Tandem at the Scantic Spring Splash - March 29, 2024

Opening Ceremony 

I’m not much of a canoe racer, but I’ve always loved watching the carnage at the Scantic Spring Splash Canoe and Kayak Race – especially the tandem canoes. I have run the Scantic many times in my solo canoes. This year I wanted to try a tandem run, so I partnered with Aaron for a run in my Mohawk Whitewater 16.

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 on South Maple Street in Hazardville – about 5-miles. 

Competition takes a swim above Trestle

Much like RICKA’s old Branch River Race (AKA Rhode Island Whitewater Championship), the Scantic Spring Splash is a downriver race with four significant rapids. On the Branch the rapids are below the Harrisville Bridge, Whipple Drop, Glendale and Oakland. On the Scantic they are Trestle, Stokers, Chimney and Staircase. 

I dropped off my boat at the put-in and headed down to the barn to register with Aaron and pick up our bib. We got number 29. We then caught the shuttle bus back to the put-in. 

Running Stokers

After the mandatory safety meeting we got on the water at around noon with our class – Men's OC2 – Masters (AKA the “old fogey” group). There was only one other boat in our class, so we were guaranteed to place. We launched first and headed downstream. 

Even with the dam release the river was very low - .75-feet, 22 cfs on the Broad Brook gage. The race starts off with 2.5-miles of quickwater, and we scraped and bumped our way down the upper section. At one point we grounded on a gravel bar and got passed by our competition. The first of 5-times that the lead would change,  

Below Stokers

The removal of the Springborn Dam in 2017 created the first major rapid – Trestle. As we approached the rapid we saw our competitions swimming down the left side.  We went right, checked to make sure they were OK, and continued downstream. We were back in the lead. 

Shortly after Trestle is Stokers - a 3-foot ledge that needs to be run about 10 feet off the left bank. We ran the drop fine, but filled the boat up with water and needed to pull over to empty it out.  As we were emptying the boat our competition passed us again.

Running Staircase

We got back on the water and continued down some more quickwater. It wasn’t long before we saw our competition stuck on a gravel bar on the left.  We passed them to the right and were back in the lead. 

After some more quickwater we came to the next major rapid – Chimney.  It’s an “S-turn” through some rocky ledges that is run down the center. We made it through fine, but got hung up on a gravel bar at the bottom. Unfortunately, our competition grounded on the same gravel bar and blocked us in. They got back on the water first, so they were back in the lead.  

Staircase from the Bridge

We continued downstream to the last rapid – Staircase. It is exactly what you would expect - a series of ledges that look like a staircase with a large shoot at the bottom. We could see our competition out in front of us. At this point, our only chance to win would be if our competition swam the big drop at the bottom They didn’t, and neither did we.

It was fun paddling under the bridge at the finish line to the cheers of spectators above even if we were in second place. We hung around to collect our trophy at the awards ceremony before heading home.

Link:

My Pictures

My short video of the run

Aaron's longer video of the run

Richard Tanguay Slideshow at Stokers

Stuck on Staircase Video

Spring Splash Video from Staircase

Scantic Spring Splash website 

Broad Brook Gage

Planning for Spring Camping - Baskaheagan Stream

There’s finally a camping trip in the works. I only did a couple of overnight trips last year, and work is making it tough again this year, but we now have a spring trip on the calendar - the Baskaheagan in Maine.

Jonathan described this trip as an undiscovered gem with numerous campsites that allow for an easy 3 or 4 night trip. It’s mostly flatwater and lakes, but very pretty and remote. The trip is dependent on water levels and can typically be paddled from early May to early June, and in the fall when the water level is sufficient.

Based on Jonathan’s experience last year we can expect a somewhat boney run to the first campsite on the river. Then river/lake to the first island campsite. Then lake and quickwater to the second campsite. After that there is a short carry around the dam in Danforth followed by some class I/quickwater to the takeout above a class III pitch.

Here is the plan:

• May 16th – we all gather at Jonathan’s in Wiscasset.
• May 17th – pack up for the drive up to the White Farm Road put-in in Topsfield. Run the shuttle, and then paddle down to the Upper Baskaheagan Campsite for the night - 1.5 miles.
• May 18th – continue down Baskaheagan Stream to Baskaheagan Lake. Camp at either the Long Island or Round Island Campsites – 9-miles not including any exploration of the lake.
• May 19th – continue across Baskaheagan Lake and renter Baskaheagan Stream. Camp at the Narrows Campsite near Crooked Brook Flowage – 12 miles.
• May 20th – continue down Baskaheagan Stream to the take-out at 2000 Road in Bancroft with a portage of the dam in Danforth – 10 miles. Pack up and drive back to Wiscasset for the night.
• May 21st – get up early and drive home.

So far the group is me, Jonathan, Conrad, Ellen, and Jules. Should be a lot of fun. Here's hoping for water, nice weather, and not too many bugs.

Upper Millers - March 22, 2024

Running the Mile Long Rapid

With 3-inches of rain earlier this week lots of rivers came up. I saw lots of trips posted, but it really wasn’t a good time for me to take time off from work. Fortunately, the water lasted until Saturday, and I was able get out on the Upper Millers.

The Millers River arises in north-central MA and flows west for 52 miles to join the Connecticut River at Millers Falls. There are two sections that are popular for whitewater boating – the Upper Millers from Royalston to Athol (class II/III), and the Lower Millers from Erving to Millers Falls (class II/IV).

The crew on Mile Long

I got an early start and dropped my boat at the put-in at Blossom Street in Royalston before heading down to the take-out at Crescent Street in Athol. We had 14 boats (4 canoes, 10 kayaks) with folks from 6 states - MA, CT, RI, NY, NH and VT. The river was running at around 1,100 cfs – my favorite level. The waves aren’t too big, the water isn’t too pushy, and there are tons of eddies to catch and waves to surf. 

The first rapid is First Trestle that starts just downstream of the put-in and continues down to the first railroad bridge – lots of waves and rocks to dodge. After some surfing and jet ferries below the railroad bridge we continued downstream. The next major rapid is Mile Long. As the name suggests, it is a long rock garden that ends at the shelter at the Bearsden Conservation Area. We worked our way down rock-hopping and catching waves.

Running the Gorge

After a break at the Buckman Brook Shelter, we continued downstream. There are a couple of class II rapids including the wave train below the lunch spot before you reach the last major rapid – the Gorge. I ran the big hole at the top of the Gorge to the left and made it through fine.

After a couple more class II rapids we were at the take-out. Work on the new canoe access is progressing nicely. There is now a road under construction down the river, and a parking lot about half-way up. It will be nice when it is done.

Links:
My Pictures
Gages on the Upper Millers

"Getting to Know RICKA Night" at the Kayak Centre - March 20, 2025

We had a good turnout for our "Getting to Know RICKA Night" at the Kayak Centre – 34 in attendance plus the Kayak Centre staff. We had the leaders of each of the four RICKA practice groups – Flatwater, Sea Kayak, Whitewater and Wilderness – provide an overview of their groups. Then we raffled off 3 great gifts generously donated by the Kayak Centre. 

Links:
Getting to Know RICKA Presentation

Branch River Icebreaker – March 15, 2025

Below the Harrisville Dam

As a nod to all the years that RICKA ran the Branch River Race, we always try to run the Branch River on the traditional third weekend in March. We call it the "Branch River Icebreaker", but there hasn’t been any ice to break for the past few years. 

The Branch River Race/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.

Running Whipple Drop

For this year's Icebreaker we had eight paddlers in seven boats – three poling, three paddling solo and two paddling tandem. Mike H. joined us with his Royalex Wildfire, so I brought my Yellowstone Solo. With the low water it would have been easier to pole, but the Yellowstone was better for the portages.

We met at the put-in at the Stillwater Mill at 10:00 to run the shuttle. Since the usual take out is still posted “No Trespassing”, we were fortunate to be able to take out at Mike’s house. The river was low at 2.5 feet, 100 cfs – a good poling level, but not a great paddling level. Not the lowest that we have done, but pretty close.

Poling the Glendale Rapid

The first half of this trip is actually on the Clear River. There were a couple of good-size blowdowns in this section that we needed to carry over. I looked at Whipple Drop and took a pass. Everyone else ran it down the center and did fine. We continued downstream to Oakland, where the Branch is formed at the confluence of the Clear and Chepachet Rivers.

We took a break for lunch at the Oakland Dam before heading down to Glendale. With construction at the Victory Highway Bridge, we had to portage around a work platform floating in the river. The Glendale Rapid was shallow and very boney. Only Chuck was brave enough to run it – poling no less. The rest of us waded down the left side.

Running the Atlas Pallet Rapid

The quickwater section from Glendale to Atlas Pallet was very low. The polers did OK, but the paddlers bounced off rocks and struggled to find deep water. If you picked the wrong line you had to get out and drag your boat to deeper water. 

The Atlas Pallet Rapid looked OK, but it was also very shallow. I went first, took my usual left of center line, and got hung up on the rocks. I eventually worked myself free and made it down. The rest of the crew found deeper water on the right and had better luck.

Below the Nasonville Dam

It was easy paddling below Atlas Pallet as we got into the deadwater behind the Nasonville Dam. After portaging the dam, we were back in shallow water bouncing off rocks. Once we got past the Douglas Turnpike Bridge the water got deeper with the deadwater from the Slatersville Reservoir.

The take-out at Mike's house was a little muddy, but worked out fine. We dragged out boats up the path along the mill trench, loaded our boats and were on our way after another great trip.

The crew at the Oakland Dam

Links: 

My Pictures

Branch River Gage

River description from American Whitewater

Rhode Island Lighthouses

I'd like to get a picture of all of them from the water - I have a long way to go.

Links:

My Pictures

Noon Hill - March 2, 20205

From the top of Noon Hill

It was another chilly morning with no paddling trips that I could see, so I decided to join Papa Joe for his trip at Noon Hill in Medfield, MA.

Noon Hill is a prominent summit and scenic vista surrounded by 204-acres of open space. It offers 4.5 miles of hiking trails and is part of a larger network of open space that includes the Shattuck Reservation located to the northwest along the Charles River. A system of trails spans the two properties, some of which are part of the Bay Circuit Trail.

Along Holt Pond

We headed out from the parking lot at 158 Noon Hill Road in Medfield. At 370-feet, Noon Hill rises gently above the surrounding landscape giving great views to the southeast of neighboring Walpole and Norfolk.

Icy conditions along with rocks and roots that could snag on micospikes made the trails a little treacherous. We followed the trail over to the Shattuck Reservation, and then around Holt Pond to return to the cars. Distance was 4.1-miles.

Links:

My Pictures