Deerfield

May 21, 2006 - 500CFS

Finally got my wish and paddled the Searsburg Section of the Deerfield River on Route 9 In Vermont.

Mike and I had a blast, it was / is always great to try a new river. At 500 CFS it was a sometimes-scratchy class II-III run.

There were 3 larger features in the river, the 3rd being bolder guard rapid.

The first feature was a wave train quickening as you come down the right hand channel of the river as your approach the first route 9 bridge crossing. There were some need to make moves in the line down to the bridge. Say II+.

The next section of interest was where the river takes a sharp left turn. There was a stackup of pourovers followed by a pool of decent size. Again some need to make moves. III-

Boulder Guard Rapid was a river center, to river left to center run that was fast. At a higher level some of the pourovers of concern would be more covered up and the line more of a straight shot. There were plenty of rocks to marker / set your sites on for making the moves. III

We ran river left at the powerhouse but upon seeing the run from below we could have taken the line by the powerhouse. The water flowing out was fast moving and at the confluence of the power gen station water and the river there was a nice seam that squirt boaters would love.

While this run is certainly not for inexperienced boaters it is a lot of fun.

Big waves, lots of surf opportunities and some nice features. Given the 4.5 mile distance, something you could run twice in a day