The Vermont Paddlers Club

For our first Green release of 2017 we had uncharacteristically nice weather and a solid 1.3 tubes of water to play in.  There wasn't a massive turnout - the Wells race was the same day - but we still had a few dozen folks and everyone who showed up got a really nice day on the water.

I hung around the takeout for awhile getting folks set with parking (a huge thanks to Morrisville Auto for letting us park there, and for having an array of nicely-fixed-up 1980's-era sedans and mid-range muscle cars for us to consider purchasing).  After awhile a particular group of troublemakers showed up and I decided to head up for a lap with them.

There was not much excitement our first lap.  A few folks were here there first time, which is always fun since the river starts off steep and challenging, but quickly becomes very manageable.  So it's fun to watch folks start off a little gripped and then relax and really start to enjoy things.  Things are in great shape wood-wise.  The big flows back at the end of February must have pushed a lot of the log-jams up and out.  But some wood moved out of Young Buck, and the last drop isn't really as ponded up and is actually pretty nasty - we all walked but heard reports of one very sketchy run.

We got to the takeout and found Ryan and his PA buddies getting ready for a lap.  We went back up and had another awesome lap.  There was one minor incident at Lumberyard that actually turned into some great swiftwater rescue practice.  And of course it was nice to actually paddle with the PA guys, being that they are basically legends in the VT boating scene.

So that was a nice Sunday on this classic river.  The day finished with beers and good company in Morrisville.  More please!