Paddlesport Staff Goes Creeking!

It’s been 20 years since my (Jim Sullivan) first trip out to MooseFest in New York, but this one continued to exceed expectations.  Every fall MooseFest provides a great weekend to meet up with Northeast paddlers and get out on the local creeks.  High water this year made this trip extra spicy.  I had the pleasure of warming up on our backyard run on Friday with Elaine Campbell on the West branch of the Deerfield, a true classic.  On the way out to New York all reports were of high water.  Once there a local told me over breakfast they received four inches of rain and his property along Otter Creek had been largely flooded.  The whitewater section of Otter creek was at a great level!  It parallels the Independence river so that was stop number two for Saturday.  The Indy is also a great run with a huge slide and some fantastic boofs.  As the sun was setting we set out on the Woodhull creek, a short giggly run that’s “all smiles”.  Sunday started with another morning of decisions over breakfast.  What would be at the best level, the best bang for the buck, stay close or hit something along the drive back?  We settled on high water Moose River, the bottom section and it didn’t disappoint.  5.5-6′ actually just became a new favorite level for me.  Big holes but not too pushy or scary, the normal rapids were all manageable with a little modification here and there.  Great trip!  Enjoy the video!

Jim