Bowley Brook, Maine, US

between Weld and Dryden (Bowley Brook Gorge)

River Description

First descent of Bowley Brook Gorge between Weld and Dryden, Maine

Report by Scott Barnes

Ted DeVoe and Scott Barnes ran Bowley Brook where it intersects Route 156 after an inch of rain in July of 1996. The run was short (1/4 mile at most), but the gradient was estimated at 400 feet per mile. It included several small, constricted drops, with landing pools often not more than 12 feet long. One log had to be boofed, and another was perfect for a railslide down a six-foot drop. The most difficult sequence involved a shallow, two-tiered slide with a 90-degree turn, into a 15-foot pool before you had to pass between two rocks that overhung enough to force you to pull your paddle in to your side, and weave your head quickly left then right (called "Decapitator Rocks"), boof right over a log that hung over a 5-foot drop and into another shallow, two-tiered slide with a 90-degree turn in the middle. It was run at fairly low water, and seems possible at high water, but consider that the decapitator rocks have huge pinning potential when they are under water, and fresh wood is always washing into this small gorge.