Kountdown To The Kenduskeag
If the Passy River Race was an indication of things to come, the Kenduskeag could be a wild & wooly ride. We'll have to keep an eye on the local precipitation over the next twelve days.
Next up: The Souadabscook Stream Canoe Race and the Marsh Stream Sprint/Race, next Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
By the way, here are my photos from the Passy last Saturday.
Labels: countdown, marsh stream, passy, photos, races, rain, sou, souadabscook, water levels
posted by Michael Alden @ 9:07 AM
12 comments
12 Comments:
Showers, Showers, Showers... looks like another rehash of the 07 race. We didn't stand a chance that year. Looking forward to pics of the falls.
For us out of towners who can't do a few practice runs if you have any suggestions on the best line to take that would be awesome.
Great photos of the St. George and Passy races, Mike! Re-living the race is a lot of what it is all about. And it is often more enjyable than the race itself. Thanks for all you do! --Ray Wirt
Thanks for the note, Ray!
To Bachelor Party Express: Early next week I'll post some pics and videos of the rapids. That might give you a more accurate idea as to how things look than if I were to post them today, for example.
I think the Shopping Cart area looked scarier at this time of year back in 2007, but maybe that's just me. It's swift right now, no question about it. But not quite as high as in 2007. I mean, in 2007 that area was frightening just to look at!
The stream has risen above its banks near Six Mile Falls, for example, but in 2007 the banks were literally flooded out. So it doesn't seem as bad at the moment. I'm wondering if the stream conditions will be similar to last year's race.
But as you have pointed out, all of that could change with the rain we have in the forecast. The Passy changed almost overnight by nearly a foot, according to those who ran the river just before the day of the race.
2007 was impossible. Heres the clip of me with 3 girls on Youtube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCeHeyrEen4
We sank before we even got near the rapids.
I've only made it one year & we went to the right of the trees then down the middle. We tried to go the left of the trees but that was a mess & puts you sideways into the falls by the big drop.
Whats the most popular line?
Cool video!
I like that all of you were floating downstream feet first. That's the way to do it.
Man, Six Mile Falls really was high that year, wasn't it? I was on a different part of the stream so I didn't see any of that, but I heard about the carnage up there in 2007. I guess a lot of people simply took themselves out of the race at that point, too.
The lines people take vary from year to year. One of the things I like to do is talk to a bunch of paddlers a couple of days before the race and usually there is a consensus on the best way to approach the falls. I'll be sure to post whatever I hear, and I hope others will as well.
That would be fantastic! Can't wait! I've been looking at video & pictures of the past to see what has worked best & where the monsters lie. 1st hand accounts would be sweet
I'm gonna do some paddling on the Kenduskeag this weekend with friends and I'll let you know what line we take through the falls after that. It's too soon to suggest the best line to take on race day because the water level will be different, assuming the long-term forecast holds true and we don't get much rain between now and then.
Rambo- Thats SOLID! Thanks bro
Too bad about the TV coverage... what else is the station covering in Bangor anyway? Is there so much else going on they can't send a truck?
Just to give you an idea of how quickly things can change. I was out near the Souadabscook Stream a couple of days ago with my dog. The stream was wild! In some places, it still is. Someone mentioned that they wouldn't do the race this year because of the higher and faster water.
But with no local rains, the stream dropped over six inches in a 36 hour period, and it will likely drop even more before the race tomorrow in Hampden. So the race is on and a lot of people are breathing a little easier, even though it should still be quite a ride.
We canoed from Six-Mile Falls to downtown Saturday. The water level was good and actually not as high as I expected. Bachelor Party, to answer your question from Tuesday, we took river left above the main drop. Not sure there will be enough water to do that on race day, though.
Looking at the forecast it looks a little dry so it definitely won't be a rehash of 2007.
Thanks for the info Rambo.
If you stay Right of the trees is the best line to go all the way to the right or stay left & hit the main drop in the middle?
I have a small inflatable raft about twice the width of a canoe. With the keeping the water levels in mind what would be the best line for me to take at six mile falls? I am afraid of popping my boat on a jagged rock if the water will be too low on saturday.
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