Baker River - Wentworth to West Rumney

Trip Overview

4/22/2023 - Gray and windy day on the otherwise attractive Baker River. Winds made the 6-mile bike shuttle back to the put-in very easy but faced a few gusty headwinds travelling downriver, temps 47F-50F. Medium-low water levels, 302 cfs and 1.55 ft on the Rumney gauge. This trip was a little tougher than it first looked. Put-in just below the beautiful swimming hole in Wentworth under the covered bridge. Immediately ran aground my first sand/gravel bar, the first of several but managed to push through. Had to constantly be alert to water levels and the next rapid, mostly class I, shifting from one side of the river to the other for much of the trip. The water was beautifully clear, the sandy and rocky nature of the river was gorgeous. Saw several fish (trout?) at the beginning of the trip, a couple painted turtles, a hawk, and a single loon (black head, white body) towards the end of the trip. 1 portage due to a river-wide tree down. Then one pinning experience late in the trip at the base of a class II rapid. Made it through the rapid but couldn't quite clear the log, kayak got stuck sideways and could not shift off of it, then when I leaned to step out of the kayak water flooded into my boat. Luckily it was only 2-3 feet deep here so with some effort I dragged the super heavy water-laden kayak to a nearby sandbar to empty it out. Took a pause here after seeing the power of moving water in action. You definitely get wet on this trip, would love to come back on a sunny 80F day with slightly higher water levels, to clear some of the gravel bars and enjoy some beautiful swimming holes. Trip time: 2 hours 45 minutes; Trip distance: 7.25 miles.

Full trip report: https://massriverdreams.blogsp...