The Vermont Paddlers Club

Huh.... Feast or Famine was the story for the third week of April. Monday & Tuesday nothing was even reasonable to boat. Wednesday we got snow and the bottom dropped out of the entire spring snow melt flow.

Having desk jobs meant a good bunch of us would have to hopefully wish that the flow would hold out enough to get on something quality after work hours. Luckily we had a couple of willing participants and the NBW held out enough to let her favorite customer, some regulars and two newbies passage.

We made tentative plans to meet at 4:00 at the take out. Yea that was closer to 5:30 once everyone showed up. We were on river by 5:45 and headed down the upper warm up drops of the NBW. Man it was COLD! Cold enough that after Broken Falls we were all ice coated.

By the time we got to the Fineline, I think the group was in to a rhythm and we were moving right along. Down through Manky Mank - no one liked it at the level it was currently at. Around the bend to Big Bouncy and we were all out of our boats to see what the left line looked like - good to go. 4 of us styled the entry crux and line. Down through the tube and over Flat Falls. I think all of us except Justin stalled and plunked over the lip...no really bad pitons but NEEDED MORE WATER. Around the bend over sliding board and set up for Double Drop. MAN IS THAT AN AWESOME DROP!!!! It was good and fluffy...Didn't someone once say it was like a pillow fight??? Anyways - off to Cave Falls. Three of us ran the Slide and Tom and Mike threw a boofs off of the lip. That was it - The Final Drop was closed out on RIver Left and not enough water was flowing over river right to get you out over the lip and ledge.

Justin and Tom were newbies to the River. It was good to finally get Justin on the NBW as he has been itching to run it for at least 3 years. A huge bonus is that Justin lives closer to the river than I do so he can be a good source to for beta on the run now too. It is always fun showing folks down this run for the first time, even at lowish levels. They light up with each drop. Pretty dang cool!

If you haven't run the NBW - do yourself a favor and get your boof tuned up and give it a go one of these days.