Ten Mile River

[David Gever]

If anyone has experience with Ten Mile River in CT/NY I would love to hear from you. I have no car and would like to do a trip using Metro North to float down to the Ten Mile River lean-to on the AT. Then hike to Pawling NY the next day for the train back to Brooklyn. The put in would be the Ten Mile River Station, or Dover Plains. If this is possible I am planning on using a Sevylor Trail Boat, which I don't own yet and my usual backpacking set up plus some extra waterproof precautions.

[Steven McAllister]

Hi Dave,

Maybe you could post your trip report?
Some others in the area may like to try that as well.

It's great not having to deal with a car.

[David Gever]

Sure Thing Steve

After getting my trail boat I called Great Blue Outfitters in Paterson, to ask them about the conditions on Ten Mile River. The Owner who happened to be the care taker for Ten Mile River lean-to was able to give me a little info, but I was still venturing into the unknown so to speak. I ended up doing the trip in pretty high water, which can be checked here. I believe the gauge height was around 3 ft, and the guy at great blue recommended not going when it was at 4 ft or above.

http://waterdata.usgs.gov/ct/nwis/uv/?site_no=01200000&PARAmeter_cd=00065,00060

I packed normal gear for a quick overnight, plus some extra water proof precautions in the form of a trash bag on the inside and outside of my pack. Next time I will skip the second bag. I would estimate that everything was around 10 lbs including food.

I took metro north from grand central to Dover Plains in the morning arriving around 10 am. From the Dover Plains station it is a quick walk to where Mill St crosses the river where I put in.

If using a Seyvlor Trail Boat YOU WILL GET WET. The boat is very low to the water, and with a pack I had to throw my legs over the sides with my feet in the water. The river itself is nice with a swift current, which was appreciated. Paddling in this configuration with the supplied paddle on flat water or into a head wind for any distance would have been exhausting. Aside from several downed trees that made for interesting obstacles I was having a wonderful time. My relaxing float had interment bouts of choppy waves that added a little excitement, and made for a pleasant afternoon.

As I was getting closer to my intended take out spot I approached a downed tree at a bend creating a little dam on the right bank. Because the trail boat is slow to maneuver I decided to go wide left around the obstacle, where from my pool toy I was met with what can be described as a torrent of white water. I scrambled to the left shore with the plan of portaging around a continuing on. For the next 45 minutes I attempted to scout a path around through the worst conditions possible. It was steep with slick fowl smelling mud and thorns and stickers. All the while I was looking off the right bank where there was a freshly mown lawn that I could have used to walk around the rapid. I finally gave up and decided to walk upstream in-order to ferry across. Once across there was still a steep bank to climb made easier by a rope tied to a tree at the top. Once there I strolled through someones back yard where I found a fence blocking the entrance to a woods road. I was confident that the road was going to lead to my intended camp, and decided to walk the rest of the way.

Upon arriving at the lean-to I washed the mud off my feet and found what would become a total of 13 ticks, which is by far a new record. Sleeping in an inflated boat is a mixed bag. In some ways it is comfortable, but the short length and height make for an awkward night. Not to mention the kink in my neck from the tube.

I walked to the Pawling train station the next morning arriving early enough to catch a train back to city at 2:30 pm.

Overall it was an enjoyable trip, certainly not the wilderness experience normally associated with pack rafting, but a nice change.

[Steven McAllister]

A fun trip report.
Thanks.

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