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