Bow and Stern June 2002

The Official Newsletter of the Vermont Paddlers Club
in partnership with the American Canoe Association

	Volume XXVIII, no. 2 < < < Go with the Flow > > > \/ \/ \/

June 9, 2002

Well, the spring run is slowly trickling away.... What a spring it has been. Looking back it originally looked like a bust, then we had the rain and late snow and the rest is paddling history.

Many thanks to the volunteers who organized successful indoor pool sessions in Bristol and at UVM, including our first ever flatwater rodeo moves clinic! Paul Kempner hosted both the Safe Trips Forum (March) and the Swiftwater Rescue Clinic (May) at his house - details appear later in this Bow and Stern. Thanks also to Ray Ingram for a super Fiddlehead Slalom Race.

Lastly, I would like to thank all those who paddled with me and put up with my poor humor and worse skills. Thanks, it has been a paddling pleasure.

What is up around the corner? More paddling of course! Summer schedule, Dead River, Deerfield, Little River, impromptu trips...., I can't wait, sun, warm water... Hope to see you there.

Do not forget the Novice Whitewater clinic, July 12-14. If interested in signing up (or signing someone else up), get in touch with Marcy Gibson (marcy@together.net). Or use the signup form included at the end of this issue. The novice clinic is a great way to get started or to hone a few skills. Or maybe you can volunteer to help!!

Have a great summer paddling season!

Over again,

Fritz Senftleber
President

The subscriber list to VPCNEWS (vpcnews@vtpaddlers.net) has grown to ~250 since its inception January 2002. Remember that the subject line keyword "URGENT" is required in order for last minute schedule changes or spur-of-the-moment trip announcements to bounce promptly. Remember, too, that such impromptu trips are neither insured nor sanctioned by the VPC or ACA.

Club officers need to get in the habit of using VPCNEWS (keyword "OFFICIAL") to update our online members more regularly about events and programs of interest.

Expect subject line keyword "FOR SALE" to grow in popularity as more members get comfortable emailing messages to be included in VPCNEWS. All "OFFICIAL", "FOR SALE", "WANTED", and other miscellaneous (non-urgent) messages will be incorporated into the out-going weekly announcement.

Be advised that VPCNEWS never redistributes files attached to emails in order to avoid virus transmission.

The race organizers want to thank VPC and all their volunteers for the support. The race organizer would like to point out that Green Mtn. Power came through again this year with enough water to raise the river flow for the race. Canoe Imports donated a lot of great merchandise for the raffle. Cliff Bar donated boxes of energy bars for the race participants. What can you say about the Preps? Fritz was the leader in volunteers this year providing endless hours of his time, home building slalom pole, then helped with course construction all day Friday, Saturday made Chili w/bagels enough for an army. Everybody loved the Chili and many people have asked about the recipe. What's the secret Fritz?

The Fiddlehead Slalom had another good turn out with one hundred bibs. The results will be posted on the VPC web site I hope or you can find them at the following web sites -http://www.whitewaterslalom.org/2002/results/fiddlehead.html ...or... https://vtpaddlers.net/paddle/racing/FiddleheadResults2002.htm

The weather report: Saturday seemed like a hurricane out on the river which made negotiating the poles extremely hard with gusts that put the poles horizontal at times. Everyone seemed to enjoy it, as they all returned on Sunday and had a beautiful calm morning. Unfortunately it only lasted until about noon and then it rained. The string for the poles got wet, had to stop the race, adjusted the poles, continued on and was done by four o'clock. The race organizer was told that this was one of the hardest slalom courses the designer has created with a few more swimmers then usual and not so many clean runs. Two of the cleans were made in a fifteen foot solo open canoe; one of those coming from the course designer. The race organizer want to thank everyone who participated. I hope you all had a good time and if any one has any suggestion for the race please let me know.

Ray Ingram
Race Chairperson

PS: volunteers are still needed for trail work. Anyone interested contact me (879-4286).

Several veteran VPC trip organizers and a few aspiring trip organizers attended this event, complete with a Bove's lasagna dinner and desserts folks brought. Notes are reprinted below:

This spring the club purchased 2 safety "Go Bags", complete with rescue ropes, pulleys, prusiks, carabiners, and first aid kits.

Our aim is to make the bags available to members so they can practice how to use this equipment in mock rescue situations.

Those familiar with its use can take along a bag on whitewater trips whenever they choose. Call Fritz (863-8354, FSENFTLEBE@aol.com) to make arrangements.

What a chilly event the 2002 safety clinic was. We found a nice overpass under I89 with the Winooski flowing in front (Montpelier). Mark Moore, a new member to the local paddling community, ran us through the whole gamut. Safe swimming, feet up and limited standing, proper throw bag technique, how to get a boat unstuck with a carabiner, throw line and no knots (ask anyone who went, they will show you).

The frozen class included Merle Schloff, Jamie Dolan, Nate McHugh, Fritz and Hannah Senftleber, John and Fianna Barrows, Tom and Marie McCarthy, Paul Kempner, John (do not get wet) Floyd, and Julie (let's try it 3 times) Prior. Thanks again Mark Moore, and feel free to ask any of the above how he got the boat off the rock with a rope and a carabiner.

Burlington, VT to Georgian Bay Ontario: : September 6-15, 2001

Last year's fall trip was again aimed to Canada. We left on Thursday morning, September 6th, on a fourteen-hour, 550-mile drive to the town of Britt, Ontario, which is situated in the northern quadrant of Georgian Bay. Using information provided by Bob Shumacher, who had done this same trip a few years earlier, we recommend the northern area of the bay because of so few shore camps and the unblemished scenery. The two main challenges were strong winds at times and very slippery algae covered rocks experienced when coming ashore (ankles beware). We had seven nights of camping on various low rock-covered islands and would choose to tent among scrub trees for wind protection. We saw several adult black bears that would patrol the islands in search of food. We sometimes saw them on the same islands we were camping on. We found out that raccoons could unzipper food bags and forced us to hang our supplies at night. Maps are essential here as hundreds of individual islands can cause one to lose your direction. Many of the stone islands are interesting because of the mixture of colors of rock formation fused together, like paint splattered on a canvas. Individual campsites are often spread out because of lack of soil or tree protection from the wind. Water levels were down by 2 1/2 feet from normal.

We had an awful cultural shock of finding out about 9-1148 hours after it happened. Two Canadian kayakers stopped and told us this incredulous news. First and last nights were spent in a motel on our put in and take out, which provided safe storage of our vehicles during this trip. Contrary to reports we had no trouble re-entering the United States at Ogdensburg, N.Y.

Our total trip length was 9 days.

-- George Agnew

Huntington River : Saturday March 30, 2002

The first trip out of the box for the new paddle season is always the toughest. Do I have all my stuff....? At least this particular Saturday was perfect, sunny & in the 60's and medium water on the Huntington. Met the gang in Richmond at the park and ride 1:00 sharp. Half went to Mad River; the Three Musketeers went to the Huntington. It is always fun to paddle with these two because you never know what to expect! (Always a good time, with safety and learning high on the list). "Let's go up as high as we can, up the Camels Hump Creek!" I knew we were in for a trip. Geared up a few niceties to all the cars passing by and away we go! 30 seconds into it the little ditch with boulders and a little water in it had me pinned, cleared that and pinned again not five minutes later. This time I found myself so happy I survived again, dry and undamaged that I decided to let the boat go, Eric will catch it! "Don't let go of your boat!!" came out of Eric's mouth as he proceeded to swim as he tried to corral my boat. Thanks Eric, Lesson number one: self-rescue is okay; do not let go of the boat! This all happened in the first 5 minutes of the trip! I am glad to say it got better!

Nice water level, friendly people and cows, lots of eddies, don't forget to get out at the house with the wagon wheels, river left. You can go to there, or further as we did, carrying by the beautiful, but deadly Huntington Gorge. Carry around, stay left on the trail and put in below. The next bit is pleasant 1/2-mile stretch with interesting rapids (comparable in difficulty to those above the gorge). Take out on river right and carry way up this hill and down to miss a lower gorge. A couple hundred yards, very steep. Put in below in an absolute river wonderland, paddling another mile till you come to the Cochran Road bridge take-out.

Great trip. Hope my mentors will have me along again!

(I-II, 8 miles, 4 hours)

--Fritz Senftleber

Browns River : Saturday April 6, 2002

The water was falling faster than the temperature was rising. By the time we reached the take-out 4 miles north of Westford on Rt. 128 it was an even 32 degrees, and the rapids were noticably bonier. These considerations accounted for a good deal of attrition on what would otherwise have been a well attended VPC trip. The Browns was a better choice than the intended Lewis Creek (too low), or larger rivers which afford little wind protection. The truth is that the 2 of us stayed warm throughout this 2 1/4 hour trip! We played leapfrog (eddy-hopping) to give Pierre an excuse to practice his eddy turns and peel-outs. Neither of us felt much like running the 4 foot drop where the Westford dam is washing out, but we both enjoyed running the 3 foot ledge farther down. A river otter on the island at the final ledge drop greeted us as we approached.

--Tony Shaw

White River : Sunday April 7, 2002

The weather was clear, the air was not warm, and the river was somewhat low with cold water. The level was 2500 cfs at the gage at Hartford, and slowly dropping. Because of the cold conditions, the group floated down the river fairly quickly, without any extensive 'playing'. All did well, even at the ledges coming in to Gaysville, but many were getting a bit cold, so all of the kayaks took out at the campground, where some cars had been spotted, 'just in case'. The open canoes, Andy and Rich, continued down to the takeout along route 107, without incident. There were Mergansers along the river that day, but no other wildlife of note. It was just a nice float on the river.

--Richard the Magnificent

Upper Lamoille : Saturday April 13, 2002

Seven paddlers answered the call, three kayaks and four solo canoes. Two announced the intent of taking out at East Hardwick but offered shuttle service. The weather was warm, something unusual for the Upper Lamoille, but the water was cold and the combination bred a low fog that made things difficult now and then.

The smell of burning brush mingled with the pungent odor of last winter's manure, recently freed from the Liquistore tank. The river had been at 3' on the Wolcott St. gauge the night before but rose to nearly 4' overnight. We ran without difficulty until the last rapid above East Hardwick where the river exacted its toll. A kayak hit a rock and ejected its owner. Paddler and paddle were quickly rescued but the boat escaped and ran the dam and falls in town. We found it parked on a rock about 20' off shore as neat and safe as if someone had just left it there to have lunch.

We thought for a while then sent people down the steep bank with a rope and carabiner. A kayak ferried out to the stranded boat (it had picked a rock with a very handy eddy) and attached the carabiner. People on shore belayed off a tree and the boat was brought home minus float bags but otherwise unharmed.

The swimmer decided to call it a day and another paddler had shoulder problems. That left the leader and two people who had never run the river before with high water and thickening fog. We opted to run the upper portion again rather than risk the heavier water below. The second run was uneventful despite the annoying fog.

I was sorry to miss the best part of the river at a really good level, but common sense suggested that we wait for another time.

--Mike Fullerton

Mascoma River : Saturday April 13, 2002

Large group of combined AMC and VPC paddlers met at the Mascoma. Gauge was jacked up to 4.9 at the dam, USGS said 800 for the race being held. At that level, the course is brisk, with shallow eddies, lots of cross-curling standing waves, and medium to large holes.

The Excelsior rapid at the bottom is bright and bold, with a pleasant aroma of river, and a light body--oh, that's right, this isn't wine. There were a series of large holes in right center, and others that could be maneuvered among. Anyway, several paddlers new to this stream scrunched up their courage and ran what is, at that level, a solid 4 section, with one magnificent combat roll (Dan Moore) and no swims.

After the Mascoma, John Deming convinced me to go to the Black River, which to our surprise was running at 2 on the bridge gauge, 800 cfs on the Springfield gauge. This is about as nice a level as one could hope to find it. Our marker "knuckle rock" was almost submerged (and passable over, with some pushing), and there were tons of features to play. The narrows section of the gorge is hydraulic without being grabby.

--Allan Berggren

Minister Brook : Sunday April 14, 2002

"You call this paddling?" was one comment to be heard right at the start. Small, steep, boat scraping, paddle banging, few eddies, many strainers, and more than several boat drags through the woods characterized the first 1/2 mile of this run. But when everything else (including the scheduled N. Branch Lamoille and the backup N. Branch Winooski) is too high, a freshet like this is hard for some to resist!

We put in at Kimball Road approximately 3 miles up Minister Brook in Worcester. It finally did open up into mainly a fast class II run with a class III ledge thrown in. The high point would be watching Eric and Tony run a 15-foot ledge/dam.

Although it was exciting this day, even if the strainers were gone it still is mainly a class II run, and the upper part class III with more water, but just too fast and relentless for most paddlers' tastes.

--Randy Allen

Lower Lamoille : Wednesday April 24, 2002

This was the first of the Wednesday evening trips that actually happened in 2002. The temperature this evening was in the 50s, and the river lower than normal at this time of year. We put in just above Two-Island Rapid, and floated thru the first rapids without incident. We didn't see much in the way of birds, just some Mallards - no ospreys this time. The only problem was the sun angle, which was directly in people's eyes most of the trip. We arrived at the 5-Chutes area fairly quickly, so most of the boats played around in the current, and a few tested the water temperature and their swimming strokes - but no real problems. The total time on the river was about 2 hours. The sun was just setting as we finished, and the air cooling rapidly.

--Richard the Magnificent

Gihon River : Saturday May 4, 2002

This short, steep section of the Gihon, just upstream of Johnson, was a nice substitute for the scheduled trip. The put-in is off 100c and the take-out just below the collapsed covered bridge. In between are 6 or 7 good-sized drops. We had serious trouble only at the 1st drop and I would recommend that most would want to carry this one. The rest were far more straightforward and a good time was had by all.

--Eric Bishop

Lower Mad : Saturday May 4, 2002

Made it through the first little drops on this beautiful afternoon, warm sunny, water at 500cfs.

We made it to the double drop with the "gotcha rock" at the bottom. All scouted, set up the throw bags and let Scott take the lead. Rolling up as you feel that "gotcha rock" getting closer, is tough. No damage just wet. My turn next. Eddy out after the first drop, perfect, eddy out after the second, perfect, I am done! Not quite, the final ferry over the "gotcha rock" got me. No damage. Next came the "new to the sport" crowd. All dry and clean all the way through. Scott immediately started mentioning his karma for the day, I mentioned that HE should go first next!

Needless to say we all swam later,(except for didn't dump Floyd) probably a total of a dozen or more between the whole team. You do not learn if you do not fall (tip over). All had the right gear and the right attitude, plus plenty of throw bags!

One of the memorable moments was watching bomb proof Prior pull off a roll x 2 mid stream as well as watching her go off Horse Shoe Falls. She is still working on mastering a new paddling technique specifically for drops and the like. Ask her about it if you see her on the river!

One thing we all learned is sunglasses, specifically wet sunglasses in the shade, do not improve your paddling.

Live and learn.

We did a little "green up" at the end. Wouldn't it be nice if we could all give a little back to this wonderland that we paddle by?

We all had a great time, running time 3 plus hours.

--Fritz "Over Again" Senftleber

Poultney River : Saturday May 11, 2002

On a very fine day in May, a group of us decided to go to the Poultney River and run the section from Fair Haven to Carver Falls Dam. Faith, Nancy and John had a wonderful time running this river last June and had great memories of the trip. Only trouble is, John loved telling the stories, and every time he described the slide (which is quite long) it got longer! Well, this time he came armed with his daughter's video camera to prove to those doubting Thomases that such a slide does exist.

We put in near the Vermont Welcome Center and off we went. Just under the Route 4 bridge and about 75 feet downstream, we all got out on the left, careful to stay below the high water mark, to scout the first rapid. Landowners in the area have had some pretty unpleasant experiences with boaters in the past.

A considerable drop with a few rocks showing their faces was our intro the river. John had his camera ready and got some good movies.

The second drop was the memorable "slide". Only one way down and we all felt that as we reached the bottom we were doing 90 MPH. A couple of us caught the eddy on river (no...slide) left. Others went all the way to the end, and a few perched atop a couple of rocks on slide right. This area could have some incredible dynamics at higher levels with the ledge and rock formations that are there. Some carried up for repeat performances. A short run and strong party permitted more playtime -- and several of the drops were run repeatedly.

There are about 8 ledge drops with play areas in this 4 1/2 mi. stretch. We found an island and enjoyed a leisurely lunch in the sun. Soon we came upon the waterfall that does not look particularly nice. Last year Faith & Eric had an interesting swim. Nancy described it as a washing machine seeing arms and legs going in all directions. Not this year! All who ran it did so successfully! John has proof on the video camera. After this drop, there is a short rapid which narrows into a short blind chute. Then for a relaxing paddle to the dam and time to reminisce about the day.

When we decided to paddle this river, we hoped for water and made the decision based on the amount of rain that had fallen in the area the previous couple of days. There is a gauge near Fair Haven as the USGS site describes it. However, last year when we ran it, the gauge was ~ 300 cfs. This year was higher, but the online gauge read ~ 150 cfs. So this is not a reliable indicator of the water level.

With smiles on our faces, we discussed our next adventure on the Poultney. The take out is at Carver Falls Dam, where there is a sign showing the way to the caves nearby. Maybe next time we'll finish with a hike to the caves.

--Faith Knapp

Ridley Brook : Tuesday May 14, 2002

We put in the creek at 5:15 pm. The water had started to go down but there was still plenty for fun. We put in at the 3rd bridge that crosses Ridley. The brook is boulder choked with no clear lines. No good eddies were visible. Our 1st chance we got to stop and regroup was 200yd down stream. John's 1st statement was "Wow Bob, Wow". This was nonstop aggressive steep creeking from top to bottom. We walked only 1 small drop that lead into an undercut ledge. We took out at the Marshall road. There are 2 drops just below the bridge that we both ran clean. This only comes up a couple of times a year. We were lucky enough to catch it.

--Bob Marshall

Joe's Brook : Saturday May 18, 2002

Randy Allen suggested we check out Joe's Brook, which flows out of Joe's Pond in W. Danville, and, despite the name, is a small river. It falls about 1000' between Joe's Pond and the Passumpsic River, a distance of about 10 miles.

It was snowing when we put on, after doing a little road and foot scouting. We paddled from the power station, at the bottom of Power Station Rd., just outside W. Danville village, and took out at the closed off Greenbanks Hollow (covered) Bridge. This stretch of 4 miles or so had lots of continuous class 2, a bit of just drifting and more class 3 to 3+ ledge drops than we could count. We spent a fair amount of time scouting drops but they were all runnable.

The section from Greenbanks Hollow Br. to Joe's Brook Rd. appeared to be considerably steeper and more difficult and we left it for another (warmer) day. Instead we drove around it, put in where the river flowed under Joe's Brook Rd. and paddled another 2 1/2 miles to Joe's Brook Hill Rd. This stretch was continuous class 2, 2+ with many class 3 ledge drops and a class 3+ gorge just above a quickwater float to the take out.

From what we could see there was more class 2 (at least) in the remaining mile or so to the Passumpsic. The weather was bad but this could be the best day of paddling I have ever had. This river is special and at higher water would be a tremendous challenge.

--Eric Bishop

Lower Mad : Sunday May 19, 2002

This whole paddling thing is in the attitude. When you dump ,more times than you can count, you need a good attitude.

New boat, nice people, almost too much water and away we went. Ira showed up last minute and asked for a tag along and ride back, no problem. After his first roll, we all felt a little better. Later we were not sure if he wasn't aiming for the rocks though. It was the vertical pin that he shifted through and recovered that made us all realize, he has attitude. Ray I was up to his flawless paddling tricks. The best part with ray is the ear-to-ear grin, and his willing ness to share some of those tricks, all attitude. John W, tried to keep up with my dump record, not quite! Nice endo! Great attitude!

We all had a ball. Warm, fun and if you haven't been able to tell loads of good attitudes on the Lower Mad.

Thanks for putting up with me again!

--Fritz "Over Again" Senftleber

o	Wavesport Godzilla, $350
o	Pyranha Mountain 300, $350
o	Prijon Alien, $500
o	Dagger Outburst, $250
| Call John, 864-5437

o	Dagger Ego, $650
o	Pyrahna Sub 7, $650
o	Dagger Freefall LT, $400
| Call Matt, 802-482-6752 (H)
| 802-244-8813 ext . 121 (W)
| matt@countrywalkers.com


o	Wave Sport XXX
Red/Orange Mix. Used one season. 
Fat 1.0 Outfitting. Excellent condition.
$500 OBO
o	Wave Sport Y
Solid red. Used one season. 
Excellent condition. $600 OBO.
| damon.bungard@goodrich.com


PFDs for sale: 2 youth size (wt. range 50-90 lb.)
fine shape, $5 each
| Call Tony, 899-1865
| BOATFUL@aol.com

TRIP DIFFICULTY RATINGS ARE ONLY A GUIDE.
	READ THE SAFETY CODE OF AMERICAN WHITEWATER!!! STAY ASHORE WHEN
CONDITIONS ON A GIVEN DAY EXCEED YOUR COMFORT LEVEL!!!

SCHEDULE NOTES

1. ww = whitewater // FW = flatwater // Vt area code: 802
2. Contact the trip organizer for information about each trip.
3. Listed trips may be changed or canceled as water, weather, or interest dictates.
4. Plans for impromptu trips can be relayed thru the trip organizer. Many impromptu trips are now being listed by subscribers to VPCNEWS (vpcnews@vtpaddlers.net)
5. Please give at least 2 weeks notice for overnight trips to facilitate pre-planning.
6. Car-pooling on long (and short) trips is encouraged!
7. Trip organizers PLEASE check the listings above for accuracy.
8. Trip organizers PLEASE keep records of who paid what whenever event fees or membership dues are collected. Mail monies collected ASAP to 11 Discovery Rd. Essex Jct., VT 05452, attn: Rich Larsen
9. The AROUND VERMONT IN 30 RIVERS promotion is underway!!! (https://vtpaddlers.net/paddle/30rivers/index.php)

Hudson Gorge/Indian R. (NY)

Daily thru June 15; thereafter Tues., Thurs., Sat., Sun. 10-11:30 am. More info: 518-251-2777 or http://waterdata.usgs.gov/ny/nwis/uv?01315500

West River (VT)

The fall release is scheduled for September 21 and 22, 2002.

Deerfield Dryway (MA)

In addition there are 97 release dates for the class I-III Deerfield Fife Brook/Zoar Gap section downstream from June-October.

To confirm scheduled releases visit www.zoaroutdoor.com/schedule.htm or call 1-888-FLO-FONE (1-888-356-3663).

Magalloway River (ME)

• June 29 and 30 (900 CFS)
• July 6 and 7 (900 CFS)
• July 13 and 14 (1200 CFS)
• August 17 and 18 (1200 CFS)
• August 24 and 25 (1200 CFS)
• August 31 and Sept. 1 (900 CFS)

Rapid River (ME)

• July 19, 20 (1300 CFS), and 21 (1800 CFS)
• July 27 and 28 (1300 and 1800 CFS)
• August 3 and 4 (1300 CFS)
• August 9, 10 (1300 CFS), and 11 (1800 CFS)

Androscoggin (NH) @ Pontook Dam

NOTE: These schedules are subject to change due to generation and/or weather conditions.

VPC Members are eligible to join the American Canoe Association at a substantial discount! An ACA enrollment form customized for VPC members is online -- https://vtpaddlers.net/join/aca.pdf

• Joining for the first time??
  Print and mail in the VPC Member Enrollment Form -- https://vtpaddlers.net/join/bymail.pdf

• Renewing member??
  Send VPC $8/household, due Jan. as of 2002 (address below, [format to print]); the ACA will send renewal notices before your anniversary date, and send you a replacement ACA card once you renew your membership.

A printable waiver is online --

https://vtpaddlers.net/join/waiver_indiv.pdf ()

[ CHECK FOR UPDATES ]

VERMONT PADDLERS CLUB

WHITE WATER

CLINIC FOR CANOEISTS AND KAYAKERS

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Registration Form

Name____________________________ Telephone_________________________Email_____________________ Address_________________________________________________________________
Town______________________________________________ State_________________ ZIP ________________

I will be taking the clinic in a [   ] solo canoe [   ] tandem canoe with ____________________________ [   ] kayak

Please describe any previous paddling experience_______________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________

Mail to: Marcy Gibson, 42A Packard Road, Jericho, VT 05465. 802-899-4524
Please enclose check payable to the Vermont Paddlers Club.

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