May 7, 2017
| Reporter | Norma Roche |
Ran the Middle Branch today (5/7/17); USGS gage said 3.51 ft. I'd agree with your characterization as 'lower runnable,' but I'm not sure the gage itself reflects what's going on in this reach, as the reach is above the Littleville Dam and the gage appears to be below it. The gage shows the level rising over May 5 and 6 and holding steady May 7, but one of our group who ran it both May 6 and May 7 said it was much higher May 6.
In any case, it was a challenging, technical, and fun Class II at today's level. A few scrapy spots, two portages around strainers, and series of rocks and small drops that required a lot of maneuvering. This branch of the river is narrower than the nearby parts of the West Branch, and there are more spots where you need to get through a narrow slot. Very scenic with small falls coming in. A road runs along the whole reach, but there's little traffic on that road and I was barely aware of it.