Pemi River trip, Woodstock to Campton, 5.16.20

[gyork]

With the indefinite postponement of our Allagash trip, in the thick of Q 20, we decided a more local day trip was in order. We had seen glimpses of the usually-bony Pemigewasset River from the interstate on trips north, and were worried that there might not be enough water for a paddle. A check of a few previous trip reports indicated that the minimum flow without lining the canoe was 400 CFS. The day before our planned trip the graph was reading 700, and we were optimistic that projected thunderstorms traveling through the area the night before our Saturday trip would benefit the plan. Sure enough, the flow skyrocketed to greater than 3000 overnight, and we were on the road by 8 o’clock.

 

 

We staged one car at the takeout in Campton At Blair Bridge, a covered bridge dating back to 1870.

    

 

As expected, the current was quite lively, and downstream we could see some action at the falls. 20 minutes later we were at the put in on Death Valley Road in Woodstock, just below another set of falls.

 

The trip would be approximately 14  miles at a good clip. We pushed off under cloudy skies, 55F, and WNW of 10. The first half of the trip was uneventful, with sparse wildlife (white ducks with black hoods?), Including one bald eagle and kingfisher – par for the course. We stopped for lunch in an eddy under a very steep embankment, enjoying veggie sandwiches, chips, and mapled walnuts. Unlike the upper stretches of the Pemi, highway noise was a constant companion, routes 3 and I 93 contributing to the overall distraction from the beautiful flowing river. 

   

 

Our track shows an average speed of 4.3kn,  with a max of 7kn. After the quick paddle we made haste to the Woodstock Inn and Brewery for take-away of Portobello sandwiches, french fries, and coleslaw, enjoyed at a picnic table behind the fire station in North Woodstock, overlooking the more lively upper section of the river.

It was good to be dipping our paddles in the water, finally–a great remedy for the postponed Jewell trip, originally planned for this very weekend.

Edited May 20, 2020 by gyork

[prudenceb]

Very nice, Gary.  Definitely good to be getting out again!