Ledyard River Fest: Word on the street

So the word on the street is that the third annual Ledyard River Festival this coming April 15-17 will be dropping the rodeo component of the weekend. The likely competitions will include a triathalon (with a paddling component, probably flatwater), the mascoma slalom, and the wells river rumble downriver creek race. I hope they'll change their minds, but it seems that water levels have disappointed the ledyard organizers both two years ago at the Sharon Dam Wave on the White R and last year at the Sign Wave at Hartlands on the Connecticut R. There was some talk of trying to get a guaranteed release at Quechee Gorge for the Well-Enough Wave, but apparently the dam operators haven't been willing to open the gates.

As we here at Upper Valley Surf, not to be outdone by nature, ABSOLUTELY abhor a vacuum, we are contemplating putting together a laid back rodeo anyway. No desire to compete with the festival, just to complement it with a chill comp during some unscheduled time. We are confident that good water will show.

What say you? Let us know if you're in!

Flow Projections

Maybe this is old news to you, but I just came across a great tool for the avid paddler in the upper valley. The National Weather Service provides flow projections for larger rivers in the region a couple of days out, taking into account weather forecasts, ground conditions, recent precipitation and likely precipitation. As a former fluvial geomorphology student I'm totally geeking out. Our region is home to some epic high-water waves (and creeks) that are rather hard to catch. Relying on real-time data online from usgs gauges often leaves you missing out due to the fact that a few hours lag can translate into lost opportunity. The NWS service projects not just the stage height, but the timing of flow peaks etc. So for this most recent rain event you could check sunday when the rain started and determine that the Campbell Hole on the Williams would be in all day monday (especially the morning), the river left wave at Sharon dam on the White would come in for much of the same time (especially the afternoon), the cliff wave and the so-ro waves on the white probably wouldn't come in, and the 302 wavs on the Connecticut River would likely peak slightly later. So awesome! Here's what to look for:

Campbell Hole (Williams R): stage over 5 feet (~1k cfs).
RL Sharon Dam Wave (White R): stage over 7.5 ft (~5k cfs).
So-Ro Wave (White R): stage over 10 feet (~10k cfs).
Cliff Wave (White R): stage over 11 feet (~12k cfs).
302 Waves (Connecticut R): stage over 6.5 feet (~15k cfs).

So-Ro Wave: New Beta!

Hey Folks! Got some NEW BETA on the So-Ro Wave from Mike McDonnell. Check it out and enjoy!

Williams River

Hit the Campbell Hole today at about 2k. You should too. Excellent.

Leaf Peeper Hole- Quechee Gorge

Look just upstream from the bridge over Quechee Gorge.

There you will find Leaf Peeper. The last ledge above the pool under the bridge forms a fun hole at lower levels. It is touchy and it has a narrow window (350-450 cfs or so) but it will give up tons of linked cartwheels to the discerning paddler. Be warned: this is not a destination playspot. =)

To paddle at Leaf Peeper you need to run the gorge. See the details for the Well Enough Wave for more info. To get the best gauge go to the army corps website and navigate to the north hartland reservoir. Look for "inflow."

Cheers!