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Apr 7, 2024: Souadabscook Stream – Class III

K1: Mark Berry, Jake Bourdeau, Devon Carter, Eric Chase, Daniel Fowler, Ken Gordon, Jessa Solis, Matt ?

OC1: Ryan Galway, TC: Kenny DeCoster

Slice2: Bryan and Alyssa Wolf

The forecasted 15 mph wind wasn’t blowing down the Sou stream valley. With no wind chill, 41 degrees, even with all the cloud cover, we had a decent day ahead of us. By the 11 am meeting time, we had 8 paddlers ready to go. 20 minutes later, we were 12. Two of the paddlers were first timers to the Sou. The water level was 1 foot and the river was very fluid. The surfing at the first wave was outrageous and at Emerson, the waves were more challenging to ride. 

The trouble happened in Crawford Rapid. After negotiating the ledge drop, a paddler ran up on the strainer sticking out from the left shore. The stern caught the current , the boat flipped over backwards, got sucked under the tree, and thankfully the paddler wet exited to the safety of the eddy. The paddle, stuck in the snag, was retrieved by a live bait rescue line. This is the third person being swept under a strainer that I’ve observed in as many years. It doesn’t take much to get knocked off one’s line and get into trouble. It was a very scary experience and rescue is more than difficult. Stay away from strainers!

2 people portaged Grand Falls (on the left side race portage to avoid the Lincoln log pile on the regular portage on the right side), while everyone else stayed upright careening down the left slot in the falls. Both of the canoes filled up and looked like floating bathtubs. 3 boaters got out at Papermill Park and the rest of us floated down the moving flatwater to the snowmobile bridge waves which provided plenty of surfing opportunities. I was glad to see that the left channel at the cement plant rapid had been completely cleared of the trees. Back at the parking lot, I couldn’t convince anyone to take on a second run as the sun started to shine, so we dried off and talked of upcoming river trips.

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Mar 14, 2024: Souadabscook Stream, Class III

Participants: Ken Gordon K1, TC Kenny D OC1

I had a scheduling conflict on Saturday and I was determined to paddle in dry weather. Ken Gordon signed up for the midweek run on the Sou. On the pre-trip scouting mission, I wrote off Grand Falls because Ken was not going to be able to rescue me as I was washed down to Papermill Park. We had fun running down all the drops through bigger waves and catching smaller eddies at the bottom. The first surfing wave provided great entertainment while the second smooth wave disappeared at this level. The other good surfing waves at Emerson were also washed out. This was made up for by all the water pouring over Crawford’s ledge. Skirting a guardian hole next to the giant boulder on the left made it challenging to negotiate the monster ledge drop. We stayed upright and happy. (the right side of Crawford has serious strainers blocking the whole channel). The portage around Grand Falls was a class IV due to our having to push our boats over multiple downed trees. The S Turns rapid below Snowmobile and Cement Plant and just above the 202 Bridge had strainers blocking both sides of the island. We were able to bop over the right channel, but any drop in water level is going to turn it into a mandatory portage. The smooth wave on the right side of the snowmobile bridge proved to be the highlight as Ken gracefully surfed the smooth wave. I, admittedly, wished I had 2 blades as my stubby Option didn’t break through the eddyline and I went flying downstream.

Arriving at the take out early we decided on a second half-run to Grand Falls. The hole at the put in was too much of a temptation for me. Starting off front surfing, then side, and an exciting back surf, I went for a second round where I got thrashed. Boy Scout, No Name, Emerson, Crawford, and Papermill bridge were just as much fun a second time. We took out at the race portage above Grand Falls  on the left-hand side so we wouldn’t have to face the trees again. After a great day on the Sou, I didn’t get home until after dark and slept through the night for a change.

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Apr 15, 2023: Souadabscook Stream

While much of the local paddling world was participating in the Kenduskeag Stream race, a few of us chose a quieter paddling venue for the day.  We had a sunny day and a cheerful group on the Sou, including some new members as well as some very experienced PPCSers.  The water level was low, but we still had plenty of surfing at all the usual spots and even a little excitement at the lip of the Emerson bridge rapid.  One kayaker got hung up in the midstream alders above the rapid and nearly flipped.  In the process of providing help, another kayaker did flip and then hit their combat roll before successfully running the rapid.  Although they were not needed today, it was good to know we had lots of excellent rescue skills at the ready.  We ran the full stretch of river down to the water works station and enjoyed some milling over munchies and beverages at the take out.  We’d parked our vehicles in a little group, including a few that were on the lawn; those cars had notes on their windshields requesting that we not park on the grass in the future. Ooops!  We’ll try not to do that again.

K-1 Tom Rutka, Jeff Bickford, Charlie Berliant, Devon Carter, Ron Chase, Franklin Jacoby, Millie Jacoby, Bud Gilbert, Gary Cole, Suzanne Cole.

IK-1 Erin-Kate Sousa

OC-1 Patti Rutka, Whit Whitney, Sean Kluttz, Kyle Duckworth, Helen Hess (TC)

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Mar 25, 2023: Souadabscook Stream “Icebreaker” – 6″ on the gauge

Participants: Helen Hess OC1, Sean Kluttz OC1, Reid Anderson OC1, Kenny DeCoster TC OC1, Ella Reilich-Godino and Regan Greer OC2, Ron Chase K1, Charlie Berliant K1

Many years ago, I paddled the ” Ice Breaker” when it was 33 degrees, cloudy, and windy and I told myself never again. I don’t want to freeze to death. I always insist in the trip book description that the temperature has to be above 40 degrees. Last week, people were so eager to paddle that I got out voted and gave in. Eight of us braved the 36 degree cloudy overcast weather to paddle the Soudabscook with a gauge reading of one half. At this level, the river isn’t pushy and most of the rocks are covered. We ran class III drops, rocky rapids, and various surf waves of varying intensity- a little something for everyone.

Helen brought along two alumni friends from COA. As fairly new paddlers, Ella and Regan had great lines through the rapids, maintained their composure with an unintended boof in Crawford Rapids and mastered a tandem surf on the smooth wave. It’s great to have new open boaters along who enjoyed the river so much. Everyone else had good runs down the river. Only the TC couldn’t stay upright and rode the run out of Grand Falls on the side of his canoe bracing against the gravel bottom.

Five paddlers “skimmed the cream of the Sou”* and got off the river at Papermill Park, while three of us continued on – losing all feeling in our fingers and toes. Along the forested section, I saw a small brown head sticking out of the water. It dove almost immediately. I believe I spotted my first swimming mink! There wasn’t much surfing at the snowmobile bridge and we took off at Laskey Lane so that we wouldn’t have to scale the snow banks at the regular take out- the water district. I can’t wait to get on the Marsh Stream next week.

* an apt description of the upper Sou uttered at the put in by our President.

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Apr 24, 2022: Souadabscook Stream

The water was low, but spirits were high as 23 boaters gathered to paddle the Sou on a glorious spring day.  This was the largest trip I’ve seen on this little river, and we had a wide variety of vessels and a range on experience from first-timers to seasoned veterans.  We kept up the PPCS tradition of welcoming new boaters to the club and creating a safe and celebratory vibe.  There was some surfing and some swimming and plenty of fun as we paddled the full length from Manning Mill bridge to the water works on Rt 1A.

K-1: Bud Gilbert, Carlisle Landel, Maggie Hetherington, Ron Chase, Tom Rutka, Charlie Berliant, Erin-Kate Sousa, Jeff Bickford, Ray and Leslie Wirth, Devon Carter, Karen Francoeur

OC-2:Warren and Betsy Whitney

C1: Mason Galway

OC-1: Reid Anderson, Patti Rutka, John Picone, Kyle Duckworth, Helen Hess (TC)

Raft: Matt, Tina, and Josiah Landel