A Week on the Passy: From Winter to Spring

The photos in the slideshow above were taken while paddling a 5.5 mile section of the Passagassawakeag River 7 times during the 8 days period of March 29 to April 5, 2009. The photos are arranged geographically, moving from west to east, along the river, rather than by date taken.

It may not be a large or famous river. It’s certainly not the longest. It might, however, be the river with the longest name: Passagassawakeag. sixteen letters, ten of which are “a” or “s.”

Passagassawakeag. Learn to pronounce it fluently and you can impress both locals and visitors alike. The origin of the river’s name has been variously translated as place of ghosts, sturgeon river, clear fish river, and place for spearing sturgeon by torch-light.

Whatever it was named for, the Passy is a fun and beautiful river. One well worth getting to know. Paddling friends and I marvel at the fact that more people don’t get out on this river. Compared to downhill skiing for example, it costs less, is closer to home, and requires no more skill or expertise than running an intermediate slope on a big mountain.

The section of the river featured in the photos is the same one used in the annual Passy River Race, this year held on April 4. The put in is near the Littlefield farm on the Savage Road in Waldo. The take-out is a few hundred yards short of the intersection of the Rount 137 and the Shepard Road. Several miles of flatwater interspersed with sections of Class I, II, and III whitewater are found on this varied section of the Passy.

For their first trip down the Passy, those unfamiliar with the river and those new to paddling should seek to to with an experienced paddler.