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Post by esspeegee on Jul 5, 2012 20:38:42 GMT -5
Has anyone ever been on the St. Croix with a flow at around 1600 cfs? Going to try it tomorrow. We'll be travelling through Little Falls and Canoose Ledges ... probably both on Saturday in a Disco 169 and a Charles 163 Wondering if it'll be "fun" or "foolish". Love to hear some advice SpG..
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Post by ryanward10 on Jul 5, 2012 21:16:31 GMT -5
Heh heh heh. I ran it at 2100cfs a few years ago with some friends. Mostly inexperienced paddlers, but a good bunch. We went from the park to Scott brook in 5hrs despite screwing around. Ran little falls on the right (american) side and went for a little swim. Even at this height, the river is still quite forgiving, always a wash out pool after a drop. Have fun, stop and play everywhere interesting, and enjoy it!
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Post by esspeegee on Jul 6, 2012 8:37:28 GMT -5
Thanks for the input.
I am (very much) looking forward to seeing the river at this level ... I've only paddled it when it's running under 800 cfs.
I shall report my findings. :-)
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Post by esspeegee on Apr 6, 2013 13:33:39 GMT -5
Almost a year later ...
We did canoe that weekend and the flow was 1600+ CFS. It was great. The biggest challenge was finding a way to slow down and enjoy the trip.
Just two of us ran it in our Discovery and it was great. We drifted and backpaddled our way down in record time.
Took the Canadian side on Little Falls. Lots of big waves and bigger smiles. A hoot.
Canoose Ledges had a lot of routes. We choose one just river-left of center.
A lot of folks putting-in on American Side at Little Falls. We watched many of them go for swims due to the standing waves and curls. Had to help a couple groups fetch gear.
Giant thunder and lightening storm on second night ... just after we got the tent and tarp setup. Perfect timing. Awesome and humbling.
I enjoy picking my way through the big rocks; creating a route and trying to bend the canoe at just the right time. There was none of that at 1600 ... but it was great fun just the same.
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Post by fraserdw on Apr 7, 2013 13:33:49 GMT -5
Boy, that is some strange area, all along that canoe route from North Lake to St Steve's town, every time I have gone there we have had massive electrical storms and winds, usually right out of the blue.
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Post by DayTripper on Jul 26, 2013 18:50:22 GMT -5
I may paddle the St Croix this Sunday from St Croix to Scott’s Brook. Paddled it close to 30 years ago but I forget the details (only recall going through the Canadian side of Little Falls at dusk).
It rained steady today. I see the current conditions at Vanceborough are 1520cfs / 6.50ft.
After reading all the Trip Reports and Have You Paddled Suchandsuch River? postings pertaining to the St Croix on this board, it seems the current level is relatively high. Is it safe to assume this is not likely to change a lot over the next two days?
Assuming a kevlar solo canoe (very little rocker) with experienced paddler and water level in the 1500cps range:
1) Am I likely to scratch the canoe between Vanceborough and Little Falls? If so, I’ll look at other options (kevlar is light but scratches very easily).
2) Given the absence of rocker with this canoe I probably will not attempt Little Falls. Is it easier to portage on the Canadian side or the American side?
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Post by Ken Corbett on Jul 26, 2013 20:35:40 GMT -5
1) Am I likely to scratch the canoe between Vanceborough and Little Falls?
Sure, if you hit a rock ... that's always up to you.
2) Given the absence of rocker with this canoe I probably will not attempt Little Falls. Is it easier to portage on the Canadian side or the American side?
I have always found the Canadian side easier to run if you stay with the wave train. Of course, I don't know how high the waves are gonna be, especially with all this rain. Any St. Croix river rats care to speculate? Hope you have a nice and safe run.
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Post by DayTripper on Jul 27, 2013 4:30:46 GMT -5
Re my canoe scratching inquiry, I am wondering if there are areas in the river where I would reasonably expect to rub against one or more rocks (e.g. their numbers and positioning are such that royalex in highly recommended over kevlar), or if, at that water level, any such rocky areas are pretty much under water (which I suspect may be the case).
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