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May 1, 2021: Donnell Pond Hike

The plan was to canoe camp and hike at Donnell Pond for the weekend. No other members signed up for the trip, so Chris Petersen and I (Helen Hess, TC) decided make it a day trip, take the dog, and leave the canoe at home. Instead of parking at the boat launch, we parked in the lot near Schoodic beach and hiked up Black Mountain. I’ve spent lots of summers on Donnell Pond and have only ever hiked Schoodic peak. It was always so hot that one hike did us in, and we’d return to the water for the rest of our fun. So I chose a date in early May when the weather would still be cool. We got even luckier with the bugs…there were none! Our hike through the woods was sometimes steep, but often gentle, through a festival of tiny leaves as the trees start to celebrate spring and the moss is as green as can be. We went up the Black Cliffs trail and then out to Black Mountain east peak for the spectacular views. We looked at Mt Desert Island to the south and at the rows of windmills, looking like an otherworldly amusement park, to the north, all under an ever-changing sky. We returned to our car via a loop that skirted Wizard pond and led us back to the beach by mid-afternoon. The wind had picked up, and the whitecaps on the pond made us feel quite satisfied about our boat-free plan for the day.

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Apr 26, 2021: Narraguagus (500cfs)

Paddlers: Andrew Carey, Bud Gilbert, Carlisle Landel, Maggie Heherington in kayaks. Helen Hess (TC) in canoe.
This Monday trip was a reschedule of the advertised Sou trip for Sunday which was way too low for anything more than a wet hike. Low water levels have kept us searching for running streams this month, and downeast Maine had some options. The Narraguagus is a beautiful little stream, and at 500 cfs it had just enough water to get us down the river, with a wee bit of scraping in a couple places, but no dragging. There were even a few microsurfing spots, but the main challenge was picking a route among the many exposed rocks and boulders as well as the odd strainer. The wildlife highlight was an osprey flying overhead with a fish in its grip. Andrew drove up from southern Maine for this trip, and his truck got all the people and their boats to the put-in. Even though there was room in the cab, Bud preferred his perch in the truck bed and enjoyed the fresh air but perhaps not the bumpy road down to the put in. Lucky he’s rugged. While Andrew had a long drive, Carlisle and Maggie traveled even further; they came from Santa Cruz, California to boat this gem in downeast Maine.

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Apr 18, 2021: Contoocook River, NH

For days, forecasters promised that the rains would come, and we would be joyful paddling New Hampshire and Western Maine Rivers Class III-IV. But Saturday’s scattered showers barely bumped up the river gauges and paddlable rivers were in short supply. Bill Stafford and I headed west to New Hampshire and joined Ryan to escort Mason Galway on his first run on the Contoocook. The gauge had risen overnight to 7.7, a medium level. There were nice surfing waves and fewer rocks than the 6.9 gauge level trip in March. With warm temperatures, it was a beautiful (sunnier than Maine) day on the river.

The Contoocook rapids are progressive starting with class II and building up to the Class III+ finale. As you can imagine, Mason in the Galway tradition didn’t need any warming up or escorting. He sailed down S-turn and Freight Train like an old pro. Only the TC got into trouble by investigating the bony river right line on an early rapid. He was lucky that the river gravel didn’t shave off his beard. We’re looking forward to a rainy season to flood us with paddling opportunities.

TC: Kenny DeCoster

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Apr 3, 2021: Cathance Stream

Cathance Stream is a true gem of a class 4 creek as it is located entirely within the town limits of Topsham – no need to travel to the mountain for this run.  Ron Chase, Kenny DeCoster and I had a mid day start, having waited for temps to rise before meeting. The gage was at 2.5, which Ron described as being medium low, but all of the drops were fluid and we had plenty of water.  Although I was the TC for the trip, Ron did all of scouting as he is very familiar with all of the rapids and Kenny and I had not been on the river for several years.  Similar to previous trips this season on the Webb and Souadabscook there was a considerable amount of wood in the water and we scouted all of the blind drops to make sure that they were clean and safe to run.  One river wide strainer forced a portage but it was easily visible from upstream.  Everyone had good runs and enjoyed the first CL 4 trip of the season on this unique and challenging lowland creek.

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Apr 10, 2021: West Branch of the Union River

Water levels were low across most of the state but my research indicated the eastern coastal watershed was still at normal spring volumes.  Apparently almost no one believed me as only Mark and Asa Berry signed on for a paddle on the West Branch of the Union River.  The Union used to be a popular club trip.  Probably because there is a fair amount of flat water, not so much in recent years.  When we arrived at the takeout it was obvious we had a stimulating level.  Rated Class III/IV in the AMC guidebook, I think that overstates the difficulty.  With the exception of two rapids and two pitches, the whitewater is easier.  Launching from Great Pond, we encountered some straight-forward Class I/II rapids followed by a stretch of flat water.  Progressing at a steady pace in a continuum of easy whitewater, avoiding debris in several areas was a challenge.  We enjoyed a rollicking ride at Hell’s Gate Rapid and successfully plunged down the more difficult pitches.  Watching us run the final rapid at Tannery Road was a learning experience for Asa.  His Dad showed him how to run it properly while I provided comprehensive instruction on what not to do.  It was a great day on the river.  Advice to Asa:  Follow your Dad.

Participants:  Mark Berry, Asa Berry, and TC