First swim of the year – Lower Poplar on the Dead (ME)

[eckilson]

There are rivers that aren’t too difficult if you take the right lines, but can be brutal if you don’t. I was on one of these rivers on Saturday – the Dead in ME, and I paid the price for a bad line on the last rapid - Lower Poplar. My first swim of the year.

The Dead is one of the longest continuous whitewater runs in the Northeast with approximately thirty rapids along a fourteen-mile stretch. The river is mostly boulder-type rapids with lots of holes and pour-overs. The release was supposed to be 2,400 cfs, but was closer to 2,100 cfs - a nice class II/III. We had 13 boats in our group – 6 canoes, 6 kayaks and 1 shredder.

It was a long trip down to Lower Poplar – over 5 hours with 3-swims, and everyone was tired. Lower Poplar is the last, and arguably the most difficult rapid on the river. The river turns right along a boulder garden as the water tumbles down the left side with huge wave trains and large holes. The kayakers usually run the left side, while open boaters usually run the right side along the seam between the boulder garden and the big holes.

As I was coming down the right side I saw one of the other open boaters flip in front of me. I got around him to the left, but now I was out in the big holes and pour-overs. Before long, my boat was full of water and I was struggling to keep it upright, never mind avoiding the rocks and holes. About half way down, I went sideways over a large rock into a hole, and over I went.

As I swam downstream I looked back to see my canoe still stuck in the hole. That was the least of my problems. Swimming through rapids is something that I try to practice, but it doesn’t match the real experience. First, I swam though a series of “haystacks” or standing waves where you have to breathe in the trough, and hold your breath as you go through the wave - breathe, glug, breathe, glug, breathe, glug.

After the waves, I could see a horizon line downstream indicating that I was approaching a rock with a hole on the other side. I tucked into a ball as best I could as I went into the hole. When I came out the other side Paul was yelling at me to swim hard to the left shore since I was approaching another big hole. I wasn’t making much progress so I threw away my paddle thinking that would allow me to swim better. After more waves, more rocks and more holes, I finally got myself to shore. It was about a 200-yard swim, but it seemed like forever.

I had paddled through 30 rapids in 14-miles only to swim the last 200-yards. We had 3 other open boaters in our group swim this rapid, so I guess I shouldn't feel too bad.

Full trip report here:

Dead - Spencer Stream to West Forks - August 9, 2025

My boat is loaded There are rivers that aren’t too difficult if you take the right lines, but can be brutal if you don’t. I was on one of th...

eckilson.blogspot.com

 

[kona]

Thanks for this write up and the story. Sounds like an adventure! I’d love to run that section. Some day for me maybe.

 

[recped]

If you don't have video it never happened!

Here is a link to a video of both Upper and Lower Poplar at 2200cfs (yak alert), the paddler takes the river right sneak route for the lower.section. There are several places a hung up boat could force you left into a pour over + hole.

I also watched a rafting run at 6500cfs, it looked like lots of fun but personally I think I would be swimming at least half of it in an open canoe.

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

Thanks for the write-up, Erik. The Dead is one of my top 10 paddling places of all time. I did it probably 30+ times in the 80s and 90s and miss its continuous rapids and wilderness feel.

I don't know what goes on during Labor Day weekend at the Dead nowadays, but in those days there were hundreds of boats from the AMC and other groups, mainly open canoes, on the river that weekend. What fun!

Good boaters would eddy hop down the left side of (lower) Poplar Hill Falls into multiple, strong bank eddies. Surf some waves out of the bank eddies, go back into the bank eddy, and progress that way downstream. Clark Bowlen, a slalom racer, was a master at surgically dissecting Poplar from bank eddies to midstream eddies to surfing waves, and it would take him about 20 minutes to play/run the rapid in his Mad River ME. You could also eddy hop down the right bank but the eddies were not as defined in the shallower, bouldery waters. Eventually you would have to move into the center or center-left current approaching the bottom of Poplar, as I recall.

Although many boaters would run a left center line down Poplar, I don't think I ever ran it without multiple eddy stops on one side or the other. That would be a recipe for taking on water, especially at higher water levels than were common on Labor Day, which was about 1800 cfs. You were paddling in higher water than that.

Nolan Whitesell told me that the Dead at 5,000 cfs was the most "continuous fun" paddle he had on his first tour of the northeast U.S.

 

[eckilson]

If you don't have video it never happened!

Here is a link to a video of both Upper and Lower Poplar at 2200cfs (yak alert), the paddler takes the river right sneak route for the lower.section. There are several places a hung up boat could force you left into a pour over + hole.

Yup that’s it - same level too.

In that video you can see a canoe going down the right side of Upper Poplar. That is the open boat line.

On Lower Poplar he takes the right line that we were on. At about 3:14 you can see him go between a couple of big boulders and catch the eddy. The green canoe is in there. He then goes down the right along the boulder garden. That is the line I intended to take.

In my case, the boat in front of me dumped at those rocks, which pushed me out into the middle. I hit a hole and filled the boat up with water. At that point all I could do was keep it straight and hope for the best.

Not sure, but it could have been the rock at about 4:14 (top left corner) that did me in. It looks big enough hold my boat. I swam out but looked back and saw my boat side surfing in the hole. I went over at least one good size pour-over, which could have been the ledge at 4:27. Or maybe that was the pour-over my buddy wanted to get me away from. From there on it is tough to see the left side, but I got myself out along there somewhere.

I also watched a rafting run at 6500cfs, it looked like lots of fun but personally I think I would be swimming at least half of it in an open canoe.

I've done a 3500 - my kayak buddies loved it but kind of scared the sh*t out of me. I've done a bunch of 2400's - those are OK. To be honest, my favorite is 1800, which I have done solo and tandem. The tandem run was a blast. 6500 is kamikaze level - a swim would go for miles.

 

[eckilson]

Thanks for the write-up, Erik. The Dead is one of my top 10 paddling places of all time. I did it probably 30+ times in the 80s and 90s and miss its continuous rapids and wilderness feel.

I don't know what goes on during Labor Day weekend at the Dead nowadays, but in those days there were hundreds of boats from the AMC and other groups, mainly open canoes, on the river that weekend. What fun!

The Dead is great - one of my favorites as well. 14-miles of spruce trees and class II/III rapids - at least at the levels that I run it. This was my first trip back to the Dead since before COVID. Webbs/Riverdrivers stopped doing the shuttle around that time. For a while you needed to self shuttle, but a new company - Ironbound Outdoors - has picked up the shuttle service.

Now the big weekend is the 2400/1800 release in the middle of August. The Chowder Heads are there (actually, they are always there), and the MVP does a big step-up trip. Its mostly kayakers these days, but there are still a few open boaters on the river. I lucked out and ended up in a group with 6 open boats.

 

[eckilson]

Probably when I filled up my boat.



Here was the result - look close and you can see my blue helmet.

 

[alsg]

That looks like an unpleasant swim.

 

[eckilson]

It was not a fun swim - I was way out in the middle, and it was a long way to shore. I swam as best I could to the left shore and got there eventually. Of course, my boat ended up on the right.

 

[alsg]

It was not a fun swim - I was way out in the middle, and it was a long way to shore. I swam as best I could to the left shore and got there eventually. Of course, my boat ended up on the right.

Looks like a lot of rocks to dodge.