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Written by Jamie Dolan

Category: Trip Reports

Published: 19 April 2004

Hits: 26

Organizer(s): Jamie Doaln

Date: 2004-04-03

Kayakers (K1): Jamie Dolan

Canoers (OC1): Mike Fullerton; Mike Smorgans

Predominantly: Novice WW

Water Level: Low boatable

We knew it was going to be a low rider day and it was. Water was flowing about 8-12 inches below the top of the gauge rock. But this was the first paddle of the season for all of us and we were determined. We put in at the Audubon parking lot. While we never had to walk the boats, the river is now blessed with some additional coloration from the bottom of them. Below the bridge at Hinesburg Hollow road the play wave was still there but with a bit less water. And at this level you get to see what makes the ledge by the rock wall towards the end of the run. The toughest part of this trip was the opening on Dugway road. It was in the full glory of mud season. We all had a good time, didn't get wet and didn't loose any axles.

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Written by Alden Bird

Category: Trip Reports

Published: 14 April 2004

Hits: 25

Organizer(s): Alden Bird

Date: 2004-04-14

Kayakers (K1): Jim Zamecnik

Deck Canoers (C1): Alden Bird

Predominantly: Intermediate WW

Water Level: Low boatable

Painted Gauge Height (ft) e.g. '3.3': 0.0

Today we ran Bingo Creek, a beautiful little secret down in Rochester Vermont. It's one of the many, many White river tribs that comes up with rain and sees only a few boats per year.

This cl. III river is a gem -- beautiful green water and many, many ledge drops. Even still there is plenty of challenge -- with both the boaters having to "practice" their rolls!

All in all, it was a very good day.

Details

Written by Jamie Dolan

Category: Trip Reports

Published: 19 April 2004

Hits: 26

Organizer(s): Jamie Dolan

Date: 2004-04-17

Kayakers (K1): Julie Prior; Maura; Cheryl; Tim; Jamie Dolan

Canoers (OC1): Randy Allen; Mike Fullerton

Other Personal Watercraft: Tina Scharf

Predominantly: Intermediate WW

Water Level: Medium

Painted Gauge Height (ft) e.g. '3.3': 4.5

Primary Realtime USGS Gauge Site: Moretown

Primary Realtime USGS Gauge Flow (cfs), e.g. '797': 5++

Primary Realtime USGS Gauge Height (ft), e.g. '2.96': 3.85

The scheduled New Haven trip was cancelled due to lack of water. However, the lower Mad was running at a pleasant 3.85 and 500 + CFS. The day turned into a wonderful exercise of boat rescue. Though it could have turned out differently. One of the kayakers started over the Horseshoe falls on river left (the so called "cheat route") but was quickly caught in the somewhat sticky upper hole. She flipped by the rock in the middle of the river precluding a roll and losing boat and paddle. Two of the boaters used a throw rope to rescue her from having to go over the falls. The paddle flushed out in good fashion and was easily retrieved. Not so the boat. After what seemed like ten minutes, it eventually lodged itself right by the horseshoe determined not to move. Two of the boaters ferried above the falls across the river to retrieve it. Climbing down the rock face the boat was reached and tied off with a throw rope. The boat was full of water and very heavy, so it could not be hauled out. The rope was then ferried to river left where the boat was then pulled in. During this time the ducky, which was used to get across the river to rescue the kayak, got loose and also went over the falls. This flushed into one of the rock crevices below the falls and was relatively easy to retrieve. Even after all this excitement Tina, in the ducky, decided to run the falls (river left) a second time. By her own admission it was because she did not want to carry the ducky anymore. The rest of the trip was relatively anti-climatic, though we did get to do another boat rescue. While no one ever was in real danger there was the potential for that and we all acted accordingly. It gave all of us more respect for the river left run.

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Written by Eric Rossier

Category: Trip Reports

Published: 13 April 2004

Hits: 25

Organizer(s): John Barrows

Date: 2004-04-11

Kayakers (K1): Cheryl Robinson, Paul Kenyon, Stephanie Heath, John Barrows, Eric Rossier, and others

Predominantly: Nov-int WW

Water Level: Medium high

Painted Gauge Height (ft) e.g. '3.3': ?

Primary Realtime USGS Gauge Height (ft), e.g. '2.96': 5

Primary Realtime USGS Gauge URL: 15

We hit the Schroon last weekend, what a great river. It marked the first trip of the year for Stephanie, and the level was nice and high. Air temp was around 40 deg and the ice had not gone off the lake to make the water temperature a bit chilly as well. We did not have any icicles in the eddies though. The run started at the put in above the telephone marker on the river side of the road. Uncle John said that if we parked down stream of that marker, we would get towed. The entrance rapid had one great wave with river left eddy service. We got a few good rides including a surf by Paul. The level flushed much of the catch on the fly waves and reduced the smaller shorline eddies to make our group size a bit too large for the run. It would have been best paddled with multiple groups of 3. The one drop the river had to offer was scouted by all and ran by all. It was a shallow hole that started center left and widened as it met a 5 1/2 standing wave. This wave represented the main flow of the river and had terrific speed. Several surfs were had on this one from two members of our group. It was possible to drop into a smaller hydraulic above the lip of the drop to zero out the downstream momentum. At that point I was able to drift down the drop into the foam pile of the main hyrdulic and blast surfers left onto the main face of the wave. The riot air 55 went into bounce mode and was ready for arials. I however was not. Got some clean front surf on and another member of the group got a series of nice flat spins. Great wave. Nice park and play opportunities.