Whitewater rafting on Deefield River is a rush, even in April
CHARLEMONT, Mass. - There is still snow on the ground in the Berkshires in April, making the decision to climb into a raft with my wife and two children and paddle down a raging river seem a bit dubious.
But spectacular views, an eagle sighting, and the adrenaline rush of shooting the Zoar Gap rapids on the Deerfield River made this an adventure well worth squeezing into a wet suit and getting a few splashes of cold water in the face.
Whitewater season in western New England runs from late March through October, with more than 95 percent of those trips coming on the Deerfield, mostly in the summertime.
Crab Apple Whitewater is one of three outfitters running trips on the river. The company is operated by a husband and wife, Frank and Jen Mooney, who started the business in 1989 out of a trailer in a campground. She had 52 customers that first year.
They now carry about 15,000 people down the river each year from their base in Charlemont, which has changing rooms, showers, a snack bar, and a gift shop.
The outfitters persuaded the power company to guarantee some dam releases so they could schedule trips when customers knew there would be whitewater.
The river is just three hours from New York, 2 1/2 from Boston, and just over 1 1/2 hours from Hartford.
"It also allows some easier, more family friendly trips than you can get in Maine," Frank said.
There are 106 guarantied release days now each season, but Frank says the dam releases water almost every day, so the power company can generate electricity. Crab Apple runs trips seven days a week.
The trip my family took was very friendly. The outfitters provided all the equipment, including the wet suits and helmets and a nice lunch (they even made veggie burgers for my daughter who won't eat red meat). We brought towels and a change of clothes.
The four-hour journey begins just below the Fife Brook Dam in Florida, Mass., and goes for 10 miles. Most of the rapids are classified as level I or level II, meaning they are easily navigable.
With a guide in each raft, there is little danger of flipping or falling out. Everyone paddles, something my 9-year-old son and 12-year-old daughter found empowering.
On our trip, Frank bounced us up and over big rocks, sent us in circles through one rapid and guided us as we squeezed through a couple of boulders on another.
On the calm sections of the river, he pointed out the scenery and the wildlife. We saw some ospreys, turkey vultures, and a bald eagle. Frank says he's seen a lot of deer and beaver, some mink, even some bear. With the mountains providing spectacular scenery on all sides, we paddled by the remains of a mill that burned down in the late 1800s, and one of the oldest railroad tunnels in the nation, created during the early days of nitroglycerin.
The biggest challenge, and most fun, comes about midway through the trip as we made our way through Zoar Gap, with its level three rapids.
My son moved to the front of the raft to be with his sister for this experience. They got soaked after the first drop into the raging rapids. After being bounced like a pinball, with the kids children screaming and laughing at the same time, Frank brought us out the other side safe-and-sound.
