There are many ways to mess about on rivers in New England - cruising, fishing, and swimming is relaxing and serine… but it’s not for me. I like my outdoor adventures to be a few notches up on the excitement dial, and if you’re the same look no further than a white water rafting trip.

So this summer I loaded up my family in the early hours of a summer morning and we headed out to experience first-hand what all the ballyhoo is about with this activity.

We picked a gorgeous day after a week of incessant thunderstorms had the Deerfield River bloated and mad and ready to toss overboard all who attempt to navigate her white frothy torrent - or something like that!

The truth was our trip was along the Fife Brook section of the Deerfield River - one of the gentler white water rafting trips you can take with CrabApple. This turned out to be just fine and dandy though for the first timers in our raft and we still had plenty of thrills - and a few spills - before the end of the day.

About CrabApple Whitewater:

CrabApple Whitewater, Inc has been operating Whitewater Rafting in Maine, Massachusetts and Vermont since 1983. This is a family-owned operation and Frank & Jennifer Mooney guide and plan the trips out of Charlemont on the Deerfield River sections.

In Massachusetts, CrabApple offers various classes of rapids from I through IV on their trips to cater for beginner and seasoned whitewater rafters. I choose CrabApple because of their reputation on safety and a focus on catering for families - they provide rigorous training for their guides and their inflatable rafts are self-bailing.

CrabApple’s home base is in The Forks, Maine, with access to the big daddies of white water in New England - the Kennebec and Dead Rivers. To round out their New England offerings, the company runs trips along the West River in southern Vermont.

The Charlemont base camp on Route 2 - Mohawk Trail - overlooks the Deerfield River and includes changing facilities, snack bar, a shop, and a large gathering room for after the trip. Lifejackets, helmets and an orientation talk take place at base camp before buses whisk you off to the start point for your trip.

From Fife Brook Station to Zoar Gap:

Our day on the Fife Brook section was under the guidance and watchful eye of A.J. as he steered us through rapids with names like “Sideways Splash,” “Freight Train” and “Pinball.” There is plenty to enjoy in the stretches between the rapids with the scenic Berkshire Mountains squeezing the river through twists and turns, and always another experience coming up around the next bend!

“Zoar Gap” is a class III rapid and the highlight of the first half of the trip, and after our successful navigation we felt we’d earned our riverside picnic lunch. The picnic food prepared by CrabApple at our lunch stop was hearty and plentiful and there was time to talk about the morning runs and enjoy some spirited games before heading for the second half of the trip.

Getting Wet on the Home Stretch:

While I don’t want to spoil your anticipation by revealing too much about the events of the afternoon in case you decide to do this yourself, let me just tell you - you will get wet! - But you’ll have fun!

In addition to more rapids with names like “Roger Rapid” and “Slam Dance” there are deep sections of the river for out-of-boat experiences, and due to the previous weeks weather the river was a cool 60-degree temperature and though chillingly refreshing there was plenty of takers from my family. There was never a dull moment as we headed back towards our pick-up point with lots more surprises on the way.

The short bus ride back to Charlemont base camp was a chance to reflect on a great day which had gone all so quickly and relive some of the experiences of our trip together.

CrabApple Whitewater Rafting tours treats their organized trips like a family outing and even though we had “strangers” in our raft and there was six or eight rafts in our group we all felt the experience together and it made the day special for all. On the drive home everybody agreed it was a highlight of summer for us and plans were being set for a return trip next year.

For more information on trips, schedules and fees, check CrabApple Whitewater Rafting site here.

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Yankee Traveler
Staff Writer
New England Online Travel Magazine

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