RICKA trip on Otter Brook - May 4, 2025

Awaiting to launch

Paul posted a couple of RICKA trips on the Whitewater Message Board this spring – both were old favorites. The first was the Knightville section of the Westfield, and the second was Otter Brook.

Otter Brook arises in the town of Stoddard and flows south for 13-miles to join Miniwawa Brook at Route 101 to form the Branch River. The Branch River flows into the Ashuelot River, which eventually flows into the Connecticut River. Jonathan and I did a tandem run down Otter Brook and the Branch River all the way to the Sawyers Crossing Covered Bridge on the Ashuelot River a couple of years ago.

Rapid below the put in

In 1958, the huge Otter Brook Flood Control Dam was completed to protect Keene and the other communities along the Ashuelot River. The flow on Otter Brook is now controlled by releases from the dam. The gage on Otter Brook is no longer active, but the historical releases were around 300 cfs.

I met Paul at McD’s for the drive up to the river. We met the crew at the put-in at the base of the dam. It was not a particularly busy day, but we did see groups from MOC and CTAMC. We unloaded our boats and ran the shuttle. The usual take out on Swanzey Factory Road was filled with construction equipment, so we used a new take out just downstream at the Cheshire Railroad Stone Arch Bridge on the Cheshire Rail Trail.

Running Otter Ledge

We were the first to launch and head downstream. The top of Otter Brook is narrow and rocky as it twists and turns through the woods down to Route 101. We worked our way downstream dodging rocks and running waves. We ran Otter Ledge through the slot on the right, and everyone made it through fine. With additional water from Miniwawa Brook, the river opens up and we bounced down the final section along Route 101.

Taking out at the rail trail bridge adds one more rapid to the trip. On the first run I wasn’t sure where to take out, so I had the crew take out too far upstream. We had to drag our boats across a grassy swamp to the cars. Paul went a little further downstream and found the actual take out on river right just above the bridge.

Down to the new take out

After a slightly confused shuttle we got all the cars, boats and people in the right places for our second run. It was a bomber run, and everyone did fine. This time we took our down by the bridge and ran one last shuttle back to pick up the cars.

On the way home, Paul and I stopped at the Troy Deli and Marketplace for a steak and cheese sub. I’ll bet there will be a RICKA Whitewater trip on the Fife Brook section of the Deerfield this summer.

Links:

My Pictures

River Description from American Whitewater

Sugar River - April 5, 2025

The crew at the put-in

There were a few different options for today, but I decided to join the NHAMC for a run on the Sugar River. We would be paddling the section from Corbin Road to Route 103 that I fist paddled as a student in NHAMC Whitewater School back in April 2005.

The Sugar River originates at Lake Sunapee and flows generally west for 27-miles to join the Connecticut River in Claremont, NH. My father was an active NHAMC member, so when I first got into paddling I signed up for their whitewater school. It was a two-day class with the first day spent on flatwater and the second day on this river.

Running Sweet Tooth

Today, the river was at a nice level – 3-feet, 1,000 cfs on the West Claremont gage. I was the only open boater paddling with 6 kayakers. We put-in at the covered bridge and headed downstream. The river starts off with easy class I/II rapids until you reach Sweet Tooth – the largest rapid on this section of the river

Sweet Tooth takes its name from two large boulders just left of center with the easier line to the right, and the spicier to the left. Four of us ran it successfully on the right. Three chose a spicier route left resulting in one out of boat experience. From Sweet Tooth to the take-out is a fun section that is pretty much continuous class II.

Links:

My Pictures

West Claremont Gage

River Description for 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

Pcat Drawdown and BBQ - November 3, 2024

Matthias and Greg

For 21-years, the MVP and NHAMC have been sponsoring the annual Drawdown and BBQ on the Piscataquog River. Jonathan and I were doing a tandem run, so we decided to round up a tandem boat posse. We ended up with the nice group – 4 tandems ( me and Jonathan, Marcy and Cathy, Matt and Tom and Matthias and Greg), 2 solos (Pierpaolo and Jerico) and one kayak (Paul).

The Piscataquog River arise in Deering, NH and twists and turns for 35-miles before flowing into the Merrimack River in Manchester. We would be running the class II section below the Gregg's Falls Dam. I met Paul at the MacDonalds in Uxbridge for the trip up to Goffstown. We dropped off our boats at the dam, met the group, and ran the shuttle down to the road behind the prison.

Matt and Tom

The release was 5.5 feet, 800 cfs. This section is about 3-miles long with the most consistent rapids in the first mile. There is a rocky set of rapids below the put in, another under the power lines, and another leading up to the surf wave above the Henry Bridge. We took out time heading down, and Jonathan and I tried our luck at surfing.

From there is it mostly quickwater down to the take-out. There is a squirt line with the strong recirculating current where the river takes a sharp right turn, and one last rocky drop just above the take out. After a second "bomber run" we headed back to the dam for the BBQ – hamburgers, hot dogs and good company. Great day as always.

Jonathan and I going into the surf wave

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My Pictures

Goffstown Gage

A “Twofer” in Newport – March 9, 2024

Put-in at the Corbin Covered Bridge

Not Newport, RI - Newport, NH. I joined the NHAMC Class III Step-up trip on the Sugar River and Croyden Brook. As usual, I was the only open boater paddling with 21 kayakers.

The Sugar River originates at Lake Sunapee and flows generally west for 27-miles to join the Connecticut River in Claremont. Tributaries of the Sugar River include the South Branch and the North Branch. The North Branch, known as Croyden Brook on American Whitewater, originates in Grantham and flows south for 10-miles through the town of Croydon to join the Sugar River in Newport.

Running Sweet Tooth

The morning started with a run on a section of the Sugar River that I first paddled as a student in the NHAMC Whitewater School back in 2005 - Corbin Road to Route 103. The river was at a nice level – 4-feet, 1,500 cfs on the West Claremont gage.

We put-in at the covered bridge, divided in groups and headed downstream. The river starts off with easy class I/II rapids until you reach Sweet Tooth – the largest rapid on this section of the river

Heading down Croyden Brook

Sweet Tooth is a jumble of large and small rocks. The rapid takes its name from two large boulders just left of center. Smaller boulders block the left side, so the usual route is just to the right of the large “Sweet Tooth” rocks. You can eddy out behind “the tooth”, or ride the standing waves downstream.

From Sweet Tooth to the take-out is pretty much continuous class II. We took a break for lunch before the second half of our trip – Croyden Brook. I have signed up for the trip on Croyden Brook several times with Joe O’Neil, but it always gets cancelled due to lack of water.

The big drop on Croyden Brook

The whitewater section of the Croyden Brook is 3 miles north of Newport on Route 10. We consolidated our boats and shuttled up to the take-out where Route 10 crosses the river. After leaving some cars we headed up to the put-in 1.7-miles up the road across from Glidden Road at an abandoned bridge.

Croyden Brook is narrow and creek-like with wave trains and lots of rock to dodge. It reminded me of the Shepaug or the Jeremy in CT, or the Mighty Quin in MA. The largest rapid on the river can be seen from the road just upstream of the take-out. The river takes a sharp right turn and through a series of ledges. The line is to the right. I actually walked this drop so I could get some pictures of the rest of the crew going through. 

Running Sweet Tooth on the Sugar River

Links:
My Pictures – Sugar
My Pictures – Croyden Brook
Sugar River Gage – West Claremont
American Whitewater – Sugar
American Whitewater Croyden Brook

Class II Contoocook - November 5, 2023

A selfie from Jonathan

Jonathan and I joined the NHAMC for a tandem run on the class II section of the Contoocook in the morning, followed by their Pot Luck/Annual Meeting in the afternoon. The first time I paddled this section of the "Took" was was during the NHAMC Whitewater School back in 2005.

The Contoocook River arises at Poole Pond in Rindge, NH and flows generally north for 71-miles to Concord, NH where it empties into the Merrimack River. With a large drainage basin and a total drop of over 700 feet, the Contoocook is one on the best-known whitewater rivers in New England with the class III “Freight Train” section from Hillsboro to Henniker, and class II section in Henniker ending at the Ramsdell Bridge.

That's me in the stern

We met at 10:00 at the take-out (Ramsdell Road Bridge in Henniker, NH) to scout the final rapid. The level was low but runnable – 6.5 feet, 500 cfs. We ran the shuttle and put-in at the railroad bridge piers on Western Avenue at around 11:00. At this level, the top was quickwater until we got past Bridge Street in downtown Henniker. From there it was mostly class II rock dodging down to the Broken Dam Rapid at the Ramsdell Bridge.

After the run we headed off to the Pot Luck/Annual Meeting for the NHAMC Paddlers. The food was great, and we heard about the China Lake River Restoration project. It was nice to see the club so active.

 Running the Broken Dam Rapid below Ramsdell Bridge

Links:

My Pictures

Henniker Gage

Class II Section description from American Whitewater

Class III “Freight Train” Section description from American Whitewater

Halloween BBQ on the Piscat - October 28, 2023

The crew at the put-in

For 20-years the MVP and NHAMC have been sponsoring a Halloween Paddle and BBQ during the fall drawdown at the Gregg's Falls Dam on the Piscataquog River. I did my first whitewater trip here in 2005 after taking the NHAMC Whitewater School and purchasing my first whitewater boat, and have padded here many times since. This year would be the third time paddling tandem with Jonathan in my Mohawk Whitewater 16.

The Piscataquog River arise in Deering, NH and twists and turns for 35-miles before flowing into the Merrimack River in Manchester. We would be running the class II section below the Gregg's Falls Dam. I met Paul at the MacDonalds in Uxbridge for the trip up to Goffstown. As usual, I missed the exit in Manchester and we arrived late after taking the long way around the reservoir. Jonathan was already there, and Conrad and Ellen arrived shortly after.

Paul at Powerline

We dropped off our boats at the dam and ran the shuttle down to the road behind the prison. By the time we got back to the put-in there was a long line waiting to launch. The release was a little lower than usual due to issues with the dam – 5’, 700 cfs. The day was sunny and in the low 80’s – can’t beat that.

This section is about 3-miles long with the most consistent rapids in the first mile. The section just below the dam was a little boney at this level. Conrad and Ellen got hung up on the rocks, but Jonathan and I made it through fine. We did get into the big eddy for the surf wave below the power lines, but got flushed downstream before we could catch the wave. We did our best to turn the boat into a submarine at the surf wave above Henry Bridge, but didn’t swim!

Surfing the wave above Henry Bridge

From there is it mostly quickwater with a couple of easy rapids on the way down to the take-out. There is a squirt line where the river takes a sharp right turn. We pulled into the eddy, and got spun around on the strong eddy line. The last rapid is a rocky drop just above the take out. We got into the eddy on the left, but once again got flushed downstream before we could catch the surf wave.

After the run we headed back to the dam for the BBQ – hamburgers, hot dogs and good company. Great day as always.

Piscat Tandem Surfing - 2023 from Erik Eckilson on Vimeo.

Links:

My Pictures

Surfing above the Henry Bridge in 2023

Surfing above the Henry Bridge over the years

River description from American Whitewater

Goffstown Gage

Pemi - Bristol - August 27, 2023

Below the Ayers Island Dam

It has been a while since I had my whitewater boat out, and the sea kayak trip that I was planning to do yesterday got cancelled due to potential thunderstorms, so I decided to head up to NH to run the Pemi in Bristol with the NHAMC.

The Pemigewasset River, also known as the “Pemi”, arises at Profile Lake at the base of Cannon Mountain in the Franconia Notch. It flows south for 65-miles to Franklin where it joins the Winnipesaukee River to form the Merrimack River. There are a couple of other sections of the Pemi that I like to paddle including the quickwater section from Woodstock/Thornton to Campton and the whitewater section in Woodstock.

Scouting Wourthens

We met at 10:00 at the put-in at the Pemi-Bristol Boat Launch below the Ayers Island Dam. As you turn onto Ayers Island Road from Route 104, you will see a ball field on your right - follow the road around the ball field and take a left. Just before the gate to the DPW garage, turn left down a hill past the Bristol Transfer Station. Keep going down the hill until you see a large array of solar panels. Turn left just before the solar panels, then turn left again before the gate to the metal dump and go down the steep hill on the small dirt road.

The river was at a nice level – 2 feet, 1,500 cfs. We had 8 boats – 7 kayaks and one canoe (guess who). This is a short section of river - about 1.5-miles with a couple of nice play spots. The biggest rapid is called Wourthens and is located about 1/4 mile down from the put in. A ledge protrudes from the left bank (Wourthen's Rock) forcing the river to the right. The usual line is to the right, but we had people run the drops in the middle, and even the slot on the left.

Running the slot

The rapids continue with another ledge and surf spot downstream, and a couple of class II rock gardens. The last rapid sweeps gradually to the right as it passes through two ledges on Coolidge Woods Road, including the playhole that was washed out.

It rained a little as were paddling, but it really came down as I was driving home. Still worth the trip.

Taking in the rapids

Links:
My Pictures

Video from Pink Packraft
Plymouth Gage
River Description from American Whitewater

Otter Brook - April 15, 2023

Heading out

I was planning to do the NHAMC Class III step-up trip on the Ammonoosuc River, but it was running high, I wasn’t comfortable with the class IV section below Pierce Bridge, and I needed to be in Topsfield in the early afternoon so the timing wasn't good. Instead, I decided run Lower Otter Brook with Paul and Pat.

This would be a repeat of the old RICKA Whitewater days. I was looking back and found a trip report from March 2012 RICKA trip with Paul, Andy and Jeff that described Pat as the “new guy". It has been a while since I’ve done this run with them.

Party wave

Otter Brook is a tributary of the Branch River (not our Branch River), which is a tributary of the Ashuelot River, which is a tributary of the Connecticut River. Otter Brook arises in the town of Stoddard and flows generally south for 13-miles to join Miniwawa Brook at Route 101 to form the Branch River.

In 1958, the huge Otter Brook Flood Control Dam was completed to protect Keene and the other communities along the Ashuelot River. The flow on Otter Brook is controlled by releases from the dam. The gage on Otter Brook is no longer active, but the historical releases were around 300 cfs.

Paul running Otter Ledge

I headed up to drop of my boat at the put-in before meeting Paul and Pat at the take out for the shuttle. There was a good crew gathering at the put-in with groups from the NHAMC, MVP and WTWA. We were the first to launch and head downstream.

The top of Otter Brook is narrow and rocky as it twists and turns through the woods down to Route 101. We headed down slowly being careful for strainers that couldn’t be seen from the street. As it turned out, the only strainers were the two that you could see from the street – the first in the shoot on the right side of Otter Ledge, and the second about half way down Route 101 with a small opening on the left.

Pat running Otter Ledge

We worked our way downstream catching eddies, dodging rocks and surfing waves. With the strainer blocking my usual route at the ledge my options were limited – portage or run the ledge to the left. I decided to run the ledge to the left, and made it through fine except for a loud cracking sound as I boofed the drop. Not a drop of water in the boat. We bounced along the final section along Route 101 before pulling out at the take-out below the bridge.

We had two cars at the take out to run the shuttle for our second run. It would have been easy to shuttle boats up and back, but I insisted on putting all the boats on my car to head up in one trip. Unfortunately, both kayaks came off the rack as we were strapping them on, and I now have nice scratches on both sides of my car.

Erik running Otter Ledge

The second run was a bomber run since we knew where the strainers were. Pat and Paul snuck through the strainer to run the shoot at the ledge. I boofed the left side of the ledge again, this time hearing an even louder crack as I went over.

We pulled over at the take-out and ran one last shuttle back to pick up the cars. I flipped my boat over to empty out the water before loading it on my car and noticed a 3 inch crack in the bottom just under the pedestal, and a matching crack on the inside. Now I know what the loud cracks were. Except for the cracks in my boat and the scratches on my car, it was another great day.

Back to the take-out

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My Pictures

River Description from American Whitewater

Wonalancet River - November 12, 2022

A typical section of the Wonalancet

The remnants of Hurricane Nicole reached New England Friday night with heavy rain that brought up a lot of local rivers. I was thinking about doing a Tville run with Paul and the CTAMC, but instead made a last minute decision to head north to run the Wonalancet River with Frank and the NHAMC.

The Wonalancet River is named for the Pennacook sachem Wonalancet and arises in the Bowl Natural Area in North Sandwich – a glacial cirque lying between Mount Whiteface to the west, Mount Passaconaway to the north, and Mount Wonalancet to the east. It flows 7-miles south and east to join the southern Swift River before flowing into the Bearcamp River, Ossipee Lake, and the Saco River on its way to the Atlantic Ocean. The Wonalancet can be tough to catch, but when it comes up it is considered one of the best class III runs in New Hampshire - a little tougher than the Mighty Quin, but not quite as tough as the middle section at New Boston.

First drop - Forest Run Rapids

We would be running the middle section from Fowlers Mill Road to the “Short Run Take-out” on Route 113A in Tamworth – about 3.25 miles. The level was .9 (dropping to .75 by the time we finished) on the painted gage on the Route 113A bridge - a medium low level. Above 2 the rocks start to disappear and the river becomes more pushy. The Bearcamp River gage in South Tamworth (downstream USGS gage) was at 5.5 feet, 550 cfs.

The river is narrow and creek-like and alternates between class II and III rapids as it twists and turns through the Hemingway State Forest and Big Pines Natural Area. Rock dodging was the order of the day. Stainers are always an issue on this river, and we encountered one river-wide strainer that I portaged – the kayaks were able to paddle through. The most challenging section is the Forest Run Rapids, which we scouted before running down the center. Three-hour drive each way, but so worth it.

Second drop - Forest Run Rapids

I made a comment on p-net about not getting out in my sea kayak much, and earned another poem from Tom - my new favorite:

The seas immense they dwarf all lands,
they heave in waves or doldrum stand,
ebb and rise to beckoning moon,
unfathomable depths intrigue with gloom.

And traverse there in reverent awe,
this salt of earth from such liquid spalled,
finds not la Mer to nurture soul,
but her vast indifference that swallows whole.

So find me along the riverbanks,
where earth and water entwine their flanks,
as springs that rise and skies that weep,
sweep changing braids shallow and deep.

And there like rock and soil and tree,
I, too, can stand a most earthly,
to let myself be swept in flow,
then eddy out in time’s crooked bow.

TW

Links:

My Pictures

River Description from American Whitewater

Bearcamp River Gage

Souhegan Poling Cruise - October 29, 2022

Stand tall and carry a big stick

Its been a while since I've had my poling boat out, and my recent trip up to Maine got me thinking that it was time for a poling cruise. We got the crew together, and decided on an up-and-back trip on the Souhegan.

The Souhegan River arises in New Ipswich at the junction of the river's south and west branches, and flows generally northeast for 34-miles to its convergence with the Merrimack River in Merrimack. The name Souhegan comes from the Algonquin and means "waiting and watching place". Tribal fishermen set weirs across the rapids, and then waited and watched for fish, including salmon, alewives, sturgeon, and eels. There are popular whitewater runs from Greenville to Route 101 and Route 101 to Wilton (Trash Dump). I've done the Greenville section, but not the Trash Dump section.

Pushing up the drop at the 101 Bridge

We would be poling a section further downstream in Amherst from Post Road to Route 101 – an up-and-back trip of about 6-miles. The river was at a nice level – 4-feet, 120 cfs. on the New Milford gage. We had 11 paddlers/polers – 8 poling, 2 tandem poling, and one paddling.

We met at 10:00 at the at the Souhegan River Boat Ramp (Amherst) on Boston Post Road in Amherst (42°49'38.2"N 71°35'04.6"W). The river twists and turns through woodlands before eventually flowing through the Amherst Country Club. There is a small drop at the Route 101 Bridge. Most went up the shallow drop on river left. I tried the deeper drop on river right and made it to the top before taking a swim – oh well. The trip back down was uneventful.

The crew takes a break for lunch

Links;

My Pictures
New Milford Gage
Souhegan River Paddling Guide

Woodstock section of the Pemi - October 15, 2022

View of the mountains

There were lots of options for trips yesterday – fall draw-downs at New Boston and the North Branch of the Pcat, RICKA Sea Kayak trip from Potter Cove, and the first hike of the year with the Papa Joe group. With close to 3” of rain on Friday, though, what caught my attention was an opportunity to get my whitewater boat out in the White Mountains up in New Hampshire. The original plan was to run the section of the Ammo in Littleton, but it dropped too fast. Instead, we ended up on one of my favorites – the Woodstock section of the Pemi.

The Pemigewasset River, also known as the “Pemi”, arises at Profile Lake at the base of Cannon Mountain in the Franconia Notch. It flows south for 65-miles to Franklin where it joins the Winnipesaukee River to form the Merrimack River. There are a couple of other sections of the Pemi that I have paddled including the quickwater section from Woodstock/Thornton to Campton and the whitewater section in Bristol. The class II section in Woodstock is one of my favorites.

Beautiful foliage

We met at 10:00 at the put-in behind the Fire Station (5 Daniel Webster Highway, North Woodstock, NH), and ran the shuttle down to the take-out at the Ledges (Death Valley Road at the third Route 175 Bridge, North Woodstock, NH). The river was at a medium level – 4.5 feet, 1,500 cfs. after having peaked at 8.5 feet, 9,000 cfs. on Friday afternoon. We had 4 boats – 3 kayaks (Tim, Steph and Steve) and one canoe (guess who).

Its about a 4.5-mile trip that alternates between quickwater and class I/II rapids. The foliage was just past peak, but it was still beautiful. The biggest rapids are the 2 foot drop at the beginning, which we skipped, and the Ledges at the end. I did a different line through the Ledges – left behind the big rock in the center, and then down the middle. It got a little congested behind the rock in the eddy.

Runnning the Ledges from Erik Eckilson on Vimeo.

Links:

My Pictures
Woodstock Gage
River Description from American Whitewater

NHAMC Class III Step-up Paddles

I made it to 5 of 8 different rivers - missed the Swift but it was great to run the Ammo, Took and Lower Winni.

NHAMC Class III Step-up Paddles from Erik Eckilson on Vimeo.

As our leader Frank said “whitewater is a great teacher - it shows us how to be humble on the river, how to work with the current and not fight it, and it provides a place where people of all types can rely on one another in friendship.”  So true. 

Lower Winni – April 30 2022

Surf wave below the put-in

I’d been fighting a cold all week, but I really wanted to do the last class III step-up paddle with the NHAMC. This week’s trip was on the Lower Winni – another river that I've wanted to run in my canoe for a long time. The weather was right, the level was right, the group was right and I was felling OK, so I went and I'm glad I did.

The Winnipesaukee River (also known as the Winni) is a 10-mile river that that runs from Lake Winnipesaukee to Franklin where it joins with the Pemigewasset River to form the Merrimack. There are two whitewater runs on the Winnipesaukee.

Running Coliseum

The Upper Winni from Tilton Road to Riverfront Park in Tilton is an easy class I/II run that is the site of an annual slalom race. It was one of the first trips that I did with the NHAMC way back in 2006, and I have run it many times since.

The Lower Winni from the Cross Mill Road Bridge in Northfield to Trestle View Park in Franklin is a class III(+) run from 1,000 cfs to 1,500 cfs. Above 1,500 cfs some of the rapids become class IV. I ran it in a shredder at 1,100 cfs on New Year’s Day several years ago. The level on this run was 3.6 ft, 725 cfs (class II+/III) - a good beginner and open boat level.

Above Railroad

We met at the put-in at the Cross Mill Road Bridge to run the shuttle. It’s a relatively short run of about a mile-and-a-half, so people often do multiple runs. The river started off with waves and rocks as we ran through Snowmobile and Iron Ring. Even at this level there is lots of potential for a pinned boat or a nasty swim. 

The first major rapid is known as Coliseum. At higher water levels this can be a very dangerous rapid since about a third of the river channels into the foundation of an old mill building on the right – the “Room of Doom”. I took the left line catching the eddy at the top, and then running down the left side avoiding the wall on the left and the rocks in the center.

Approaching Zippy's 

Another half-mile downstream is the next major rapid – Railroad. The river splits around the center support for a railroad bridge with routes on the right and the left. The right side has a 3' drop that we took twice when I ran this in the shredder - once resulting in a swim. This time I took the left line staying just to the right of the large rocks on the left side. 

There were more rocks and waves as we ran through Sulphite to the last rapid - Zippy's Final Plunge. Unfortunately, there was wood in the usual lines through Zippy’s, so we took out above. One run was enough for me - I made it down fine and considered myself lucky. I did walk up the Winnipesaukee River Trail to get some pictures of the crew going through Railroad on their second run. 

Waiting for the rest of the crew at Railroad

Links:
My Pictures

Winnipesaukee River Gage

River Description from American Whitewater

Contoocook - April 23, 2022

Getting organized 

When I was just starting to paddle, I was always amazed at some of the rivers that other open boaters would run. One of the more challenging rivers that I have wanted to run for years is the class III “Freight Train” section of the Contoocook in Henniker. I finally got my chance as part of the NHAMC Class III Step-up Paddles.

The Contoocook River arises at Poole Pond in Rindge, NH and flows generally north for 71-miles to Concord, NH where it empties into the Merrimack River. With a large drainage basin and a total drop of over 700 feet, the Contoocook is one one the premier whitewater rivers in New England. I'd be running the two best-known sections on this trip - the class III “Freight Train” section from Hillsboro to Henniker, and class II section from the twin bridges to the Ramsdell Bridge in Henniker.

Heading out

We met at 10:00 at the class III put-in on Western Avenue and ran the shuttle down to the take-out at the Remsdell Bridge. The normal take out for the class III section is at the twin bridges, but we would be running the class II section as well. The river was at a perfect open boat level – 7.3 feet, 950 cfs on the Henniker gage. Paul described it as low and technical. 

We had 20 paddlers that were divided into 3 pods. I was in the first pod with Frank. I saw one other open boat on the river – Charlie Sweet who was running a trip for Boston/AMC. We headed downstream and worked our way through the various rapids. At this level, most were class II+. I ran class III S-Turn without a problem – it was actually shorter than I expected.

Happy face below Freight Train

We got out of our boats to scout class III Freight Train, and watched as a group of kayakers came through. At this level, the rapid is a series of three drops with big holes in the middle and large standing waves below. The first drop has a large rock with a small rock next to it on river right. If you hug the left side of small rock, it will line you up to run the next two drops just right of the holes. I went a little too far to the left on the first drop, and got twisted around on a rock in the second drop. I ran the second drop backwards, but got myself turned around for the third. I filled my boat up in the standing waves below and had to head to shore to empty. The rapid looks entirely at higher water.

Most of the group called it quits after the class III section, but a few of us decide to continue downstream through the class II section. The last time I ran this section was in 2005 on the first day of the NHAMC Whitewater School. At this level the top was flatwater, but the Broken Dam Rapid at the Ramsdell Bridge was fun.

Approaching the broken Dam Rapid on the Class II Section

Links:

My Pictures
Henniker Gage
Class III “Freight Train” Section description from American Whitewater
Class II Section description from American Whitewater
Ken's video at 8.7 feet