The Inaugral run of MITOC's Whitewater Rafting Program, 8-22-04

SummaryOn August 22, 2004 MITOC took out its new whitewater boats on the very first MITOC Whitewater trip. What a blast!
OwnerMITOC Gallery Administrator
Creation Date2004-08-23 10:43:40 UTC-0400
Description

The First Run of the MITOC Rafting Program

Location: Dryway section of the Deerfield River, MA
Date: August 22, 2004
Participants: Greg Wallace (guide, whitewater chair), Matt Filippelli
(RPI,
guide), Chris Glazner, Sgouris Sgouridis, Ben Crosby, Cana Crosby
(Harvard),
Lek Dimarucot, Jean-Marie Deux, Kristina Haggerty (BU), Katrina Farias
(BU),
Erika Boekeler (Harvard)

"The Inaugural Run of the Beavers I & II"
--Erika Boeckeler

MITOC has two new rafts,
The two rafts took a trip
We whirled among the rapids
And nearly broke our

Hip were our steerers
The crew bold and self-assured
Compared to which the
Commercial rafters looked pretty

Boarded we the virgin crafts
Waving to those in kayaks tucked
Despite virtuosic paddling we capsized
Now we really know we

Sucked in a lot of water
as we were immersing.
Up the creek without a paddle,
In the pics you can't hear us

Cursing down the river
On our voyage maiden,
With eleven wet and happy bodies
The Beavers I and II were

Late in-to the water for the second run
Our poor rafts barely swam
Water levels plummeted
In frustration we cried out

Dam -your water suddenly shot out,
Though the riverbed was almost sod!
Yes, the dam miraculously started up again
As if a gift from

Odd that we found it so fun,
Savored the cold sprays and shocks
Sure, we kept getting stuck
But whitewater rafting really

Rocks and pitfalls lie at every turn
Rapids froth white, sky sparkles blue
Along the way we gained four paddles
Next time we hope we can gain you!





Report:

We gathered at 7 am in front of the loading docks at the MITOC
boathouse to get
the rafts and distribute PFDs, paddles, and helmets. It's looking like
we're
running kinda low on this equipment. In the future, if anyone wants to
go
kayaking simultaneously, they might have a hard time finding good gear.
After
waiting a little bit for the last person to show, we took off up Route
2 (after
the traditional Dunkin' Donuts stop, of course).

There were three cars, and we agreed to meet at the grassy field just
past Zoar
Outdoor, which was near our turnoff to the put in. The first two cars
pulled
in, and then....we waited. And waited. We didn't have cell phone
coverage
there. After half an hour, we decided that they either had a flat or
had gone
ahead to the put in, since we had also given directions out all the way
to the
put in. So, the lead car went down to the put in and met our
volunteer guide
from RPI, Matt, while the second stayed behind to look for the third
car.


After a detour into Vermont, the third car finally arrived at the put
in,
followed a short time later by the second, which had ALSO taken a
detour into
Vermont. Note: Draw a detailed map to the put in for the drivers. With
everyone there, we quickly got ready, pumped up the rafts, shuttled the
cars
around.


We put in around 11:00am. We carried the rafts down a neat little rail
that was
set up for the purpose, down to a concrete platform for rafters and
kayakers.
The dam was flowing at 1100 cfs.


Beaver 1 and Beaver 2, as we have named the rafts, negotiated the
rapids quite
well on the first run, and fun was had by all. At the very end of the
last
rapid (Labrynth), Beaver 2 ended up diving into a hole and capsized,
spilling
its occupants out into the cold water. Matt righted the raft and
helped the
others back in. Another commercial raft had also capsized there, so
random
equipment was pulled in by several parties and exchanged. The take
out was
just a 100 yards or so beyond this.


We jumped out, looked and the clock, and realized that it was 1:30.
The dam was
going to shut off the flow at 2, so if we wanted to get in a second
run, we had to hurry. We got the vehicles down, threw the rafts on
top, and
drove back to the put in with a few minutes to spare. We got the rafts
down to
the platform and started loading them when suddenly the dam turned off.
The
river almost instantly dropped three feet! Greg and Matt quickly
debated
trying to race downstream to "catch the bubble," but decided that it
was too
late. Defeated, Beaver 1 decided to play around in the pool of quiet
water in
front of the dam.
Chris jumped in the guide's seat and started barking orders. We
creeped up
close to the dam, setting off a proximity alarm that warned that there
would be a
release. This confused us, as Greg had never seen them release a
second time.
We paddled away, and after about three minutes or so, the water started
flowing
again and the river started to rise! We would get in a second run!
Unprecedented!


This wasn't a full release---it was perhaps only 600 cfs--but it was
enough to
get over the rapids. We started the run over the Factory Rapids, which
really
changed character with the new flow levels. Greg and Matt decided to
wait in
an eddy to see if the levels were going to change much more. After 5
minutes,
we decided they weren't and pressed ahead.


At lower water levels, the river became much more technical, and the
guides were
really put through their paces getting around rocks and hitting chutes
just
right. Beaver 2 had an extra person in it, and ended up hanging in
areas that
Beaver 1 glided right over. Beaver 2 is also 6 inches longer and a few
inches
wider than Beaver 1.


The crew of Beaver 1 had a great time on this "new" river, while the
crew of
Beaver 2 had to work for it a bit more. When we arrived at Dragon's
Tooth, we
pulled into an eddy so that Matt and Greg could scout them out and
ensure that
the rafts could make it through. They determined we could.


Beaver 1 went first and had a perfect run down through the myriad of
obstacles.
The water started to drop as Beaver 2 began its run of this rapid and
the raft
became stuck on a rock in the middle. The crew quickly disembarked and
lifted
the raft off of the rock it was stuck on. The final rapid of the day
was still
waiting....


Beaver 1 again went first, and ran it flawlessly until it went over a
large drop
followed by a huge hole. Beaver 1 surfed this hole for everything it
was
worth. After five minutes of cursing, paddling, and pushing, we broke
free and
found our way to an eddy for a break. The crew started to unload so we
could
watch/help Beaver 2 negotiate the same section. As the third from last
person
hopped out, they kicked the raft out of the eddy and into the current,
leaving
Greg and Kristina to ride out the rest of the rapid in the boat by
themselves,
which they easily did.


After seeing Beaver 1's run, Beaver 2 managed to avoid the hole that
Beaver 1
surfed. They soon met up with Beaver 1, and we enjoyed a nice, calm
float to
the takeout, picking up 4 lost paddles along the way from other trips
that had
already left. Arrrrr.....river booty.


We were the only ones around when we got to the parking lot. After a
little
food and a change of clothes, we packed up the cars and headed on our
way back
to Boston after one heck of a first run for the MITOC whitewater rafting
program.