July 2002
Volume XIV
Issue 2
Abridged Edition

The Annual Kenduskeag Stream Canoe Race

by Nancy Gero

Another year has passed and its time to think about that annual northbound trek to Bangor, Me. Something about this trip makes me feel good with that little element of butterflies in my stomach. So far, I've had a pretty good spring with no dumps and a brand new dry suit. I feel comfortable with my paddling this spring and the feeling of being kind of rusty has passed. It's not like the camping trips I enjoy all summer long when I travel to do a river. It is too early for that. I get to stay in a nice hotel with a nice hot shower and a coffee maker at hand. The thought of a nice warm soft bed kind of hits the spot too. Kind of like luxurious camping.

I get to my hotel room in the early afternoon the day before the race to check in and unload all my stuff. The room checks out ok. The next thing to do is head over to the Six mile falls to do a scouting of the hardest rapid in the race. It is right on the main route so it is easy to get to. I like to look because there may be new trees down at any time. Yup, sure enough, there is a tree totally blocking the elbow just above the rapid. Guess nobody is going that way. My usual route down river left looks unobscured, but the main drop looks pretty high. I think it will fill my little low profile Kevlar boat with water even with the floatation bags in it. There is an easy route to consider instead of doing the main drop. Maybe I will do that instead to save time from bailing. Hmmmm, decisions, decisions. I feel hungry and it is still kind of early to retire to my hotel just yet.

Just across the street from my hotel room is the Olive Garden Restaurant. How nice! I went there because I was thinking of pasta before my long canoe race for the next day. I felt kind of funny going there by myself, but the waitress was really nice. She came over with a sample of their house wine which was a very nice blush (for those who care). I thought it was really nice and ordered a glass. The menu had some great items on it and I had a tough time trying to decide what to get. I forgot all about spaghetti and went for something I had never tried before along with appetizers that would have filled me up totally had I not tried to control myself before dinner.

There was an outfitter right across the street from there. Boy, what a way to kill time. I went in there after dinner to check it out. They had all the usual stuff and seemed to concentrate their stock on white water kayaks. They had those Fun Yuks too, but I was not interested. I checked out all the latest in paddling gear. They had a nice selection. I ended up buying one of those Platypus bags for my drinking water for the race. It looked like it would tie right into the boat nicely.

When I got back to my hotel, my sister and mother hadn't arrived yet. They were coming up to be my cheering squad. Finally they arrived early in the evening. I was happy they made it. That night I layed in bed thinking about the next day and before I knew it, it was getting very late into the night. Oh boy, how was I going have a good race with so little sleep?

The next day came bright and early. I got up, had my coffee and hit the shower and out the door I went. I slowly went past the six mile falls that I had scouted the night before and it didn't look as bad as the night before. I decided I would run the regular drop. There were tv stations set up all over the place. More than usual. Guess it's going to be a good year for dumps. I drove on to the put in. Registration started early at 6:30 at the hall. I figured I would get in line while it was short. Downstairs they were serving breakfast for the paddlers. After getting my number and t shirt, I went down to eat. My sister and mother showed up shortly after and helped me carry my gear down to the put in. Now that I was all set, they decided to get to Six Mile Falls early for a good seat.

So now I sit here before a 16 1/2 mile race waiting to go. The canoes and paddlers pile in around me. There are paddlers of all sorts from tandem to a few solos. I look around. Where are the other solo women canoeists? Am I the only one? The race seems a little light this year as I look at the race numbers. I don't see any past 500. Turns out, there were just under 500 boats in the race this year which is a little on the light side. The racers are started five at a time every minute. This will take a while. My number is 346. As I finally get down to the river, I see one other girl in a solo canoe. Ahhh... I will have some competition after all. Good, I'm not the only one here. They started us both at the same time. I managed to get way ahead of her early in the race. I lost sight of her early and did not see her until she crossed the finish line.

The Kenduskeag race is a 16 1/2 mile run starting with 10 miles of totally boring flat water paddling your little :-D off to approach a class 3 drop after navigating technical class 2 rapids just above it. Half the paddlers loose it in this 2 section and send their boats down without them. He He.... This technical 2 section is followed by a class 3 drop which usually dumps the ones who made it up above. This is where all the river vultures hang out to watch the race. Great entertainment! I always wish Icould be a spectator. Anyway, to continue... There is about 6 1/2 miles of intermittent class 2 / flat water for the rest of the way except for two very important rapids that are class 4. These are portaged. By the time you get to them, you are pretty well pooped. But you have to continue on. There is no help in any way or you are disqualified. After you put in, after the second portage, there comes a difficult 2+ rapid called shopping cart. There is always lots of carnage there. It was like threading a needle there to get past all the overturned boats and swimmers. This is the last hard rapid of the race. From there, you are almost home. When you get into town, the river becomes channeled through the city streets and the river turns almost with the roads and traffic. It becomes narrower between walls and piles up into fun waves that help you coast your tired body into the last stretch of the race. From there it is just a short distance to the finish line. What a good feeling to finally make it after those grueling hours of paddling your butt off. What I really like is the fact that I can show everybody that a girl is capable of doing as well as anyone. There are very few competitors each year in the solo women's canoe category, so the competition is not fierce, which is a good thing. The run is fierce enough.

After I crossed the finish line, I went up to the booth to find out my time. It turns out I beat it by 25 minutes over last year. This is good. As I walk back to my boat I see the other girl cross the finish line. I cheered her on to give a fellow female paddler a pat on the back for making it. It was only 1:30 in the afternoon so I decided to run down to the put in to get my truck. It timed out well. When I finally had everything loaded, I went to the area where they announced the winners. When they finally got to my category, they said I was the only finisher in my class. So I got first place. As for the other girl, I think she got disqualified. She must have accepted help somewhere along the way. I kind of felt jipped that there was no competition. I feel like I earned a trophy, but did not win it. Maybe next year there will be more in my category. Right now I feel like a rare breed. I know there are many other women out there who paddle. Guess they just aren't interested in racing.

After getting back to my hotel room for a nice hot shower, my sister and mother showed up with KFC for dinner. A good dinner and a drink to celebrate and I was out like a light. The news and the newspapers did not do much for coverage on the race considering how much space they took up at the bridge. So there were no good stories to bring back this year. Oh well, maybe next year will be different. All in all, it was a nice way to spend the weekend.