 |
| Bike shuttle |
So far this winter has been pretty good for paddling – lots of rain and not particularly cold. With the MLK holiday this weekend I wanted to get out to paddle at least one day. I sent an email to Paul, and he suggested Crystal. It’s been a couple of years since I had paddled there and it would be another opportunity to get my whitewater boat out, so it sounded good to me.
Crystal is one of several whitewater runs on the Farmington River including New Boston (class III/IV), “Tville” or the Tariffville Gorge (class (II/III) and Riverton/Satan’s Kingdom (class I/II). Back in the day I took many trips out to Crystal to paddle with Matt and Scott. Its a long drive for a relatively easy run, so lately I have been out there less frequently.
 |
| Running one of many ledges |
In these days of COVID, though, Crystal is a great alternative due to the easy bike shuttle on the Farmington River Trail that runs along side. We left our cars at the parking lot below the Red Barn off River Road and biked the 3-miles back to the put in on the bike path – it was great.
The river was at a nice level – 6.5’, 1,200 cfs. The day was warm, but there was a strong, gusting wind that almost blow me over in the flats above the Route 4 Bridge.
 |
| Running the Route 4 Ledge |
The run is a series of class I/II rapids that start off easy and get more difficult as you move downstream. The first major rapid is the site of the Punch Brook Slalom. From there, the rapids continue as a series of rock gardens and wave trains.
Paul and I surfed and ferried our way down through the rapids. I think 1,200 cfs is about the perfect level – any higher and it starts to wash out, any lower and it starts to get boney. The largest rapid is the ledge above the Route 4 Bridge that we ran to the right. The run took about 2 ½ hours.
 |
| Below the Route 4 Ledge |
Links:
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.