Early Old Town Tripper One Thwart/Yoke

Upper Millers as in this Upper Millers?

Pretty challenging run in a 17’ tandem - maybe that is why it was wrapped around a rock :wink:

My biggest whitewater run in a tandem tripper was the Dead in ME at 1800 cfs. So much fun - more fun than solo.

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https://www.woodencanoe.org/

Wood Canoe Heritage Association can look up the build sheet for your Tripper if you provide the serial number.

Here is mine:


If you’re interested in beautiful old canoes, the Wooden Canoe Heritage Association Assembly happens in July at Paul Smith’s College on Lower St. Regis Lake in the Adirondacks (near Saranac Lake). Lots of boats on display, knowledgeable enthusiasts, demonstrations, marketplace, etc.
I highly recommend it, and there is a nearly unlimited choice of great paddling in the area.

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Malone, Malone. I have one, again older than dirt, these are made near Portland, Maine. The tire tubes failed, I called Malone, they sent foam filled tires mounted on rimsFOR FREE.

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Worcester AMC ran the Dead, each year at Labor Day, some years at 2200. I paddled my old tripper single. To the question above, Yes, upper Millers, we frequently ran both upper and lower in spring, at Bears Den I would run single, let the bow person walk, unless it was my girlfriend, she was better than I at whitewater. Those old trippers were easy to turn in rock fields, we loved those boats. Of course, we were comparing them to 17 foot Grummans with keels.

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Upper Millers is one of my favorite trips - I try to get there at least once a year, but I missed last year. I was paddling up in NH during the spring release, and I guess we didn’t get much rain in the fall. I’m less enthusiastic on the Lower Millers - had a couple of long swims in the Funnel :wink:

Haven’t been to the Dead since before the pandemic - the shuttle didn’t seem like a good idea with COVID around. Maybe I’ll get up there this year - there is an 1800/1300 release in June. We’ll see.

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We paddled the Dead with our own shuttles, as I keep saying, back in ancient times, late 60s, 70s. I think they have renamed the Bears Den on the lower Millers, if you ran just off to the right of center, no issues. Open canoes, no one had invented float bags. Those were the days, I no longer paddle anything but an estuary, the Little in Kennebunkport, not the one in Wells.

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A little off topic, but what the heck…

Little before my time - did my first run on the Dead in 2014. I’ve always used the Webb’s shuttle. There are some cool pictures on the AW site of the old Webb’s shuttle truck/trailer and some tandems running the river.

https://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/River/view/river-detail/787/gallery

I thought you were talking about Bearsden on the upper Millers - just after the second railroad bridge along the Bearsden Conservation Area. This is the flatwater section above it - popular place to stop for lunch (this is hiking not paddling).

Millers River

The river turns left after the bridge and there is a long class II+/III rapid depending on water level - here is a section.

Jim

I’ve run it many times, but never thought about doing it in a tandem. I should try it sometime.

The big rapid on the Lower Millers is the Funnel - many lines, but a lot of people do run it to the right. (To be honest, I walked it this day .)

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Been so long, do not recognize any of those drops. Also, mother does change rivers, along with most other natural features. The Millers has a nice drop per mile, will always be fun in spring, I now paddle flat, a strong tide is all I want to handle. The Bears Den was on the lower, if you looked up river right, the then renewed Route 2 was a tough hike up, hauled a found Grumman 18, shoe keel up that hill, those were the days. (I found a lot of boats, and multiple paddles, helped keep Worcester AMC supplied)

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