2019 Year End Review

Running Sweet Tooth in 2005

It's hard to believe that it has been 15 years since I started paddling. In the late 80's/early 90's I did some tandem paddling with my father up on the Androscoggin. It was a blast, but with little kids at home there was no time for paddling. I started up again in 2004 and quickly caught the bug. I took the NHAMC Whitewater School in spring of 2005, and bought a whitewater boat (Impluse) and flatwater boat (Yellowstone Solo) later that year. In 2006 I bought a waterproof camera, and the rest is history.

Due to family obligations and a bad cold I missed the traditional New Year's Day trip this year, so my first paddle of 2019 was the Upper Wood River on January 5^th with Jonathan. The year started off with more hiking than paddling, but it was still a great year.

The "Mighty Quin"

I did 53 paddling trips for the year, which is a little below my ten-year average of 59 trips. I also did 8 hikes, three camping trips and had five swims (Great Swamp, Fife Brook (twice in one day, bad day), the playhole at Tville, and the Mighty Quin). I only  did two trips with the Blackstone Valley Paddle Club – Nipmuc and Slatersville. I did run a Trip Leader Training and trips at Bradford, the Lower Deerfield and Point Judith Pond for the RICKA Flatwater group. I also paddled in all six New England states.

Here are some of my more significant trips:

• January - Upper Wood River, Scantic Cut and Play Day
• February - Quaboag
• March - Branch Rive Icebreaker
• April - Crystal section of the Farmington, Upper Millers, Plummers Landing, The Mighty Quin
• May - Crystal Again, Great Swamp
• June - Flatwater Leader Training, Lower Deerfield
• July - Pawcatuck – Bradford to Potter Hill, Merrimack – Franklin to Boscawen, West Passage Lighthouse Tour, Point Judith Pond
• August - Fife Brook, Dead River – Day 1, Day 2 and Video
• September - Pawcatuck – Lower Shannock Falls to Alton, West
• October - Blackstone Gorge, River Island Park
• November - Tville
• December - The Mighty Quin

Here are some of my favorite trips for the year.

Favorite Trips of 2019 from Erik Eckilson on Vimeo.

I paddled almost every day of my summer vacation in South County, including a great trip with Tony on the West Passage and a trip with RICKA on Point Judith Pond. 

Scenes from  South County Vacation from Erik Eckilson on Vimeo.

I did two camping trips on the Connecticut River with Bill, Conrad and Jonathan - Gilman Dam to McIndoe Falls in the spring.

Camping on the Connecticut River from Erik Eckilson on Vimeo.

And Orford to Wilder Dam in the fall.

Camping on the Connecticut River from Erik Eckilson on Vimeo.

I also did the RICKA Overnight on the Pawcatuck with Bill and Chuck.

Camping on the Pawcatuck River from Erik Eckilson on Vimeo.

Quinapoxet River Hike

I got out for quite a few hikes with the Papa Joe hiking group, and even a couple with Michelle.

• Mount Pisgah
• Broadmor
• Blackstone Gorge
• Browning Mill Pond
• Mighty Quin
• Trout Brook
• Goddard Park
• Back to Broadmore

And of course, I bought a new whitewater boat – a Mad River Outrage.

Running the Dumplings

In terms of my resolutions from last year, I didn’t do so well on rolling practice (never do), but I did get to one pool session with my C1. I did get on a couple of more challenging rivers – Quaboag, the Mighty Quin (April, December) and the Dead ( Day 1, Day 2) – but missed some old favorites – Lower Millers, Knightville and Otter Brook.

In terms of resolutions for next year: 

• Take a class III paddling class – especially with my new boat
• Get back to the Dead – always a great trip
• Keep camping - Connecticut River, or maybe up in Maine
• Practice rolling – I’ll keep including it until I do it

Overall it was another great year, and there are still plenty of rivers to paddle, plenty of trails to hike, and plenty of places to go camping. And my year-end post on Pnet got another poem from Tom:

Y-2-K plus two decades on wall nail pound,
whoever would’ve thunk earth still be makin’ rounds?
Cult Kool-Aid sippy trippers twenty years in the ground,
wonder what now they’d all drink if they had chose to stick in town?
(Guess 20-20 in foresight was tad too much for thought’s abound)

May the Flow, and a Happy New Year, be with all. That way, this time next year, one might say, “Hindsight is a finely aged 20-20.”

Oh! And if the flow ain’t with you, attain, my friend! Attain! I use a pole and some occasional tumblehome. (The later being shorthand for, “A Pisces’ Riparian Reunion.”)
TW