Chickley

Flow was almost too low at 4.35, so it was a boney run.  Yet it was a fun, technical, creeky run on a narrow river.  Would like to run again at 5 feet or higher.  Have to catch the river when it flashes after considerable rain or snow melt in spring.  At 4.35 level, essentially a class II/II+ run, with one class III drop/slide called Lower Rapid.  This rapid is about 0.5 miles below the Rt 8A bridge.  In his book Classic Northeastern Whitewater Guide, Bruce Lessels states that “the easiest run (for this rapid) is down the left side, but this one is a stern muncher whenever you run it unless the water is very high.”  We all ran different lines on this rapid with no significant issues.

There are 2 logs on this run that entirely block the river.  Both are visible from the road, and they are at 1 mile and 2.6 miles from the turn on to Route 8 south.  Both have a little water going over them but barely buffable.

Take-Out:  we parked in Charlemont.  To Put-In:  go W from Charlemont for roughly 2.5 miles turning left on Tower Road, after 1.1 miles take at right onto Rt 8 A South, following the river upstream.  We parked along the road at 4.0 miles from the Tower/Rt 8A intersection.