BELFAST, Maine — A year ago, during a seemingly endless winter that brought Maine piles of snow several feet deep, Dale Cross visited one local river in late March, just as paddling season was scheduled to begin, and was amazed at what he found.
“I was literally able to cross the [St. George River] on ice,” Cross, the longtime race director of the region’s first two whitewater canoe and kayak races, said.
Ice and canoe racing don’t necessarily mix that well, and the late thaw led to races being postponed.
Saturday marks the scheduled date for the 37th St. George River Race, and Cross said ice isn’t a problem this time around, because winter never really showed up at all this year.
“It’s a totally different scene, that’s for sure,” Cross said. “Last year we were holding the race off for another week for the St. George and two weeks for the [Passagassawakeag, which is set for April 2].”
Cross said paddlers were practicing on the St. George two or three weeks ago and said neither the St. George nor the “Passy” froze solid all winter long.
Of course, as a race director, Cross said there always are other factors he can focus on, even when the rivers are running with water instead of clogged with ice.
“As soon as you think, ‘This is going to be great, spring is coming early,’ and you think about paddling early, the next thought is — and I’m a little bit of a worrier — ‘Oh, no. We’re not going to have enough water for the race,’” Cross said, explaining that river levels can drop a bit each day no rain falls, eventually turning a stream into a rocky obstacle course or worse.
That won’t be the case on the St. George, Cross said, but with no significant rainstorm in the forecast, neither will the river be frothing and wild, as some thrill-seeking paddlers would prefer.
“It’s going to be a little bit low,” he said. “I think we’re going to get some wet weather at the end of this week, and that may help the St. George. It’s not at a high level, but it’s definitely doable, so that’s good.”
Cross paddled the St. George a week ago and got down through safely, though he did hit a few rocks. Those rocks likely will pose the biggest challenges for participants at this year’s race.
“This year the challenge will not be the big waves and missing some of that stuff,” Cross said. “It will be to really navigate and miss the rocks. Paddlers who are really good at reading the whitewater and reading what’s in front of them, those are the people who are going to do the river faster than the others. It’s a whole new challenge. It’s more technical.”
That doesn’t mean, however, the race will be a breeze. Cross went fishing on a lake recently and said the water temperature was 36 degrees. Paddlers will be faced with similar water temperatures and should be prepared.
“It’s still cold, I can tell you,” Cross said. “If you’re not cold enough, roll around in the snow for a while before you jump in [your boat].”
Not that you should really do that. But you get the point.
Cross cautioned that those looking to get an early look at the Passagassawakeag River should hold off for a few more days.
The river is not clogged with ice, but it is full of fallen trees.
“We had a lot of brush [in the Passagassawakeag] last year. … We had that fall [of 2014] storm that brought down a lot of trees,” Cross said. “We’re still cleaning those trees out. That river right now is still blocked with trees. I’ve got to get into it later this week and early next week, but practice runs on the Passy are going to be pretty limited.”
Cross said he has learned to be flexible and to prepare for anything Mother Nature may dish out.
“What happens with the rivers is, every year’s different,” Cross said. “I’ve been [directing] the St. George for 37 years, and I don’t think there’s ever been one year that’s been just like the next.”
The St. George River Race will begin at 11 a.m. Registration will be held from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. at the Searsmont Methodist Church on Route 131 in Searsmont. The entry fee is $20 per paddler.
The time schedule is the same for the Passagassawakeag River Race on April 2. Registration will take place at Littlefield Farm on Savage Road in Waldo.
Other early races:
— April 9, Souadabscook Stream Race, Hampden.
— April 10, Marsh Stream Race and Marsh Stream Sprints, Frankfort.
— April 15, Kenduskeag Stream Sprint, Bangor.
— April 16, 50th Kenduskeag Stream Race, Kenduskeag and Bangor.
— April 23, 44th Kiwanis Piscataquis River Race, Guilford and Dover-Foxcroft.
A more complete schedule is available at the Maine Canoe and Kayak Racing Organization website.
