Trip participants: Rick Farnsworth, Koa Farnsworth, Adam Chase, Kevin Rogers and TC
Perhaps attempting to supplant The Waterman as club river expert, my son Adam announced that the Cathance was free of ice and all rapids clear of debris. Posting the trip the day before, Kevin, Rick, and Koa signed on. Celebrating diversity, our group paddled two kayaks, a canoe, and a shredder. The gauge read 2.6, providing a medium low level. Everyone had clean runs on technical Z Turn and Second Drop. Despite sloppy lines, we all survived Third Drop upright. Adam and I paddled Boulder Pile tight left whereas the others successfully navigated the center right move. The unanimous decision was to walk Little Gorilla which had some unappealing ice shelves extending out into the main channel bottom right. Final Drop provided the most entertainment. Recognizing the hole on bottom left would be extremely sticky at that level, Adam and I bounced down right center. Kevin and Team Farnsworth had excellent runs punching the hole. Rick and Koa defiantly decided to side surf the snarling monster. At first, they had fun. Then they wanted to get out but couldn’t. When asked if they wanted a bag. “Yes” was the unambiguous reply. It must have been close to 10 minutes before Adam and Kevin pulled them out using two throw bags. The old man took pictures. We had a great day. Since I broke through some ice near the end, the trip has been designated the “ice breaker.” Too bad the Eggster missed it again this year. See my upcoming column at: http://rchase.bangordailynews.com/ for the rest of the story. In an effort to avoid spreading the coronavirus, handshaking and kissing were banned.