Penobscot Paddle and Chowder Society
Where Maine Paddling Began
Suzanne and Gary Cole TC, Greg Winston, TJ Farnum, Peter Hockmeyer
Another gorgeous day for mid September. We had the pleasure of showing TJ, who had done the river once before, our favorite surf waves and the lines we run through the rapids. We lingered here and there, enjoying the river, the day and each other’s company.
Suzanne and Gary Cole TCs, Patti and Tom Rutka, Paul Sarli, Paul LeClerc, Eric and Jack Kingsley, Jessa Solis, Kevin McKenzie, Loren Starcher.
We couldn’t have had a better day on the Dead. Warm and sunny, in our 6 kayaks and 3 inflatables, we made our way down river. We had a couple of people who were unfamiliar with the river and we enjoyed showing them the way through the more challenging rapids. Although 3500 is gentler than 5500, we found plenty of excitement.
We wondered if we were ahead of the bubble as surfing at Quatro was not as good as usual, but it was hard to tell and we paddled on. It seemed too early to have lunch above Hayden’s, so we continued on and ate at Enchanted Stream. Some of us wanted to run the chute next to Elephant rock, but it was clogged with North Country rafts going round and round. We had to make a quick left and run the other side of Elephant.
Mile Long seemed pretty calm (we were probably comparing it to 5500) until the last bit. Our discussion after we made our way through the slot at the bottom was, “I don’t remember that big wave hole, do you?” On we went, some of us surfing here and there. Spruce Ledge wave was flat and things were uneventful until Poplar. We made our plans, where we were running it and who was following who. A few had to switch to Plan B, but we all came through in good shape.
We floated to the takeout reveling in our adventurous day. Two of us were enjoying our conversation so much that we floated right past the takeout. We ended up dragging our boats through the alders and up an old road back to the takeout.
On Sunday, July 21, 2024 four intrepid paddlers comprised of 4 open boats- all canoes (!)-paddled the Dead River at 1800 cfs. It was a lovely day on the river, made especially nice with an eagle sighting downstream of Minefield. The water was warm, and the paddlers made good time downriver fully enjoying the perfect summer day. Lunch was enjoyed at Enchanted stream due to no issues along the way and the small nimble river group. One swim in Poplar Hill Falls interrupted the perfect day- this rapid is always challenging-however was more tolerable simply by the very warm river water, which is typical this time of year. Our river group was strong and had a fabulous day paddling on an uncrowded river. Lastly, it’s always good to practice safety on and off the river, including reviewing boat outfitting to ensure the whitewater craft can be rescued in any dump situation. Proper outfitting for an open canoe includes adequate airbags to displace water in the event of a capsize, and also bow and stern painters which allow boat rescue easier access and ability to tow the boat to shore. The paddlers returned early enough to leave plenty of time to break camp and get on the road to return home, after enjoying light snacks and more sunshine and few bugs. There is simply nothing better than a fabulous day paddling the Dead River with wonderful paddlers- this time all canoeists together. Paddlers included: Donna Jean Kaiser (TC) – OC1, John Brower- OC1, Glen Widmer- OC1, Kevin Morrissey – OC1.
Participants- Ryan Galway OC-1 (TC), Kenny Decoster OC-1, Chip Wallingford k-1, AJ Held k-1, Rob Radowicz and Paul Peters shredder.
The forecast for the day left something to be desired. With rain overnight ending in the morning and rain the night after the trip it almost scared a well known bearded open boater away. But when the vote went out on weather the trip would happen or not the consensus was things were a go. The decision ended up being a good one as the rain ended 10 minutes before we got there and started up again on the way out, but for those 6 hours we were dry and things were quite pleasant. The trip began with a shuttle to drop trucks at the takeout. As in years past the last 3/4 of a mile to the takeout path was real rough, but with a couple of 4wd trucks there were no issues. After completing the shuttle the 1 mile paddle across pond in the river went better than as expected with a light tail wind. A little surfing took place in the first couple of miles of warm up before we were fast upon First Pitch. For those unfamiliar the next 3 rapids are steep somewhat shallow class IV rapids with large waves and turbulent water with a few strong holes mixed in. I lead the group as some of the participants were first timers and unfamiliar with the lines. Chip and AJ both first timers had great runs and seemed to really enjoy the new river. After we had lunch at Smooth Ledge and made some somewhat successful attempts at surfing. I think none of us really had the best boats for that type of wave. Up next was S-Turn rapid. It is the last of the class IVs but also the longest and probably the hardest. This one is twice as long as any of the pitches and it is much more shallow. It would not be a great place to swim and would likely end up in an injury of you were in the water. Every one had successful runs with some added excitement when the shredder collided with a rock but were able to keep things moving downstream without incident. All in all it was a great day with an amazing group of folks.
We had exceptional weather, ideal water levels, and an absence of blackflies for our almost annual Machias River Trip. Four Machias veterans participated: Rick Farnsworth and Morgan Baxter in solo canoes and Ken Gordon and Ron Chase in expedition kayaks. Due to multiple road closures, we decided on a four-day trip from about a mile above Carrick Rips to the Village of Machias. Morgan shortened his trip by a day taking out at Smith Landing. This was truly an exceptional expedition; great company, exceptional weather, perfect water levels and outstanding cooking by Rick and Morgan. We styled all of the difficult rapids.