Post by Ken Corbett on Sept 22, 2008 9:36:57 GMT -5
Perhaps some of us read the NPMB New England Paddlers' Message Board. My pals Scooter and Hal moderate this board, and they organize a rendez-vous each summer.
I went to this year's vouz last week, and there were four of us. My buddies looked all over New Hampshire for a river to run that would give three days of paddling. Keep in mind, folks pay high gas prices down there too.
The guidebook said the Connecticut River had 50 miles of quickwater with a class 4 rapid midway. We put-in under a huge dam in soaking rain, and the river was huge, but not as wide as the Saint John.
In short, we had one day of moderate flat current with one short carry in the rain, one day of warm sunshine in slow water, and the third day wet and cold on a huge reservoir with a whitecap headwind and drizzle. It got so bad we were being blown back upriver in the waves. Don't trust the guidebooks.
We had to bail at a riverside park with ten miles still to go to our cars at the next dam downriver. Luckily, we found an abandoned racing bike leaning on a picnic table with two flat tires. Marshall took his pump from his canoe cart, re-inflated, and pedaled down ten miles to the dam. Phew.
Here are some photos:
picasaweb.google.com/nanookwww/NPMBVous2008#
picasaweb.google.com/douglas.doremus/ConnecticutRiver08#
picasaweb.google.com/mmoore175/2008NPMBVous#
It got me to thinking how fortunate we are to have so many free-running rivers in NB. It seems you can't drive more than five miles down any stream in New England without seeing dams, big or not-so-big.
I'm thinking of inviting Scooter and Hal and Marshall, who invited me on the Connecticut, to drive up from Boston to paddle the Miramichi next spring. They know we have good canoeing up here, since we went on the Nepisiguit last year. We could have a vous of our own. First week of June ish.
Any thoughts?
Ken
Oh yeah, we left the bike where we found it.
I went to this year's vouz last week, and there were four of us. My buddies looked all over New Hampshire for a river to run that would give three days of paddling. Keep in mind, folks pay high gas prices down there too.
The guidebook said the Connecticut River had 50 miles of quickwater with a class 4 rapid midway. We put-in under a huge dam in soaking rain, and the river was huge, but not as wide as the Saint John.
In short, we had one day of moderate flat current with one short carry in the rain, one day of warm sunshine in slow water, and the third day wet and cold on a huge reservoir with a whitecap headwind and drizzle. It got so bad we were being blown back upriver in the waves. Don't trust the guidebooks.
We had to bail at a riverside park with ten miles still to go to our cars at the next dam downriver. Luckily, we found an abandoned racing bike leaning on a picnic table with two flat tires. Marshall took his pump from his canoe cart, re-inflated, and pedaled down ten miles to the dam. Phew.
Here are some photos:
picasaweb.google.com/nanookwww/NPMBVous2008#
picasaweb.google.com/douglas.doremus/ConnecticutRiver08#
picasaweb.google.com/mmoore175/2008NPMBVous#
It got me to thinking how fortunate we are to have so many free-running rivers in NB. It seems you can't drive more than five miles down any stream in New England without seeing dams, big or not-so-big.
I'm thinking of inviting Scooter and Hal and Marshall, who invited me on the Connecticut, to drive up from Boston to paddle the Miramichi next spring. They know we have good canoeing up here, since we went on the Nepisiguit last year. We could have a vous of our own. First week of June ish.
Any thoughts?
Ken
Oh yeah, we left the bike where we found it.
In NH there really isn't much to run for a few days, I am jealous of how free the rivers are in NB. Nanook, you set up a Vous in your neck of the woods and I will be there! Nepisiguit calls me!!!