thePULSEKayaking the Deerfield River
By BJ Hill
After a bit of research, my girlfriend and I chose Crab Apple Whitewater for our kayaking adventure. Owners Frank and Jennifer Mooney have been guiding rafting and kayaking tours along the Deerfield River since 1989. After a two-hour drive along Route 2 from downtown Worcester, we arrived at the modern lodge and boathouse in Charlemont. We fitted for life jackets and helmets and sat through a brief orientation. There were about 30 other people in our afternoon group: a cluster of couples, a party of college students, a bevy of co-workers, and a handful of families. One father chose a large raft to share with his son and a guide, while another chose a double kayak to share with his young daughter (Crab Apple’s minimum age is 5 on this relatively mild tour). The rest of us took single-person Hyside inflatable kayaks (normally $44 per person, but we paid $25 with a Groupon). It was a warm autumn day in the 70s, and most of us opted out of the wetsuits.
Compared to our last kayaking experience, which ended in a bonus trip to the ER, once in the water we found the Deerfield’s class I and II rapids very manageable. The first ten minutes were a little hairy, but our guides had done a good job of explaining how to navigate that stretch. Once clear, the current pushed us along steadily but easily. In some cases, we found we needed to purposely paddle into isolated pockets of white water to get some action.
About 90 minutes into the eight-mile trip, our group pulled to the riverbank to meet Crab Apple’s staff, which handed out lemonade and granola bars. We chatted with our guides, Jay, a former Marine, and Steve, a UMass undergrad, who told us of the series of hydroelectric dams upstream which regulate the Deerfield’s flow.
Back on the river, we understood what they meant. Once or twice we found ourselves ahead of the release, so our boats snagged on rocks in ankle-deep water, forcing us to struggle free like stranded fish. But while we waited for the water to catch up, we had the opportunity to take in the Berkshire scenery around us. Route 2 lay above and to our left, and the Housatonic range rose ahead. Trees lined the bank and dipped their branches into the river, as the September sun slipped down behind us.
It felt like perfect timing when we reached the pickup point two hours later. We left the kayaks on the beach and trundled aboard the bus for the short drive back to the lodge. It was beginning to cool down and we were glad we’d brought along towels and dry clothes. Crab Apple offers an add-on dinner, but, since we didn’t venture out this way very often, we instead went in search of some local fare.
Crab Apple operates tours morning and afternoon, seven days a week, mid-April to mid-October. More information can be found at www.crabapplewhitewater.com or by calling 1-800-553-RAFT. Feeling more adventurous? Crab Apple times special trips in the early spring and on dam release days, which mean faster flows. Want to travel? Ask about shooting the Class III and IV rapids at its sites in Vermont and Maine.
Photos of the full-size whitewater rafts provided by Crab Apple Whitewater.
