Not a swimming pool. The pool behind the Birch Hill Dam on the Millers River in MA.
I don’t usually paddle during the week, but I knew that I couldn’t paddle this past weekend due to family obligations. When I saw a trip posted for Thursday on a flatwater section of the Millers River, I decided to take a vacation day and join in. We had four boats – a 16’ Prospector, a 15’ Prospector and MR Independence and a Yellowstone Solo.
We would be paddling/poling the 7-mile section of the Millers River behind the Birch Hill Dam from Winchendon, MA to Royalston, MA. With all the rain we have had in the past few weeks, the pool behind the dam was about 14’. The river started off normal enough with a nice current as we padded/poled though pretty pine forests and swampland.
About 3-miles downstream we started to see the impact of the impound of the Birch Hill Dam. The river rose over its banks and started flowing through the trees. Before long, the river completely disappeared and we were paddling through a large shallow lake filled with trees. You couldn’t always tell which way the river flowed.
When we finally made it down to the dam we found out why the gate to the access road was closed – the canoe launch and much of the access road were flooded. We paddled up the road as far as we could, and then we put our boats on carts for the portage back to our cars.
I could get used to this weekday paddling!
Few pictures here:
I don’t usually paddle during the week, but I knew that I couldn’t paddle this past weekend due to family obligations. When I saw a trip posted for Thursday on a flatwater section of the Millers River, I decided to take a vacation day and join in. We had four boats – a 16’ Prospector, a 15’ Prospector and MR Independence and a Yellowstone Solo.
We would be paddling/poling the 7-mile section of the Millers River behind the Birch Hill Dam from Winchendon, MA to Royalston, MA. With all the rain we have had in the past few weeks, the pool behind the dam was about 14’. The river started off normal enough with a nice current as we padded/poled though pretty pine forests and swampland.
About 3-miles downstream we started to see the impact of the impound of the Birch Hill Dam. The river rose over its banks and started flowing through the trees. Before long, the river completely disappeared and we were paddling through a large shallow lake filled with trees. You couldn’t always tell which way the river flowed.
When we finally made it down to the dam we found out why the gate to the access road was closed – the canoe launch and much of the access road were flooded. We paddled up the road as far as we could, and then we put our boats on carts for the portage back to our cars.
I could get used to this weekday paddling!
Few pictures here:
