Bigelow Brook to the Natchaug

[dave0]

CanoesWithDuckHeads, CWDH, made the journey north from Maryland and managed to get a bunch of us Northern boys to run a gem of a river. Bigelow Brook doesn't run often but with this rain and snow melt from this winters ravage, that would be snow, it was running hard. Seven of us showed up and had one heck of a day run poling, paddling, snubbing and just enjoying the day. We've all been paddling together for years now so it was a solid crew who all know we have each others back. Of the seven four of us swam here and there and we paid the river god with a paddle, a pole, a hat, and part of a cooler. It was all good. I thought it would be better to put up pictures rather than try to tell the tale with words. I have this kind of unwritten rule about driving time vs paddling time but I threw that out the window as this is such a nice river and the paddlers make it well worth the time. Did I say a great day? (Pictures are from a few of us and hope they don't mind me posting them.) A link to all my views of the day:

http://plus.google.com/photos/115656493558573181332/albums/6134092847028129857?banner=pwa

dougd

 

[riverstrider]

That was the first time I've done that whole run from top to bottom...what a corker! A little too much water to be considered a poling run, but what the heck, most of us poled most of it anyways! I managed to bend a pole trying to make an eddy. I made the eddy...standing beside my boat, lol! A couple convenient trees allowed me to bend the pole back without kinking it. A great day on a fantastic river with a great bunch of folks!

-rs