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| Intermediate Maine Rivers (II-III)? | ||
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| jamesmjs |
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  Registered Member #5935 Joined: Fri Aug 29 2008, 03:01 pmPosts: 6 | I've been trying to find good Class II-III runs that are a daytrip from Bangor/Orono that might run this time of year. It seems like there are lots of flat and easy stretches, and the obvious IVs but not much in between.... Any suggestions/anything that I'm missing? I'm new to the area, having paddled mostly in NC, and I'm not sure I'm up for the Penobscot or Kennebec yet, but I'm looking for suggestions of runs that might help me step up to those... I think the Dead at the lower releases looks good, but it looks like the releases from here on out are higher than I'd be comfortable with... For anyone who knows NC rivers I'm looking for runs comparable in skill (obviously different in geology) to anything from the Nantahala to the Middle Ocoee. Any suggestions on what to try out would be great, and anyone interested in meeting up to paddle would be excellent. thanks -james | ||
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| jdube1 |
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  Registered Member #2221 Joined: Fri Jun 17 2005, 05:05 pmPosts: 444 | The Dead has a release of 3500cfs coming up, I would say that is fairly solid class 3. If you find people to go with, which is not hard, that maybe your best shot. Kennebec and Nob are a step up, so would recommend assessing the situation after the dead. 2400, but particularly 1300 are almost too low, and youre right, there are not any of those left. I would also recommend the Seboomick section of the Nob (Seboomick dam to roll dam campsite). It has reliable flows every day, and is friendly in that it is mostly drop pool, so if you take a swim, its easy to pick up the pieces. Bangor area is a good place to be in spring and fall. You have the Kenduskeag, Souadabscook and Marsh Streams, all provide good local runs, and are in the 2-3 range, depending on level, higher water can bring their ratings up, particularly Marsh. Ellsworth has a SHORT class 2 section of the Union River which has a small but dynamic training wave that you can spin on all day if you wanted. It is dam release and they draw the lake down in the fall, so that should start running too. I have not paddled Nanty or Ocoee, so cannot relate them well. Hope this helps Jeremy | ||
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| jamesmjs |
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| Registered Member #5935 Joined: Fri Aug 29 2008, 03:01 pmPosts: 6 | Cool- this is just the type of info I was looking for. I knew about the Kenduskeag, but not the others. I'm also use to nothing running in the fall (except after tropical storms), so it's good to know stuff might go off before the winter. Any suggestions on finding out when groups are paddling the local stuff? This board? The Paddle and Chowder club? Other lists? Thanks -James | ||
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| Phil U. |
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 Registered Member #214 Joined: Wed Jul 21 2004, 05:18 amPosts: 492 | PPCS is a great resource. Great folks and they have trips every weekend. Second Jer's recomendation of Seboomick and its a beautiful exposure to the North Woods. Also second Jer's other suggestions. If yer roll is reliable and you have a good guide, like the club, then I think you'd be fine on the Dead at 3500. Bigger than the Nanty and the Ocoee but not too much. Plenty of other 3ish runs when it rains. The AMC guidebook is a good resource. This is a great area for boating. Welcome! Phil | ||
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| Gregory |
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 Registered Member #96 Joined: Sat Jul 17 2004, 11:20 pmPosts: 139 | James, I'm in danger of putting words in someone else's mouth, but to clarify, I assume that Phil means the AMC river guide to Maine, not Lessels' whitewater guide published by AMC. The river guide is pretty comprehensive. I also recommend Kingsbury Stream in Abbot in the spring/fall. For park and play, try the rapids beneath the Stillwater Ave bridge in Old Town. This runs in the fall sometimes; it was dry last time I was up there. I'd be happy to paddle with you, but I'm pretty busy till October. Feel free to get in touch. greg | ||
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| Phil U. |
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| Registered Member #214 Joined: Wed Jul 21 2004, 05:18 amPosts: 492 | Greg has the book info right and its been a long time since I've seen the Kingsbury from a boat but I think he's got that right too. Another group of runs that might appeal are the coastal rivers, the upper branches of the Union, the Narraguagas, the Machias. P. | ||
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| BigSpencer |
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  Registered Member #78 Joined: Fri Jul 16 2004, 10:57 pmPosts: 431 | ..May be more of Class II, haven't paddled at all...but Souadabscook might have a few possible areas, might also be boney in others...? Ditto on others..., Penob. has some interesting Branches!.., East/West?/Main Br. Piscataquis..I have NOT paddled in 2 seasons...will try to eyeball levels this coming week. SteveD | ||
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| johnsoncanedy |
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  Registered Member #5853 Joined: Tue Jul 22 2008, 06:02 pmPosts: 28 | Take a look at the Mattawamkeag. I ran it in an open boat with no flotation (did not own any at the time), and only sank once at the bottom of a small falls, Ted | ||
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| Phil U. |
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| Registered Member #214 Joined: Wed Jul 21 2004, 05:18 amPosts: 492 | James, I'm not sure what you mean by the Middle Ocoee. If that's the regular run (Hell Hole etc) then I would call that solid class 3 skills but since I'm not sure I wanted to say that the Dead at 3500 is quite a bit bigger than the Nanty. Would second Ted's suggestion of the Mattawamkeag at lower levels. Its fun and beautiful and you can walk Upper Gordon Falls if you want. Phil | ||
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| jamesmjs |
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| Registered Member #5935 Joined: Fri Aug 29 2008, 03:01 pmPosts: 6 | Yeah, by Middle Ocoee, I mean the portion below the Olympic section which includes Grumpy, Broken Nose (benchmark III+), Tablesaw, Double Suck, Hell hole, etc. In talking with a few other people, I think that the Deat at 3500 would be a good one for me to paddle. So if there's anyone going up to the Deadon Saturday that knows the river well and wouldn't mind showing a newcomer down, drop me a line. What are good levels for the Mattawamkeag? The AWA page only has comments from what sound like pretty high levels. Just to say a bit more about my paddling: I'm pretty comfortable on Class III stuff (I've had fun paddling a little bit of IV (Wilson Creek, NC), but I haven't been out as much as I'd like recently, so I'm feeling a bit rusty). I really only have experience on southern rivers, though. I've got a solid roll, like to surf and I'm learning to spin, stern squirt, etc (but most often end-up upside down when trying to play). | ||
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