Eric Brisette (above) and his fellow Long Haulers Matt Allen and Allen Klinger didn’t expect to be on the water in the dark. As Eric tells below, this year’s Paddle-a-thon was marked by low flows that made the going slower than usual.
The original plan was to paddle Teradyne to Treadwell! But plans change. Matt and I were on the water at 5.30 am behind Teradyne and on to Topsfield to meet Allen around 12.30 – 1.00 basing times on my 4 previous long haul adventures. Perfect, 7 or 8 hours on the water, pack a few snacks and meet Allen just in time for him to bring us lunch and join the team onward to Ipswich! It was obvious right from the start this was going to take a little longer, water level was clearly lower than previous Paddle-a-thons, more time was spent climbing obstacles and dragging kayaks over countless trees, boulders and muck. The water was way too low.
Allen was in the water in Topsfield ready to go as planned by 12.30, he paddled around that section of the river to kill some time while he waited and waited and waited…. eventually Matt and I made it to Topsfield, met Allen and had some lunch, at 6pm… we were 5 hours late.
The Long Haulers had to do quite a bit of walking during their paddle due to low water.
Matt decided he had enough, rightfully so, and ended his arduous haul in Topsfield. But after waiting the entire afternoon Allen on the other hand was ready to head down river and do some paddling! So at 6.30 Allen and I continued down the river, there were still obstacles to maneuver but definitely better paddling than up river.
Great wildlife sightings throughout the day, herons, frogs, snapping turtles, painted turtles, swans and beavers trying to scare us away with their loud splashes. As we paddled the sun was setting and we had still not made it to Ipswich, not planning on being on the river in the dark. We did not have any lights with us which made beaver dams and tree climbing a little tricky but I did enjoy all of the fireflies.
During normal flows, this log would likely be passed over without much notice. With water levels so low, it’s an obstacle.
At 10 pm we made it to the Bradley Palmer Bridge and that is where 2020 Team Long Haul’s journey came to an end. I really wish there was more water and we made it all the way to the mouth of the river, but the conditions were not in our favor. If the river is this low now, what will the water level be like in a month?
Although the water was low I had a great time and will always enjoy being able to spend an entire day on the river, look forward to doing it again. It is great that even in the current situation Paddle-a-thon was able to go on and surpass the fundraising goals! Looking forward to Paddle-a-thon 2021!
