Blackstone Canal/River Loop - Lonsdale to Ashton - May 3, 2015

I had a busy weekend, and the only time I could paddle was early Sunday morning, so I got out to run the Blackstone Canal/River Loop from Lonsdale to Ashton.  I thought that the canal would be clogged with blow-downs, but it was actually clear. 

Last week, a couple in a canoe apparently flipped trying to get under the buoys to run the tube at the Pratt Dam – not a smart idea.  What’s left of their canoe is still pinned on a log in front of the dam.  Fortunately they got to shore without incident. If you are going to do this run, the take out is to the right above the buoys.

Canal/River Loop - Lonsdale to Ashton from Erik Eckilson on Vimeo.

Lower Millers - April 26, 2015

Paul scouts as Norma goes left

Four from RICKA (Erik, Paul, Dan and Pat) hooked up with a group from Where’s the Whitewater at? – twelve boats in all.  The river was at a nice level for me – 3.8 feet, 1,200 cfs.  We put in at the railroad bridge below the Farley Flats.  The rapids get a little more difficult as you approach the Funnel, but are still mostly class II/II+

I decided to walk the Funnel to get some pictures.  This also allowed me to get a better look at the lines.  Norma went left and caught a shore eddy about half way down, which set her up to run the drop at the bottom. 

Glenn catches a right side eddy

Glenn went right, also caught a shore eddy about half way down.  He then had to cut left after the big rock to avoid the ledge drop at the bottom of the rapid on the right side.

Paul and Pat went left of center.  Pat flipped in a hole and did an amazing roll to recover – I’ve never seen a boat flip back up that fast. I wish I caught it on video - it was amazing.

Below the Funnel are some more class II/II+ rapids down the Millers Falls.  We took out at the bridge in the center of town and skiped the flatwater down to Dorsey Road.

Pat runs the center left line after a great combat roll

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Erving Gage
Running the Funnel - center left line by Adam Attarian on 1/19/15 @ 4.2 feet
River Description from American Whitewater

Upper Saco

Here's a video of the Upper Saco at about 1.5 feet:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wceBX6q6X8k&feature=share

It is mostly class II at this level - a good level for me.  Above 3 feet it is continuous class III/IV. There are some tougher rapids at the end that aren't included in this video.

Jim O'Brien Memorial Paddle - April 18, 2015

Gathering round the play wave

Other than missing the exit and driving 25 miles out of our way (50 miles round trip), we had a great day on the Knightville section of the Westfield. Just for future reference, the directions to Knightville are:

1. Take exit 3 off the Mass Pike
2. Turn right on Route 10/202 south toward Westfield
3. Turn right on Route 20 west

It couldn’t be easier - not sure how I screwed it up.

Paul runs the Gorge Drop

Anyway, Paul, Andy and I headed out to the Westfield for the Jim O'Brien Memorial Paddle. The river was at a nice level – 1,000 cfs. Much higher and it starts to wash out.  Much lower and it starts to get boney. 

We put in at the picnic area at the base of the Knightville Dam, and took out at the Gazebo on Route 20. The river is mostly class II/II+ rock dodging until you enter the Gorge in the Gardner State Park.

Surfing below the bridge

There are two drops in the Gorge section. The first is about 25 yards long that I ran to the right (there is also a trickier shoot to the left that I ran last year with Glenn). The second is a 4-foot ledge known as the Gorge Drop. It can be seen from upstream by a big rock in the middle of the river. You run this just to the right of the rock, and move left to catch the eddy, or at least avoid the big haystacks downstream.

From the Gorge Drop down to the take out there are some nice rock gardens separated by sections of quickwater.  Run took about 2 hours at a leisurely pace.  No swims to report.  Definitely a good day.

Knightville Gorge Drop from Erik Eckilson on Vimeo.

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Knightville Gage

Souhegan - April 12, 2015

Pat

We drove by two rivers to get there (the Quinapoxet and the Upper Millers), but it still was nice try something new. Dan, Pat, Paul and I ran the upper Souhegan from the class III put-in in Greenville to the Route 101 Bridge in Wilton.  

The Souhegan River is a popular spring run that flows through Greenville and Wilton on its way to the Merrimack River. The river is small, only about 30' wide on average, with lots of blind corners, rocks and strainers to avoid.

Paul

The level was OK (5.75 ft, 800 cfs on the Milford gage) - a little low but still fluid. The first mile is steep and creek-like with class II+/III rapids - like an easier version of the middle section of New Boston.  The most difficult rapid is the Ledges – a boulder garden followed by a series of two 1-foot ledges.  Somehow, I got turned around and ran the second ledge backwards. 

Once you reach the Route 31 Bridge (also the put-in for a class II run), the river mellows and runs through a pretty valley covered in Hemlock trees. There are still plenty of rocks and strainers to keep you occupied.

Dan

We had one swimmer – me. I hit a rock (Bang Rock?) coming down a drop in the class II section and took a swim.  Still, it’s a beautiful river, and I was surprised to see so much snow still on the ground.

Tommy said that we took out too early.   He says that Trash Dump and Horseshoe Falls on the lower section are well worth running, and that the pizza in Wilton is worth the trip all by itself - next time.

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Upper Souhegan from American Whitewater
Lower Souhegan from American Whitewater

Souhegan Gage - Milford

Branch River Icebreaker - March 22, 2015

Whipple Drop

It was windy and cold at the put-in for the start of our annual Branch River Icebreaker trip - cold enough to discourage some of the old-timers, and that is not easy to do.  Still we had 6 die-hards willing to make the trip – 3 canoes (me, Jon and Jeff) and 3 kayaks (Scott, Phil and Mike).

The river was low (2.5 feet, 150 cfs) as we put-in below the old Stillwater Mill.  We tried paddling upstream to the Harrisville Dam, but in the shallow water a gravel bar blocked our way.  At higher water levels the Branch is a quickwater stream with a couple of tricky class II rapids.  At this water level finding a channel with enough water to float the boat was the main challenge.

Nasonville

We bounced our way down Whipple Drop, and maneuvered around a couple of blow-downs on our way to the first portage at the Glendale Dam. This is the traditional lunch stop, but we skipped it and went to Gators Pub after the trip for a beer and a burger instead. I wouldn't mind that becoming a new tradition. 

I had my first swim of the year doing a seal launch at Oakland. It was a small icy hill and my boat took off before I could pick up my paddle. Fortunately I was only in about 8 inches of water.

At the take-out

A couple of the crew bounced down the rocks in what is usually a fun rapid at Gendale.  I spared my boat and carried around.  We picked our way through the shallows down to Atlas Pallet where everyone was able to run the rapid.  From there there is an easy carry at Nasonville, and then an easy paddle to the take-out.  Fun day.

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Forestdale Gage

Crystal - March 15, 2015

Below Crystal Rapid

It’s finally starting to warm up here in southern New England.  It rained most of the day on Saturday, which got the local crew thinking that we’d have some paddling options on Sunday.  Unfortunately, even with the warm temperatures and rain, most of the rivers are still iced over or have dangerous ice shelves along the banks.  One of the few exceptions was the Crystal section of the Farmington River in CT. 

I’ve run this section of the Farmington many times before.  It’s an easy class I/II run with some rock gardens and a ledge at the end.  There were some huge sheets of ice on the banks, but the river itself was clear and ice free.  The put-in also has one of the best seal launching hills around.  It was definitely nice to be out on the water.

Crystal Seal Launches from Erik Eckilson on Vimeo.

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Seal launching video 

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