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Mar 23, 2022: Togus Stream

Trip Report:  Togus Stream 3/23/22

Catching tiny Togus Stream with the right amount of water is not easy, but about 950 on the Sheepscot gauge was a Goldilocks’ level.  Three kayakers and two canoeists turned out for the usual wide assortment of river adventures.  Descending through large culverts, ducking under bridges and low hanging branches, navigating numerous rapids, and portaging around strainers were just some of the many exploits experienced.  I provided unintended entertainment hand paddling a rapid after accidentally dropping my kayak paddle while attempting to take photos in a tiny eddy.  It was another great day on a fun river.

Participants:  Morgan Baxter, Adam Chase, Ken Gordon, Eggman DeCoster & TC

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Mar 20, 2022: Skip Pendleton Memorial St. George River Trip

We had an excellent turnout for the 5th Skip Pendleton Memorial trip on the St. George River.  Twenty- three paddlers in 17 boats challenged the high water on a sunny day March day.  There were thrills, spills, and rescues.  Karen Franceour accomplished the most unique rescue assisting a struggling deer out of the water by nudging it with her kayak past a steep embankment to a safe exit.  Despite the cold water, there was some wave surfing at the bottom of Magog Chute.  Overall, it was a great way to begin the 2022 paddling season.

Participants:  Ryan Galway, Mason Galway, Chris Gailey, Medea Steinman, Dwayne Shaw, Andrew Carey, Cath Kimball, Ex-president DeCoster, Susan Bloomfield, Ken Gordon, Scott Nelson, Lynn Hempen, Dave Boyle, Bruce Weik, Chris Knight, Aili Hartikka, Will Spaulding, Randy Berube, Morgan Baxter, Karen Franceour, Leslie Gregor, David St. Laurent & TC

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Mar 26, 2022: Marsh Stream – Snowmobile Bridge to 1A, 2.25ft

OC1: Mason Galway, Ryan Galway, Kenny Decoster, Kyle Duckworth

K1: Charlie Berliant (tc), Mark Berry, Kirk Ross, Eli Ross, Oliver Hafford, Greg Winston, Greg Gerbi, Andrew Carey, Devon Carter, Jeremy Todd

IK1 Erin-Kate Sousa

Saturday, I lead my first official PPCS trip on the Marsh Stream in Frankfort. The turn out was unbelievable for the first PPCS fun-only, scheduled trip to the Marsh in more than 10 years. 3 people got seamless first runs.
Our crew ran just about every possible line through Flat Rock with no swims or injury.
This group really killed it, made my job easy. There was one short silly swim and few rolls by the Marsh veterans on the trip, but otherwise it was butter. Some of us were cold at the bottom, a few others hurried off to catch the Sou before dark. Just a classic First Class Marsh day with a really great group.

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Oct 16, 2021: NH Drawdown Trip – North Branch Of The Piscataquag

Trip Participants Ryan Galway OC-1 TC, Mason Galway OC-1, Kenny Decoster OC-1, Nick Beaudoin K-1, Emma Earler K-1, Brian MCCormack, Paul Leclerc and friend Pat K-1, Hal Earle K-1.

One of the things I really enjoy about being a TC is leading people down new rivers for the first time. I enjoy this because I am grateful for all of the times other club members have taken me down new rivers and it feels good to return the favor. On this trip, if I remember correctly, Kenny and I were the only two who had run the river before so we had lots of people to show some new lines. For those who haven’t run this river before, it is a narrow with fast current and hazards like wood everywhere. Due to the lack of space we pretty much ran the river in single file one behind the other over the span of 9 boats. This seemed to work well and we seldom had any issues with people being on top of each other. In addition to the narrow fast moving water, there are a series of large drops spaced out over the run. The first of which is called slab city which is a steep river wide drop of about 6 feet. This was the first test of the group about a 1/2 mile in. Everyone had a stellar run with cheers in the pool at the bottom. Following slab city, we had a little trouble doing the limbo under a low tree which resulted in a swim, and a missed line that resulted in another. The rest of the large drops were aced by all. Following the last large drop called Buzzels, is a river wide drop which is called turnover ledge. This is traditionally not a difficult rapid but it is better known for the playspot that it creates, which is about perfect for enders. We shared the spot with another group so it made for a fun positive atmosphere with some competitive encouragement. One real highlight was seeing Emma attempt her first ender which ended up being the best one I saw performed there that afternoon. Great job Emma! Shortly after we completed the run ,which was followed by some relaxing and enjoying a cold beverage on a warm fall day.

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Sep 18, 2021: Dead River at 3500cfs

Trip participants: Ken Gordon, Devon Carter, Emma Erler, Halen Earle, Deb Harris, Connor Cory, Greg Gerbi, Jeff Bickford, Clyde Mitchell, Mark Berry, Charlie Berliant, Greg Winston, TC’s Suzanne and Gary Cole.

Eleven kayaks and two rafts enjoyed this beautiful day on the river. There were quite a few groups on the river and we kept hop scotching with the Connecticut AMC. We benefited from the skill of one of their kayakers who retrieved one of our kayaks that got stuck in a retentive eddy at Spencer. Once boater and boat were reunited, we proceeded to paddle and surf our way down the river. Surf waves were everywhere, but Quatro had fewer waves to surf and Spruce Ledge wave was non existent. It was great to have new members make some great surfs and enjoy the river at this level. We ate lunch above Hayden’s, took breaks at Enchanted, above Mile Long, and above Upper Poplar. We had a couple of swimmers at Poplar as one flipped and swam while the other ran into trouble while retrieving the swimmer’s paddle. It took quite a while to get boaters and boats reunited as communication was difficult. It all worked out and everyone was fine. There were many rafts on the river, but they all passed us by early and we were probably the last boaters to get off the river.