center.
Today, Wickford is a picturesque village whose waterfront streets are lined with shops, restaurants and colonial-era homes. Each year the North Kingstown Chamber of Commerce organizes a Festival of Lights with holiday themed actives. Since 2010, RICKA has participated in this event by escorting Santa down the harbor for his big arrival at the Town Dock.
We arrived at the put-in at the end of Main Street next to Gardners Wharf Seafood at around 11:30 to decorate our boats and get our elf hats and candy canes. At around 12:00, Michelle walked down to the dock and the rest of us headed over to meet up with Santa for the paddle into town. I am always amazed at the crowd that gathers for this event.
There was a post on CanoeTripping.com about running holes. It got me thinking about how rapids are formed, and what features you will encounter on a typical class II/III rapid. How do Rapids Form
There are four main factors that combine to create rapids: water level, gradient, constriction and obstruction. Gradient, constriction, and obstruction are dependent on streambed topography.
Water Level
Water level is dependent upon seasonal variation in precipitation and snowmelt, or upon release rates of upstream dams. Combine the right water level with right streambed topography, and rapids will form.
Gradient
The gradient of a river is the rate at which it changes elevation along its course. This determines the river's slope, and to a large extent its rate of flow or velocity. Shallow gradients produce gentle, slow rivers, while steep gradients are associated with whitewater rapids.
Constriction
Constrictions can form a rapid when a river's flow is forced into a narrower channel. This pressure can also cause the water to flow more rapidly increasing its velocity and its reaction to riverbed objects like rocks and drops.
Obstruction
Rocks and ledges in the river will obstruct the flow of the river creating river features like eddies, pour overs, holes and waves. The more water and the faster it flows, the larger these features become.
The combination of the water level and streambed topography determine the types of rapids you will find on the river. For example, rapids on the Kennebec are formed when water gets funneled through narrow gorges creating long, towering wave trains. Seeboomic runs over a series of ledges creating pool drops. The Dead is mostly boulder-type rapids with lots of holes and pour-overs.
Zoar Gap at dam release level. The river constricts and velocity increases as it drops over rocks and ledges creating eddies, pour overs, holes, shoots and waves.
Whitewater Features
Understanding the features of the river and how they will affect your boat is critical to running whitewater safely.
Rocks
You will find rocks on almost every river. Depending on the water level, some rocks may be above the water creating eddies, and others may be submerged creating pour-overs, holes and waves.
Eddies
Water moving downstream that hits an obstruction and goes around it rather than over it forms an eddy in the space downstream. Eddies can form in the middle of the river behind rocks, or on the sides due to changes in the shore line.
Located between the eddy and the main current is the eddy line. Eddy lines vary in size based on the level and speed of the water, and the size of the obstruction causing the eddy. Eddies have current that flows opposite of the main flow, but they are usually calmer than the surrounding current making them good places to wait and regroup before the next rapid.
Pour Overs/Holes
Water moving downstream that flows over a rock can cause a pour over. It resembles a small waterfall and often creates a hole on the downstream side of the rock. Holes form when water falls over an obstruction and recirculates (reversing direction on itself) back upstream towards the rock at the surface. A hole can be friendly and make for a great surfing spot, or very unfriendly and a place to avoid.
The nature of a hole depends on the shape of the drop, the depth of the pool below it, and the speed and volume of the current. Water falling downstream over an obstacle will push downward until it hits the bottom. While the main current is pushing to the river bottom, the surrounding water slides upstream toward the foot of the drop to fill in the depression. This is called the backwash. Where the current surfaces again is called the boil line.
If the hole is big enough, things that float (like boats or people) get pulled back up into the seam between the drop and the boil line. These are known as hydraulics or reversals. If the boil line is a long distance from the pour over, it is more likely that floating objects will not escape, but cycle back into the hole repeatedly.
The shape of the hole will also determine its retentiveness. Smiley holes with the corners further downstream than the drop are generally safer than frowning hole with the corners upstream than the rest of the hole. Some of the most dangerous types of holes are formed by river wide ledges or low-head dams since the width make getting out of the hole very difficult.
Pour Overs/Waves
Waves are formed in a similar manner to holes – fast moving water runs over or down an obstruction forms a pile of whitewater where the wave is falling over on itself known as a breaking wave. If the breaking wave is big enough it can stop you (also known as a “stopper”), fill you up, or and flip you over.
One notable difference between a wave and a hole is that the wave is less likely to be retentive and will generally flush a swimmer or boat after a flip. Riding the current into the face of a crashing wave, the current going under the backwash is exiting at surface level on the backside of the crest.
The Downstream V
When running rapids you generally want to follow the dark water through the rocks and other features. Dark water means there is a deep channels and no obstructions. It will often will resemble a tongue, a shoot or “Downstream V”.
Running the downstream V is the principal strategy for safely navigating Class II and III rapids. It marks the path of least resistance where the river bed is deepest, helping you avoid hitting rocks or getting stuck in shallow areas.
Because the V points exactly where the water is flowing most cleanly, aiming your boat's bow for the point of the V ensures you are following the strongest, most stable current. Downstream V's often lead into "haystacks" or "standing waves".
Haystacks (Standing Waves)
Sometimes, when fast moving water runs into slower moving current, a long series of waves develops known as haystacks or standing waves. These standing waves or wave trains can be smooth, or particularly the larger ones, can be breaking waves or whitecaps.
Unlike ocean waves that move across the face of the water, haystacks do not move downstream. They stay fixed in the spot where the underwater features created them, and the river moves through the wave.
When running standing waves it is crucial to stay centered in the boat as you move up and down the face of the waves, and maintain a steady paddling cadence to maintain downriver speed and avoid getting stalled in the waves.
Picking a line through the rocky drops on the Wonalancet River
I usually try to do a "Day After Turkey" (Thanksgiving) paddle, but this year my daughter and grandkids were visiting. Instead, I got out today for a trip with Conrad on the Sudbury River.
The Sudbury is a National Wild and Scenic River that arises in Westborough and flows generally northeast for 41-miles to its convergence with the Assabet at Egg Rock in Concord. From there the river continues as the Concord, which flows generally north for about 16-miles until its convergence with the Merrimack River in Lowell.
Conrad and Erik
We would be doing the section from the Lincoln Canoe Launch to the Lowell Road Boat Ramp – about 5-miles. The forecast was for rain in the afternoon, so we met at 9:00 to run the shuttle and were on the water around 10:00. There was ice at the boat launch, but the river itself was clear.
Just downstream of the boat launch is Fairhaven Bay, a wide-open section of the river that was written about by Henry David Thoreau. While mostly marshland upstream, this section is lined with big beautiful houses. We ended the trip at Egg Rock, where the Sudbury and Assabet Rivers converge to form the Concord River. We were on our way home before the rain started.
I didn’t see any paddling trips today, so I decided to join Papa Joe and the crew for a hike at Borderland State Park. We started at the main entrance and hiked 5-miles up into the woods on the West Side, French and Granite Trails before looping back around Leach Pond on the Pond Walk and Swamp Trails.
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.
We got a little rain this week and Tville came up to a low, but still fun level – 1.5 feet, 500, cfs. I contacted Paul D. and he was up for a morning run. I didn’t want to scratch up my Millbrook Outrage, but it was a perfect opportunity to try out my Mad River Outrage with the slightly higher (9”) pedestal.
We met at the Mill at 10:00 and ran the shuttle down to the take-out. We skipped the rapids at the top that would have been boney, but there was plenty of water at Cathy’s Wave and Brown's Ledge. I ran the Bridge Abutment Rapid first, but my camera was messed up so I missed Paul coming through.
Running the Second Drop
I ran the rapids above the Play Hole to the left – a little too far left. I caught my bow in one of the eddies above the Play Hole and got spun around. I just caught the edge of the Play Hole going through backwards, but made it through fine.
The removal of the Spoonville Dam in 2012 revealed a series of three class III drops below the Play Hole. I ran the first down the ledges on the left, but ferried over to river right to get a couple of pictures of the bigger drop on the right.
Below the Third Drop
I ran the second drop to the right – once again a little too far to the right. This time I ended up in the rocks above the drop. I worked my way out, ran the drop, and caught the eddy on the right. After ferrying to the left, the third drop is easy.
After practicing ferries below the third drop we headed down to Typewriter. I caught the eddy on the left, and then ferried across, but got sucked downstream in the big current. We practiced eddy turns and peal outs in Vortex before heading down to the take out. I was on the road home by 1:30.
Not a lot of interest from the local crew (Paul and Pat were going to the Little Suncook), so I joined the NH/AMC group for the annual Piscat Drawdown and BBQ. I was paddling solo in my Millbrook Outrage.
The Piscataquog River arises in Deering, NH and twists and turns for 35-miles before flowing into the Merrimack River in Manchester. We would be running the class II section below the Gregg's Falls Dam. I met the group at the dam at 9:00, and we ran the shuttle down to the road behind the prison. The release started at 10:00, and we got on the river at around 10:30.
Last rapid above the take out
With the government shut-down not all the gage features were working, but it did confirm that the release was 5.5 feet, 811 cfs, which is the typical release level. This section is about 3-miles long with the most consistent rapids in the first mile. There is a rocky set of rapids below the put in, another under the power lines, and another leading up to the surf wave above the Henry Bridge. I tried my luck at surfing, but stayed out of the the biggest part of the hole.
From there is it mostly quickwater down to the take-out. There is a squirt line with the strong recirculating current where the river takes a sharp right turn, and one last rocky drop just above the take out. After a second run we headed back to the dam for the BBQ – hamburgers, hot dogs and good company.
I had the day off from work today, so I did some work in the yard in the morning, and got out for a foliage run up to the Blackstone Gorge in the afternoon.
I put in at the Bike Path in Blackstone. After carrying down the steep hill, I paddled upstream past the old Tupper Mill and Power Station. This section of the river can be shallow, can have current, or both. This time it had both. I lined past the island below the confluence of the Branch River. There was not much water flowing though the Gorge itself. The color was OK, but it was a late in the afternoon so the sun was low and the Gorge was sitting in a shadow.
This summer has been dry and the rivers have been low. Two flatwater trips that I was scheduled to lead for RICKA this summer had to be cancelled due to low water – Pawcatuck (Bradford to Potter Hill) and Charles (Needham to Wellesley). I had a trip on the calendar today at Tully Lake, but even that was low. Rather than cancelling again, I decided to move today’s trip to the Narrow River. It is tidal, so I knew there would be water.
The Narrow River, also known at the Pettaquamscutt River, is the tidal extension of the Mattatuxet River. It begins below the Carr Pond Dam at the Gilbert Stuart Birthplace and flows south for 6-miles forming the border between South Kingstown and Narragansett before entering Pettaquamscutt Cove and flowing out into Narragansett Bay above the Narragansett Town Beach and the Dunes Club.
Gilbert Stuart Stream
There are five distinct sections of the Narrow River – the Upper Pond, the Lower Pond, the "Upper Narrows" from Bridgetown Road and Middlebridge Road, the “Flats” at Pettaquamscutt Cove, and the “Lower Narrows” at Cormorant Point where the river flows into the sea.
My original plan was to do a round-trip on the section from the Sprague Bridge on Boston Neck Road to Bridgetown Road – about 6-miles. The tide was high at 11:30, so we would launch around 10:30 and paddle up on an incoming tide and back down on an outgoing tide. As it turned out, we didn't follow that plan.
Birds at Pettaquamscutt Cove
We put in at the Sprague Bridge and headed upstream into the "Flats" at Pettaquamscutt Cove and the John H Chafee National Wildlife Refuge. Established in 1973, the refuge includes over 300-acres of saltmarsh around Pettaquamscutt Cove that provides habitat for shore birds like gulls, egrets, herons, and cormorants. For many years it was also home to the little red shack on Sedge Island, which was demolished in 2016.
We continued past Middlebridge Road and the Narrow River Fishing Area on Pollock Avenue. This is also a nice put-in, but has limited parking for a group. From there we entered the Upper Narrows between Middlebridge Road and Bridgetown Road. This section of the river is lined with boat docks and summer houses.
Cormorant Point
When we got to Bridgetown Road we decided to change the plan and keep going. We paddled up the Lower Pond, through Casey's Sill, across the Upper Pond, and up Gilbert Stuart Stream as far as we could before turning around.
The trip back was a bit of a slog. The wind picked up and it actually takes several hours for the tide to turn that far upstream - who knew. We were paddling into a headwind and against the tide. Once we got back to Sprague Bridge, Tony and I paddled down to the beach at the Lower Narrows. Total distance for the day was around 12-miles - glad I was in my sea kayak.
Scheduled releases on the Fife Brook section of the Deerfield River end in October. With three weeks of travel coming up for work, I knew I would have to go this weekend if I wanted to catch one. When I saw a trip on theMOC Facebook page, I decided to join.
It was a typical release for this time of year – 800 cfs from 12:00 to 4:00. The Charlemont gage hit around 850 cfs with water flowing in from the small creeks. We had a group of 6 - 2 canoes, 2 kayaks and 2 paddle boards. We met at 11:30 to run the shuttle. We started downstream a little after 12:00. With a small group things go fast, but we still spent a lot of time playing.
Freight Train
Only the two canoes (me and Steve) ran Zoar Gap. I took my usual right-to-left line. I got spun around a little going into the big drop, but I was able to straighten it out and apply a good forward stroke before hitting the wave at the bottom. Steve took the left line, and made it through fine.
This was my second trip in my Millbrook Outrage, and I am really liking it. It surfs great and I bail it out with a sponge. The only problem is dumping the boat is no longer an excuse to get out and stretch.
I guess I didn’t do enough rock dodging rocks and boat dragging last week on the Allagash, because I was out in my Yellowstone Solo this morning for a low level run on the canal/river loop at River Bend Farm. At 3.2 feet, the river was low, but I have run it lower. On the river there were a lots of strainers to avoid, and I got out in several places to walk. The canal also had a lot of wood, including one tree that crossed the entire canal that I had to lay down in the boat to get under. No pictures today.
Every paddling trip is an adventure, and this one was no exception. Jonathan, Bill, Dan and I accepted the challenge of bad roads, blown tires and low water, and had a great trip on the Allagash. We ran the section from Churchill Dam to Michaud Farm with a day to explore Churchill Lake.
The State of Maine established the Allagash Wilderness Waterway in 1966 to preserve this unique section of the North Maine Woods. It is a 92.5-mile state park along the Allagash River that begins at Telos Lake and ends in Allagash Village. It is also one of the original "Wild and Scenic" rivers. While surrounded by commercial woodlands, logging is prohibited within 1-mile of the river. It can be reached only by traveling for miles on dirt logging roads.
Campsite at The Jaws
We met at Jonathan’s house in Wiscasset on Sunday to load the boats and consolidate our gear. On Monday morning we were up early and heading north. We made a quick stop at Dunkin Donuts in Augusta for breakfast. As I was drinking my coffee in the parking lot, I noticed a screw in my passenger side rear tire. That meant a stop at Tire Warehouse for a repair before we moved on.
We got back on the road at around 10:30 and headed north to Greenville. We stopped at the Indian Hill Trading Post for sandwiches before starting our trip down 90-miles of dirt logging roads to the put-in. We stopped for lunch at the Cribworks on the West Branch of the Penobscot, registered at the Telos Checkpoint, and then continued on to Churchill Dam. We managed fine until we reached the road down to the dam – McCluskey Brook Road. It was filled with huge ruts and pot holes. About a mile from the dam I blew out my driver’s side rear tire. Fortunately, I had a real spare tire in addition to the donut. We got it changed and continued down to the dam.
Running Chase Rapid
At the dam we checked in with the ranger, packed up the boats and headed off to our first campsite – The Jaws. It was late and we debated staying at the dam, but Jonathan’s 1-hp trolling motor (the "put-put") made quick work of the crossing. The campsite was open and we got to work unloading the boats, setting up camp, and gathering firewood. Dinner was Jonathan’s Fried Fish and Maine Guide Potatoes. It was a chilly night, but we all sat around the fire until 10:00.
On Tuesday we planned to motor down to Eagle Lake to see the trains and tramway, so we had an early breakfast and headed out. It was calm as we started, but the wind was picking up as we got to John’s Bridge at the end of Churchill Lake. Its a 20-mile round trip, so we decided not to chance it. We turned around and stopped at Scofield Point for lunch on the way back to camp.
Crossing Umsaskis Lake
We were back in camp in the early afternoon, so we decided to walk down to the dam to check out the Churchill Depot History Center Museum. We were back in camp again in time for our sunset G&T’s and dinner - Jonathan's pan-fried salmon. We sat around the fire and enjoyed the stars until it was time for bed.
It was a chilly morning on Wednesday as we were to begin our trip down the river. Dan brought a bunch of fresh peaches that he got from a neighbor, so we made blueberry-peach french toast bake in the Dutch oven for breakfast. Then we packed up camp and headed back to Churchill Dam to run the Chase Rapids. We met the Ranger at the dam who shuttled our gear down to Bissonette Bridge so we could run the rapids empty.
Sitting around the breakfast fire
Chase Rapids is a short set of class II rapids just below the dam. Water level is controlled at the dam, and it generally runs around 500 cfs. After the rapids, the river alternates between quickwater and class I rapids. Everyone made it through fine.
We collected our gear at Bissonette Bridge and continued downstream to Chisholm Brook for lunch. From there, it is a short paddle down the river, and an easy trip with the put-put motor across Umsaskis Lake and into Long Lake. Our campsite for the evening was Grey Brook. We had planned to camp across Long Lake at Jalbert, but another group beaten us to it.
Clouds over Long Lake
We settled into our familiar routine – unload the boats, set up camp and gather fire wood. Dinner was Dan’s gnocchi with zucchini and pesto. We were all tired, but still managed to sit around the fire until around 9:00.
It was another chilly morning on Thursday as we got up to light the fire and start the coffee. After breakfast we packed up the boats for the trip down to Round Pond. Jonathan’s putt-putt motor made quick work of the remaining section of Long Lake.
Passing the American Elms
At the bottom of Long Lake is the Long Lake Dam. Due to metal spikes in old timbers it is recommended that you portage on the right. We portage all the gear and Jonathan’s Explorer, but Bill ran the Penobscot 17 down the left side and made it through fine.
We were paddling into a strong headwind below Long Lake. It was a bit of a slog, but we continued downstream and stopped at Sweeney Brook for lunch. Before long, we paddled under the Henderson Bridge, past the American Elm trees and into Round Pond.
Heading out from Round Pond
Our campsite for the night was Outlet. We would have preferred Inlet, but once again it was taken. The firewood crew went to work collecting and cutting wood for the night. Dinner was steak tips and scalloped potatoes. We sat around the fire until 9:00, then called it an early night.
Dan was up early on Friday to light the fire and start the coffee. I rolled out of the tent at around 6:15. Breakfast was pancakes and home fries in the Big Daddy skillet, and we were soon packing up our gear and heading out.
Visiting the Lombard Log Haulers
We paddled out of Round Pond into the Round Pond Rips, which were low and scratchy at around 450 cfs. We were out of the boats often to wade through the shallows. Eventually, we arrived at the Musquacook Deadwater where we fired up the put-put motor for the trip down to Five Fingers Brook. We stopped for lunch at Bass Brook, and stopped at Cunliffe Depot to see the Lombard Log Haulers.
From there it was a quick run-down to our campsite for the night at Ramsay Ledge. We were hoping for Cunliffe Depot, but the same group of paddlers beat us there again. Maybe it was just as well. Ramsay Ledge was a bigger site with with grass and lots of sunshine. Dinner was hot dogs and beans. We enjoyed the fire one last time before tuning in for the night.
The take out at Michaud Fram
On Saturday, we needed to be down to Michuad Farm by 9:00 to meet Norm L’Italien from Pelletier's Campground for the shuttle back to our cars. Since my good spare was already on the car, we decided to head out by a shorter route through the Six Mile Checkpoint in Ashland.
About 10-miles in to the 50-mile trip over dirt logging roads, I blew another tire. This time, I had to put on the donut. We drove 40-miles down dirt logging roads at 10-miles per hour hoping the donut would last. It did, but by then it was too late to get the tire fixed. We ran the donut another 100-miles on the highway to get to Jonathan's house in Wiscasset. The "little donut that could" pulled us through. I was able to get a new tire on Sunday morning, and headed home.
I was back at the Slatersville Reservoir - this time with AMC Narraganset Chapter. It was a nice afternoon for a leisurely paddle, and I picked up the RICKA Volunteer of the Year trophy from Sharon.
I knew I was going to have a busy weekend, so when a saw a post for a Friday afternoon trip on Fife Brook I decided to join. This would be the first whitewater run in my new Millbrook Outrage, and I got Paul to come along as well.
We met at 12:30 at the take out below the Gap. I was surprised how many people were around for a weekday trip. We had 11 in our group – 4 canoes and 7 kayaks – and there were 3 other groups organizing to get on the river. The release was 800 cfs – an OK level, but a little boney in spots.
Running Zoar Gap
We got on the water at around 1:15, and I could tell right away that the composite Outrage was different than its Royalex cousin. It’s hard to describe, but it made the Royalex version feel a little sluggish. The composite boat was definitely faster, the turns were crisper, and it was really dry. I've always admired the Millbrook guys who were bailing out their boats with sponges – now I know why.
We worked out way downstream, and the boat felt more comfortable the more I paddled it. When we finally got to Zoar Gap I was the last one to go through. I caught a couple of eddies on the left on the way down, and the two big rocks on the right before heading in. I took the line from right to left, and made it through fine.
There have been three different versions of the "Gap" since I started paddling in 2006. Back in the old days there was an easy "sneak" route on the far right (red). That got filled with rocks during Tropical Storm Irene in 2012. After that, I usually eddied out at the top and tried to go right or left of "Oh Shit Rock" in the middle of the second drop, with mixed success (yellow going right). After flooding in 2023 things got moved around again. The eddy at the top got squirrely, the right line got blocked by rocks, but cutting directly from right to left got a lot easier (blue). There has always been a kayak line of the far left (green). Here are some of my runs over the years:
I had a nice night with the Blackstone Valley Paddle Club at the Slatersville Reservoir. I paddled tandem with Cheryl. We put in at the State Boat Ramp and paddled up the Branch River until it got too shallow.
I have my grandson’s birthday today, and a visit to Rehoboth and my brother’s cookout in NH tomorrow, so there will be no paddling trips for me this weekend. I did get out this morning for a quick trip to Lincoln Woods in the Millbrook. It felt good on flatwater, but I need to get it out on some whitewater - maybe Fife Brook next week.
I'm planning another Allagash trip with Jonathan in September - this time with Bill and Dan. As usual, we'll do five nights on the river with a spare/layover day to explore the lakes. Here’s the schedule:
Sunday, September 7th - assemble at Jonathan’s in Wiscasset in time for dinner.
Monday, September 8th – leave Wiscasset early for the 5-hour drive to Churchill Dam - camp at the Jaws.
Tuesday, September 9th - spare day to explore the lakes – another night at the Jaws. I would love to get down to Eagle Lake to see the trains and tramway if the putt-putt engine is working - 20-mile round trip.
Wednesday, September 10th – run Chase Rapids - camp at the Ledges on Umsaskis or Jalberts on Long Lake.
Thursday, September 11th - Long Lake Dam (portage) - camp at Inlet or Outlet on Round Pond.
Friday, September 12th - Round Pond to Five Finger Brook - camp at Five Finger Brook or Cunliffe Depot. I wouldn’t mind seeing the log haulers at Cunliffe Depot again.
Saturday, September 13th – early start down to Michaud Farm to meet Norm L’Italien (Pelletier’s Campground) for the ride back to Churchill Dam. Drive back to Wiscasset for dinner, or the long drive home.
We'll paddle tandem in Jonathan's Explorers. We’ll bring coolers with real food for as long as possible. Lunches and drinks are BYO. Jonathan will bring cooking gear and G&T for the 6:30 sundown meeting. Everyone will bring their own chair, camping gear, coffee mug, and other refreshments. We'll have to figure out who’s doing what for meals, and the remaining group gear.
There are rivers that aren’t too difficult if you take the right lines, but can be brutal if you don’t. I was on one of these rivers on Saturday – the Dead in ME, and I paid the price for a bad line on the last rapid - Lower Poplar. My first swim of the year.
The Dead is one of the longest continuous whitewater runs in the Northeast with approximately thirty rapids along a fourteen-mile stretch. The river is mostly boulder-type rapids with lots of holes and pour-overs. The shoreline has thick vegetation that grows right up to the river's edge that can make it difficult to rescue swimmers or bail out an open boat. The major named rapids are:
Spencer Rips –big weaves are to the right, big eddy below on left to stop and regroup.
Minefield (2 miles) – long boulder garden with big waves and lots of holes – difficulty increases where the river turns left.
Hyden’s – (3 miles) good lunch spot – run in middle and stay out of holes.
Gravel Pit (4.5 miles)
Enchanted Stream (7 miles) – another good lunch spot.
Elephant Rock – (7.5 miles) a river wide ledge immediately below Enchanted Stream. You can run the big waves in the center, or the slot on the right between Elephant Rock and the rock wall.
Mile Long (8.5 miles) – another long boulder garden with big waves and lots of holes. There is an eddy on the left about half-way down
Upper Spruce Ledge (10.5 miles)
Lower Spruce Ledge (11 miles)
Upper Poplar Falls (11.5 miles) – short but intense rapid filled with rocks and holes. Go right and stay away from holes – stop in big eddy bottom right.
Lower Poplar Falls (12 miles) – a longer intense rapid that tumbles down the left side in huge wave trains and large holes. Left is hero line with lots of dangerous holes. The right line along the boulder garden is the usual open boat route.
Heading out
I picked up Paul for the six hour drive up to the Forks. We stayed in a two-person cabin-tent at Northern Outdoors. We had a small fire on Friday before settling in for the night.
We were up early Saturday morning to meet our group and the shuttle. We were paddling with the Penobscot Paddle and Chowder Society - aka the Chowder Heads. We had a group with 13 boats – 6 canoes, 6 kayaks and 1 shredder.
Charlie in one of the unnamed rapids
Old-time Dead River paddlers probably remember Webb’s Shuttle Service run by Ed Webb. Webb's (later Riverdrivers) no longer provides shuttle service, so we met the new shuttle company - Ironbound Outdoors - at 8:00 at the Public Takeout on Dead River Roar in West Forks.
With the large group of MVP'ers running the Dead for a step-up weekend, it took forever to load the boats. We finally got on the road around 9:30, and got to the river about 45 minutes later after a long, bumpy, dusty trip down 20-miles of dirt logging roads. We finally got on the water around 11:00.
Paul running Lower Poplar
The release was supposed to be 2,400 cfs, but was closer to 2,100 cfs with 25 cfs from Spencer Stream - a nice class II/III. At lower levels (1,200 cfs to 1,800 cfs) it is primarily class II except for the very first, and last couple of rapids. At medium levels (2,000 cfs to 3,500 cfs) it is mostly class III. At higher levels (4,500 cfs to–8,000 cfs) it is class IV.
We ran through Spencer Rips, Minefield and some other unnamed rapids before stopping for lunch at Hayden's. Then we ran Hayden's, Gravel Pit and some other unnamed rapids before taking a break at Enchanted Stream. Paul wanted to get some video so I ran the big waves in the middle of the ledge at Elephant Rock rather than the shoot on the right.
Erik running Lower Poplar
The next major rapid was Mile Long – another long boulder garden with big waves and lots of holes I filled my boat about half way down, but was able to empty it in a big eddy on the left before finishing the rapid. After running the Upper and Lower Spruce Ledges we took a break at the Poplar Portage Trail before taking on Upper and Lower Poplar.
Upper Poplar is a short but intense rapid filled with rocks and holes. Most of us ran it to the right and made it through fine. Lower Poplar was another story. The river turns right along a boulder garden as the water tumbles down the left side in huge wave trains and large holes.
Swimming Lower Poplar
Most of the open boats took the right line along the seam between the boulder garden and the big holes. As I was coming down I saw Charlie flip in front of me. I got around him to the left, but now I was out in the big holes and pour-overs. Before long, my boat was full of water and I was struggling to keep it upright, never mind avoiding the rocks and holes. About half way down, I went sideways over a large rock into a hole, and over I went.
As I swam downstream I looked back to see my canoe still stuck in the hole. That was the least of my problems. Swimming through rapids is something that I try to practice, but it doesn’t match the real experience. First, I swam though a series of “haystacks” or standing waves where you have to breathe in the trough, and hold your breath as you go through the wave - breathe, glug, breathe, glug, breathe, glug.
Reunited with my boat at the bottom of Lower Poplar
After the waves, I could see a horizon line downstream indicating that I was approaching a rock with a hole on the other side. I tucked into a ball as best I could as I went into the hole. When I came out the other side Paul was yelling at me to swim hard to the left shore since I was approaching another big hole. I wasn’t making much progress so I threw away my paddle thinking that would allow me to swim better. After more waves, rocks and holes, I finally got myself to shore. It was about a 200-yard swim, but it seemed like forever.
After I caught my breath I looked over and could see Paul on the other side of the river with my boat. I hiked downstream and was about to jump in the shredder for a ride to the other side when Craig paddled over towing my boat. I had paddled through 30 rapids over 14-miles only to swim the last 200-yards. We had 3 other open boaters swim Lower Poplar, so I guess I shouldn't feel too bad.
The swim earned me a new poem from Tom.
It’s really not an Outrage, until one’s stood on end. But chill we will baptised beginning, again, again, again.
If that ol’ paddler’s adage, “Ya ain’t really learnin’ unless yer gettin’ wet,” holds any water, we’re gonna have t’call ya, Doctor Dunk, Erik.
