Millville Rapid - August 30th

Well, we didn’t get as much rain as we hoped for, but five of us (Eric, Andy, Jeff, Paul and Erik) did get out for an easy run on the Blackstone – 10 miles from River Bend Farm to the Blackstone Gorge. We did get enough rain to bring the river up nicely - 3.75 ft on the Northbridge guage. There were lots of strainers, but nothing that we couldn’t float over or around. Got a chance to try our my new camera at the Millville Rapid – broke my last one when I dropped it on the kitchen floor. The new camera is a Pentax Optio W60 - HD video is cool.


Millville Rapid from Erik Eckilson on Vimeo.

Links:
My pictures
My video
Jeff's video

A Summer Day on Fife Brook - August 16th

It was a typical August day - sunny and hot. For most people, that’s beach weather. For me, it’s a great dayfor a trip out to the Deerfield River.

The Deerfield runs 73 miles across southern Vermont and northwestern Massachusetts before it empties into the Connecticut River. It is a beautiful river that cuts a deep valley through scenic mountains and hills. Releases at several hydroelectric dams provide paddling opportunities for boaters of all skill levels throughout the summer.

Advanced paddlers often head to “The Dryway” in Monroe Bridge. This is a class III-IV section of river for experienced whitewater paddlers. RICKA has several paddlers who regularly paddle the Dryway, but I’m not one of them.

For me, the Fife Brook Section is more appropriate. This section runs 9 miles from the Fife Brook Dam down to the Shunpike Rest Area in Charlemont. It is mostly class II, with the exception of Zoar Gap in the middle which is class III.

I picked up Paul at 7:30 and we headed off to the river. It takes a couple of hours to get there, so its always nice to have someone along to share the ride. We arrived at the Zoar Gap Picnic Area around 10:00. Jeff, Andy, Don and Karen were already there. Peter and Linda pulled in a few minutes later. We arranged the shuttle, and by 10:30 we were on the river.

The day was hot and the water was clear and cold. I knew I’d be doing some swimming before the day was through. Just downstream from the put-in is the first rapid known as “Hangover Helper”. At this rapid, a ledge extends across most of the river resulting in a 2-foot drop followed by a long wave train. If you’re still asleep, or perhaps a little hung-over, this rapid will wake you up fast. We ran the drop and played in the waves before moving downstream.

The next rapid - “Carbis Bend” - is similar but smaller. A ledge extends out from the left side of the river producing a couple of easy surf waves. Even those too timid to do any surfing at Hangover Helper will generally give it a try at Carbis Bend, so it’s a popular place to stop. We pulled over, enjoyed the sunshine, and took turns on the waves.

Just downstream from Carbis Bend is a rapid known as “Freight Train”. This rapid starts with a long wave train and ends with a large surf wave. The rapid takes its name from the speed that many people build up running through the waves, and the railroad bridge just downstream that carries freight trains across the river. We stopped for lunch and had fun playing, and watching others play in the waves.

After Freight Train is a long rapid known as “Pinball”. With scattered rocks and ledges, it’s a great place to practice eddy turns, peel outs and ferries. By this time, I was hot enough for a swim, so we decided to do some throw bag practice. We pulled over next to a long, easy rapid across from a sandy beach know as “Miami Beach”. Andy positioned himself with a throw bag at the bottom of the rapid near a large eddy, as I walked up the top. Once Andy was ready, I eased myself into the current and got into a defensive swimming position – on my back, feet raised and pointed downstream. At the bottom of the rapid Andy threw me the line and swung me out of the rapid and into the eddy below - perfect.

After Pinball is the most difficult rapid on this section of the river – Zoar Gap. Four of us decided to run the Gap and continue downstream to the Shunpike Rest Area. There are three routes through the Gap – left, right and center – each requiring a different combination of moves. After scouting from shore, we all decided to take the center route.

I was the sweep boat and watched from an eddy on the left as Jeff, Andy and Paul disappeared down into the rapid. As I was sitting in the eddy, I noticed a couple of tubers climbing down the bank to the river, but didn’t think too much of it. I had my own issues to worry about.

I crossed the river and eddied out behind a large rock just above the Gap. From there, I set up for my run and headed into the rapid. Only then did I realize that one of the tubers that I had seen earlier was also on his way into the Gap. He swamped in a big hole in front of me, and was getting circulated around as I came though. I thought I was going to run him over, but fortunately he flushed out just before I got there. I bounced my way through the rest of the rapid and pulled into an eddy at the bottom with Jeff and Paul. Andy was a little further downstream emptying his boat. Three successful runs and one successful swim – not bad.

The rest of the run down to the Shunpike Rest area was uneventful. At 4:30, we pulled off the river and got everyone back to their cars. It’s a long ride home, but for such a great day, its worth it.

Links:
Video of Jeff's run through Zoar Gap
River description from American Whitewater

Farmington - Collinsville to Unionville – July 26th

Jim, Paul, Jeff and I took a ride out to CT to run the Farmington from Collinsville to Unionville with CT locals Matt, Scott and Aaron. You couldn’t have asked for a nicer day – sunny and warm. The river itself is a nice class II with lots of boulder gardens and a couple of fun rapids.  At 1,700 cfs, it was as high as I had ever seen it.   I took the only significant swims. The first was a long one - probably a quarter mile through the entire Crystal rapid. Here's Matt's description from P-net:

“My local run was quite high for a few weeks, and Aaron and I were paddling daily. The normal class II turned into a much different animal. So the weekend comes and I'm really up for heading out of town, trying something else, but I get an e-mail from my favorite paddling bud in the whole universe wanting to come over and play. Okay, we'll hit this run again. We come into the very start of the longest biggest rapid and this bud of mine goes into a hole and starts side surfing. Gee, I think, that hole looked too big all week, but hey, if my bud can do it, I sure can, so I start to eddy out and wait my turn. Well, all the sudden...WHOOOMP, and my bud gets windowshaded, paddle looking like a turbine fan blade, over he goes. Boat goes one way, buddy goes another at a rock, Jeff Budz rights the boat ONE HANDED, and only lets go when I tell him what's ahead. My anonymous bud has a long long swim. The rest of us eddy out at a bend, my spot takes me along a bank where a family is having a cookout. Eck’s canoe comes bouncing down the river, eddies itself out next to me. Two kids look at the canoe and ask "is that for rent?" I point to the blue helmet bobbing down the river, slightly bloody body attached, fortunately still alive and kickin', and say "ah, it's already spoken for."

My second was in the Boateater rapid trying to get a picture of Jim. Just as I snapped the picture, I hit a rock and went over. Jim thought it was funny as you can see by the picture below.

All in all, a great day with great company.

Links:
Jeff's video
River description from American Whitewater

Northern Forest Canoe Trail - Errol to Groveton, NH

RICKA crew - Erik, Jim, Bill, Chuck and Milke

It was a long, dark drive up to Errol, New Hampshire. Chuck, Mike and Bill had left earlier in the day so they could scout out the river. I had to work, and didn’t leave Waltham, Massachusetts until after 6:00 p.m. - right in the middle of rush hour traffic.

It was already dark when I got through the Franconia Notch. I followed Route 3 north toward Groveton, and then I took Route 110 along the Upper Ammonoosuc River toward Errol. It was getting late, and I was anxious to get to the hotel. For several miles, I was stuck behind a van going very slowly, even for this remote area. When we finally hit a straight section of road, I sped past – big mistake.

I wasn’t more than a quarter-mile down the road when something big ran out in front of me. I slammed on the brakes and laid on the horn. Fortunately, I stopped in time. In the middle of the road in front of me stood a large female moose. After a few seconds she lost interest and trotted off into the woods. Now I know why that van was moving so slowly.

Erik

For the past couple of years, Chuck, Mike and Bill have been paddling their way though sections of the Northern Forest Canoe Trail. Covering 740 miles, the Northern Forest Canoe Trail links rivers and lakes across northern New York and New England from Old Forge, New York to Fort Kent, Maine. I had been invited to join their trips several times in the past, but always had a conflict. When they told me that their next trip would be the Androscoggin and the Upper Ammonoosuc in New Hampshire, I decided that I had to go. The Androscoggin was the first whitewater river that I ran with my father in 1990.

My first day started early – breakfast with Bill at 7:00 AM. After breakfast, Jim Cole and Tommy Taylor met us at the hotel. We got on our gear and headed off to the river. We would be paddling 16 miles down the Androscoggin River. The Androscoggin starts in Errol and runs 178 miles across New Hampshire and Maine until in empties into the Kennebec River. The section we would be paddling includes the Thirteen Mile Woods – one of the prettiest sections of the river.

We shuttled our cars and put-in below the dam in Errol around 9:30 a.m. The river starts off with some class II rapids, and then alternates between flatwater, quickwater and easy whitewater down to the Pontook Dam. For much of the morning it was pouring rain – I mean POURING - but that didn’t dampen our spirits.

Jim and Bill

The rain came and went, and we had a great time. Along the way we saw lots of wildlife including osprey, loons, heron, and even a bald eagle. I must admit, on such a cold rainy day, it was nice to go back to the hotel for a hot shower after the paddle. That’s what I call roughing it.

The second day of our trip was a 9-mile run on the Upper Ammonoosuc. We shuttled our cars down to the take-out in the village of Stark. Stark sits at the base of a steep granite cliff called The Pulpit. With its picturesque covered bridge over the Upper Ammonoosuc, it is one of the prettiest New England villages that I have seen.

The Upper Ammonoosuc is much smaller than the Androscoggin. It twists and turns through cow fields and woodlands across the top of NH until it ultimately empties into the Connecticut River. The previous day’s rain had brought the level up nicely.

Mike

The river was mostly quickwater with lots of maneuvering needed to get through the twists and turns. The day ended with a couple of class II rapids as we entered the village of Stark. We had a good time playing in the rapids, and only had to pull our boats on shore to be home for the night at the Stark Inn Bed & Breakfast.

Unfortunately, this would be the end of my trip. I needed to leave early to be home for Saturday. As luck would have it, Chuck, Mike and Jim had to leave the next morning as well, leaving only Bill and Tommy to finish the trip.

By the time Bill and Tommy put-in on Saturday morning, the river had dropped a foot from the previous day’s level, but there was still plenty of water. From Stark to Groveton, the river was a mix of quickwater and class I rapids with two dams – one they ran, one they portaged.  Their day ended at another picturesque covered bridge in Groveton.

Upper Ammonoosuc from Erik Eckilson on Vimeo.

Links:

Pictures

Video 
Androscoggin Watershed

First run of 2009 – Branch River

Mike said that there would be ice, but I had no idea.  I did this run last year with Chuck and Tommy, and things were pretty fluid, so I thought I knew what to expect.  Boy was I wrong. 

I got together with Mike yesterday for a belated New Year’s run on the Branch River in RI. Its about an 8 mile run with lots of flatwater, some quickwater and 4 short rapids.  There are also two short portages.  Mike and I were joined by Joe and Ken – avid sea kayakers who haven’t been able to paddle on the bay lately because of the cold, windy conditions.  I was in my whitewater canoe.  Mike was poling his Explorer.  Ken and Joe were in whitewater kayaks.

We met at the dam in Harrisville around noon.  As we unloaded our boats, a small crowd gathered to watch us put in.  I don’t know where they came from, probably the nearby library or diner, but they seemed very interested in what we were doing.  I guess they don’t see a lot of paddlers in January.  We got our boats in the water and headed downstream.

Directly below the put-in is a rapid that nearly flipped me when I ran this section last year.  An old dam forms a ledge across most of the river which is then channeled into a shoot on the right side of the river under a bridge.  The trick is to catch one of the eddies below the ledge.  That allows you to set up for an easy run through the shoot.  Last year I missed the eddy and ended up broached on a rock downstream.  This year I had better luck.  I wouldn’t call it a clean run, but I made it through.

As we paddled downstream, the river twists and turns though pretty woodlands covered in snow.  After about 20 minutes, we came to the next rapid – Whipple Drop.   Its another broken dam resulting in ledge with a 2-½ foot drop.  No problem – everyone made it through clean.

We paddled for another couple of miles and approached the first portage at the Glendale Dam.  Mike told us there would be ice here, and he was right.  A solid sheet of ice extended back from the dam as least ¼ of a mile.  Mike poled into the ice acting as an icebreaker for the smaller boats.  It was slow going, but eventually he pushed up onto ice that was thick enough to walk on.  At that point, we were able to get out and walk to the take-out on ice close to shore dragging our boats behind us. 

After a quick break for lunch, we put in below the Oakland Dam.   Joe and Ken did a short seal launch into the river.  I followed – nothing big, but it was still fun.  For the next 3 miles, the river is mostly quickwater with two short rapids – the Glendale rapid and the Atlas Pallet or Mohegan rapid.  Since it was getting late, we moved along quickly to get the next portage.  We expected to find ice, and we did.

Once again, ice extended back at least ¼ of a mile from the dam.   Mike poled up to the solid ice and we were then able to get out and drag out boats downstream.  As we approached the next dam, though, we realized that we had made a mistake.  The portage was on the other side of the river.  Joe got back in his boat, and using ice picks, pulled himself across the ice to the other sided dragging a rope behind him.  He was then able to pull Ken and I, boat and all, across the river.  From there, the portage was just a short walk away.

Except for Joe’s seal launch down a steep curving slope (didn’t get this one on video) at the next put-in, the rest of the trip was uneventful.  We pulled into the take-out at around 4:00 and shuttled back to get the cars before dark.  It wasn’t the trip I expected, but it was still a lot of fun. Some video here:

Branch River from Erik Eckilson on Vimeo.