Tandem at the Scantic Spring Splash - March 29, 2024

Opening Ceremony 

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 whitewater boat and once in my Yellowstone Solo. This year I wanted to try a tandem run, so I partnered up 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 (South Maple Street) in Hazardville – about 5-miles. There are 4 class II+ (maybe class III) rapids - Trestle, Stokers, Chimney and Staircase.

Running the drop at Stokers

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 then caught the shuttle bus back to the put-in. After the mandatory safety meeting we got on the water at around noon with our class – Men's OC2 - Masters.

Even with the dam release the river was low at .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. The removal of the Springborn Dam in 2017 created the first major rapid – Trestle. We went right under the first bridge, and then left under the railroad bridge and got hung up in shallow water - should have stayed right.

Running the shoot at Staircase

Shortly after Trestle is Stokers - a 3-foot ledge that needs to be run about 10 feet off the left bank, moving right after the drop to avoid the rock pile at the bottom. We ran the drop fine, but got hung up on a rock just downstream.

After some more quickwater the next major rapid is Chimney - an “S” turn through some rocky ledges that is generally run down the center (maybe center left). It was low, but we were able to work out way down the center and run the two drops at the bottom. 

View of Staircase from the bridge

The last rapid is Staircase, which is exactly what you would expect - a series of ledges that look like a staircase with a large shoot at the bottom. You need to stay to the left as you approach the shoot. We did out best to stay left, but got hung up on a rock above the shoot just the same.  

It is always cool paddling under the bridge at the finish line to the cheers of the spectators above, but then we got hung up on another the rock below the bridge. We eventually crossed the finish line in second place. We hung around to get our trophy at the awards ceremony.

Link:

My Pictures

My short video of the run

Aaron's longer video of the run

Stuck on Staircase Video

Spring Splash Video from Staircase

Scantic Spring Splash website 

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 marginal 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

River Church - Alton to Bradford - February 23, 2025

Below the Alton Dam

After a long cold snap, the forecast was for warming weather on Sunday. We put-out the word, and got a group together for a trip down the Wood-Pawcatuck from Alton to Bradford – three boats, four paddlers, all canoes. It would be like "River Church".

The Wood-Pawcatuck watershed is one of the prettiest in RI. In 2019 it became part of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System – the only river in RI to receive this prestigious designation. Included in the Wood-Pawcatuck designation are sections of seven rivers including the Beaver, Chipuxet, Green Fall-Ashaway, Pawcatuck, Queen - Usquepaugh, Shunock, and Wood.

Heading down the Wood River

We would be putting-in on the Wood River in Alton and paddling down the Pawcatuck River to Bradford. The Wood River arises near Sterling, CT and flows south for 25-miles to merge with the Pawcatuck River below Alton. There are two other sections of the Wood River that are popular with paddlers – the upper Wood River from Route 165 in Exeter to the Wyoming Dam with a portage at the Barberville Dam, and the lower Wood River from Switch Road to Alton with a portage at the Woodville Dam.

We met at the Alton Dam at 10:00 to unload our boats and run the shuttle down to Bradford. The river was at a nice level – 200 cfs, 2.75-feet on the Wood River Junction gage. We were concerned about ice on the river, but last weekend’s rain and snowmelt raised the river about a foot and cleared out any ice. The short section of the Wood River downstream of the Alton Dam twists and turns through a pretty forest. There were a couple of blow-downs to paddle around, but we made it through fine.

On to the Pawcatuck River

There are some differences of opinion on the name of river above the convergence with the Wood. Many guidebooks refer to Worden Pond as the source of the Pawcatuck River. In other guidebooks, the outflow from Worden Pond is a continuation of the Chipuxet River, which becomes the Charles River when it merges with the Queen - Usquepaugh just above Biscuit City, and becomes the Pawcatuck when it merges with the Wood River.

Whatever it is called, from its source at Worden Pond the river twists and turns for 34-miles to Westerly where it flows into Little Narragansett Bay. Some of the best paddling in RI is along the Pawcatuck including Great Swamp from Taylor's Landing to Biscuit City Landing, Shannock to Richmond, Richmond to Bradford, Bradford to Potter Hill, and Potter Hill to Westerly.

Running the broken dam
at Burdickville

Perhaps nowhere in Rhode Island has dam removal and river restoration been more active than along the Pawcatuck River. In 2010, the Lower Shannock Falls Dam was removed and replaced with a short rapid. In 2013, the Kenon Dam was replaced with fish weirs. In 2016, the White Rock Dam was removed and the riverbed restored. In 2017, the Bradford Dam was also replaced with fish weirs. Combined with fish ladders at Potter Hill and Upper Shannock Falls, the removal and modification of these dams has opened up the 34-miles of the Pawcatuck River to migratory fish, reduced portages, and created some fun rapids.

We took a quick break to check out the "boot-leg" site located at the convergence of the Wood and Pawcatuck Rivers. We are fortunate to have a several very nice campsites on the Pawcatuck including Stoney Point on Worden Pond, the Carolina Canoe Campsite just upstream from the Richmond Landing, this "bootleg" site at the confluence of the Wood River downstream from Alton Landing, and of course, the Burlingame Canoe Campsites upstream from Bradford Landing in the Burlingame Management Area.

Enjoying the fire at the
Burlingame Canoe Campsites

The Burlingame Wildlife Management Area extends north from Watchaug Pond in the Burlingame State Park to include a large woodland along the Pawcatuck River. The land is managed for both wildlife protection and recreation with hunting, trails for hikers and mountain bikers, and the Burlingame Canoe Campsites. These campsites are accessible from the river or by hiking in from the parking lot on Buckeye Brook Road or from the North South Trailhead on Burdickville Road.

The river opened up and was flowing well as we continued downstream. About a mile downstream is the broken dam at Brudickville. The dam can be portaged on the left, or run on the right. There was plenty of water flowing over the dam, so we decided to run it on the right. Everyone made it through fine. From there it is a short paddle down to the Burlingame Canoe Campsites where we stopped for lunch.

Heading down to Bradford

At the Burlingame Canoe Campsites there is an open field and five wooded sites. We hauled our gear up to the field and got a fire going in the large fire pit. We didn’t have time to cook on the fire, but we brought chairs to sit around the fire and backpacking stoves to heat up a hot meal. As one of our group said, “every trip is better if you can sit around the fire”.

From there, it is a short paddle down to Bradford Landing. We packed up our gear and sad our good-byes after another great trip.

The crew - Jeff, Chuck, Bill and Erik

Links:
My Pictures
Wood River Junction Gage

Using a Throw Bag

Different throw bag sizes and styles

The throw bag is one of the most versatile pieces of equipment that a river paddler can carry. You can use it as a throw rope to belay a swimmer out of a rapid, as a static line or in a Z-drag to pull a boat out of a pin, as a rope to drag your boat or raise it up/down a drop during a portage, or to set up your dining fly or clothes line in camp. The bag that you choose depends on what you plan to do with it. 

Length of rope – for throwing, the length of the rope should be determined by the length that you can accurately throw. 50' is generally the minimum for a throw bag. 100' is better for setting up a pull, but may be too heavy and bulky to throw accurately. 75' is a happy medium

Setting safety below a drop

Diameter of rope – once again, the diameter of the rope will be influenced by its use.1/4" rope is light and easy to throw. 3/8" is stronger for pulls, but heavier to throw. 5/16" is a happy medium.

Type of rope – the rope should be colorful for visibility and float on the water to prevent snags and make it easy for the swimmer to grab. The material is usually Poly, Spectra or a combination of the two. Poly rope is soft, flexible and easy to grab and hold on to. Spectra rope is high strength, low stretch and stronger for pulling. Some higher end bags have a Spectra core for strength and a Poly wrap for comfort.

Bag – the bag itself is usually nylon, sometimes with a mesh section to facilitate drying. The bag should be colorful for visibility, with a large opening at the top to deploy and stuff easily, and durable enough for years of use. The bag will have a foam disk at the bottom for floatation, and a loop at both ends to attach a carabiner.

Additional paddler stabilizes the thrower

The "clean line principle" means designing a throw bag that is free of large loops and attachments that could snag on obstacles or people during a rescue. Following clean line principals makes the bag safer for throws, but less useful for pulls. If you have the room, it might be better to carry a smaller clean line bag for throwing, and a larger bag or rope for pulls.

Rescuing a swimmer with a throw bag takes practice. First you have to find the best place to perform the rescue. This should be downstream of the rapid with a clear place to stand, an unobstructed view for the throw, and a safe place for the swimmer to land.

Pin kit for a Z-drag

Before throwing get the swimmers attention by yelling “ROPE”. The throw can be underhand, overhand or side arm depending on the conditions. The throw should be timed to slightly lead the swimmer so the rope lands on their chest.

The swimmer will position the rope on the shoulder opposite the side that they are getting belayed into. Never wrap your hands around the rope. The swimmer also needs to be careful not to get wrapped up in the rope - especially around the legs.

Once the swimmer is on the rope, the thrower assumes the belaying position with the rope around their back and their feet wide for stability. For extra leverage, the thrower can sit down, or have other paddler hold on to the back of their PFD. In a dynamic belay, the thrower moves downstream to reduce the stress on the thrower and the swimmer until they reach easier water.

Attaching lines to the boat

The other principal use of the throw bag is pulling a boat out of a pin or off an obstruction. Like any other rescue skills, it’s essential that you practice this before you need it. The easiest pull is a straight pull with a static line. The rope is attached to the boat, and everyone pulls. Often this is sufficient to get the boat free.

If more power is needed, you may need to set up a Z-drag, which provides a 3:1 mechanical advantage compared to a straight pull. To set up a Z-drag you will need a pin kit with throw rope, a prusik, two carabiners, two pulleys and a sling. Here is how to set up the pull.

Step 1: Build an anchor by wrapping the sling around a sturdy tree or rock. Clip a carabiner and pulley through the sling.

Straight pull with a static line

Step 2: Secure the bag end of your rope to the boat. Run the tail end through the anchor pulley.

Step 3: Wrap the prusik loop as far back down the rope toward the load as possible. Clip the second carabiner and pulley through the prusik.

Step 4: Run the tail end of the rope through the prusik pulley and back toward the anchor. Pull on the tail end of the rope in the same direction as the main line is pulling on the boat.

Links:
Choosing a throw bag

Using a throw bag

Quick coil a throw rope
Setting up a Z-drag

Remembering the Family Farm - February 11, 2025

My father and grandparents in front
of the house in the 1930's

Today was bittersweet. We sold the family farm. My grandfather purchased the property in 1923 to start a chicken farm. At the time he was working as a supervisor in a factory somewhere in Providence. He made good money, but he really wanted to be a farmer.

Originally, the property was more than 40-acres running west along Winthrop Street/Route 44 past the plaza that is now Rehoboth House of Pizza, then south down Fuller's Brook to the Palmer River, then east along the Palmer River to Wilmarth Bridge Road, and then north up Wilmarth Bridge Road back to Route 44.

Party in the living room
in the 1940's

Over the years most of the property got sold off. The house next to Rehoboth House of Pizza was originally Aunt Helen’s (Memi’s sister). Next door was Uncle Al’s house. Trim Street down by the river got sold off long before I was born. When I was growing up, the Beauvais lived next door on the other side of the field.

My grandfather built the family house in 1923. Uncle Al always talked about how much work it was to dig out the cellar by hand. They also built a large hen house (demolished in the 50’s and the lumber used it build the house in Franklin, NH), the barn with the shed in the back (still there) and the brooder coop for raising chicks (demolished in the 2000’s when the lot in the field was sold).

With my mother in the
driveway in 1962

The house got renovated in the 40’s to turn the front porch into a bedroom, extend the living room and add the columns and portico to the front door. My parents bought the property in 1958 when my grandparents moved to NH. They sold the Machado’s lot and used the money to remodel the kitchen in the early 60’s.

My father spent pretty much his whole life in this house except for a couple of years as newlyweds when my parents lived in the village, and the year that my father took a job in NH and the house got rented to Auntie Jane.

Holding Lady in 1967

When we came back from NH we got involved in 4-H and raised cows, pigs and sheep. My brother never lost the farming bug – just like my grandfather. The house was the gathering place for family parties like birthdays, holidays and summer cookouts.

With my mother’s passing, I haven’t paddled much for the past couple of months. Cleaning out the house to prepare it for sale was a huge task. What do you do with a 100-years’ worth of memories. It broke my heart to empty it out.

One of many summer cook-outs

One thing that we did find were lots of pictures – like Memi’s album from the 1930’s when my father was small, my mother’s album from the 1950’s when they were first married and living in the village, and lots of pictures of the cows and all those family gatherings. It's been fun to go through and organize them.

Today, we sold the final piece of the family farm (lot 1). Hopefully the new owners will cherish it as much as we did. The old saying is true – you don’t realize how important something is until you have to part with it.

Links:
My Pictures
Listing on Zillow

River Signals from American Whitewater

 

Androscoggin Weekend with my Father in 1995

With Dad at the Pontook put-in

I’ve been going through old pictures after cleaning out my parent’s house, and I found these from one of the early whitewater trips that I did with my father back in 1995. 

We did several Boston AMC trips on the Androscoggin in the early 1990’s. The trips were always on the 4th of July weekend. We would go up on Friday, do the Errol Rips and the 13-Mile Woods on Saturday and a couple of runs below the Pontook Dam on Sunday before heading home. By this time, my wife was home with 3 kids (5, 2 and 3 months), so this may have been my last trip. Thank you Maris Noble for sending my father these pictures.

Running the Errol Rips below the bridge

Links:

Maris' Pictures

Manville to Albion - January 19, 2025

It’s been a slow start to the paddling year for me. I got out for a couple of trips in December, but I also spent a lot of time with my mother getting ready for Christmas. Unfortunately, she fell in her house the weekend before Christmas, was admitted to the hospital, and passed away on Christmas night. Not the holiday we were hoping for. 

Since then, I have been busy with the final arrangements, cleaning out the family house and settling the estate. There is a lot to do, and it hasn’t left much time for paddling.

I was a presenter at the Introduction to Canoe Camping session put on by the NH/AMC yesterday. Working on my presentation was a nice distraction from everything else that was going on. The turn-out for the session was great, and it was fun to catch up with so many old friends and meet some new ones. It would be a great thing for RICKA to do and I think we would get a good turn out as well.

Talking about paddling is one thing, but I still wanted to get out to do some paddling, so today seemed like the day. With a snow storm predicted for tonight, it was cloudy and gray, but the temperatures were up in the 40’s. My first thought was to head to River Island Park, but the river was low. Instead, I decided to paddle below the Manville Dam.

I put in at Sycamore Landing, which is the headquarters for the Blackstone River Watershed Association/Friends of the Blackstone. Rather than paddling up to the Manville Dam, I decided to paddle down to the Albion Dam. My very first paddling trip was on this section of the river with my father back in 1989. This was also the first trip that I did after my father passed away in 2020. That day was cold and gray as well. Now, I miss them both…

Mom, Dad and Julie paddling on the Blackstone Canal in
Lonsdale at the first trip that I led for RICKA in 2006

Links:

My Pictures

Introduction to Canoe Camping – January 18, 2025

I was glad to be one of the presenters at the NH/AMC’s Introduction to Canoe Camping. The session was focused on paddlers interested in moving into wilderness tripping. Presentations included Trip Planning and Organization (Jonathan), Necessary Skills (Bob), Boats and Paddling Gear (me), Camping Gear (Deb), and Food and Cooking. In addition, several presenters did presentations on their favorite trips (I did the Connecticut River), and there was a Show and Tell table where folks could see and ask questions about gear. It was a great session, and very well received.

Introducing my favorite trip video on the Connecticut River

Links:

My Pictures