Cathance River to Bradley Pond

By Michael Perry

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Paddle name: Cathance River to Bradley Pond Nearest town: Topsham Region: Midcoast Water type: River/pond Difficulty: Beginner Length: Seven miles Put-in: Off Route 201, just west of Interstate 295. (At the intersection of Route 201 and Meadow Road in Topsham.) Refer to the DeLorme Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map No. 6. Take-out: Same as put-in. Other: The Cathance's current is a slow one and the river can run low in warmer months. There are few spots suitable for landing along the trip. Maps: Get driving directions from MapQuest. View a topo map from Maptech MapServer. Staff art

Yes, you do have yard chores, and trips to make to the recycling center, but why ruin the whole day when you can also fit in a quick paddle in a remote setting close to home?

For one of the best spots in south coastal Maine for the first paddling outing of the spring, consider exploring the Cathance River in Topsham from Route 201 upstream to Bradley Pond. There is quite a bit of fishing activity near the Route 201 bridge on weekends, but once you leave the bridge wild country lies ahead of you. There are no homes or cottages anywhere along the river.

We recently enjoyed a midweek getaway exploring up to the pond and back, paddling a total of seven miles in three leisurely hours. Surprise, surprise — the pond was still icebound! There are two put-in spot is off Route 201 just west of Interstate 295. Refer to the DeLorme Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map No. 6 for help in getting there.

You will not need a picnic blanket for this trip. There are few spots of real estate suitable for landing, although there are some grassy tufts in the first two miles suitable for getting out and stretching. There is absolutely no spot to land up at Bradley Pond. This outing is all about the birds and the various shrubs and trees.

The river is high this time of year, providing plenty of water to negotiate the twisting turns. The current is slow, so there is no problem paddling canoes and kayaks against the flow to Bradley Pond. We had a brisk westerly breeze fronting us all the way up to the pond to ensure we didn't overheat (we hold to the glass-is-half-full philosophy of paddling). On the return, with breeze and current with us, we flew back to the put-in spot in a mere 45 minutes.

At river's edge, spring will soon be bursting forth. The red maple buds are fat and ready for a few 70-degree days. Along each shoreline, a brown line reaches up a foot from the water, a reminder of the ice depth of the winter past. Above the brown stripe, the riverside bushes support various colors of buds: white, yellow, red.

The upper Cathance is rare in that it provides a fairly open panorama for most of its length. As you pass under the Route 201 bridge, a vast rolling plain of pastureland slopes up toward the Meadow Road, with barn silos dotting the horizon. Large slabs of ledge lie scattered about the far edge of fields that are golden brown with hints of spring green starting to appear.

The land along the river is low, and the river has spilled into the low areas, creating temporary ponds. Hundreds of mallards and geese lifted off in a flurry of beating wings and plaintive calls as we neared. A beautiful blue kingfisher sporting a brilliant white neck band scolded us and flitted from tree to tree on our right.

Soon the pasture gave way to isolated hardwoods and then a thickly brushed marsh and grass hillock expanse on the left. Groves of red maples sweep along the shoreline on the right.

A few hundred yards out from the Route 201 bridge, note to the north the low ridge with the television-relay tower on top. This is the summit of what was Sky-Hy Park, a downhill ski area, back in the 1960s and early '70s. Adult weekend lift rates were $3.50. The old ski lodge next to the tower was refurbished and turned into the Sky-Hy Conference Center.

In a little over an hour you will be right under the relay tower while circling Bradley Pond. The elongated ridge rises steeply above the pond, providing a boreal setting that makes you feel that you might be paddling in the midst of the fabled Hundred-Mile Wilderness on Maine's Appalachian Trail.

As the river bends to the right near the outlet to the pond, note the huge beaver lodge on the left. It is nearly 6 feet tall — one of the tallest we have ever seen in Maine. Silhouetted against the brilliant spring sky, three large hawks rode the midday thermals up and over the ridge.

It will take you about 20 minutes to circle the teardrop-shaped pond. On other late April trips to Bradley Pond, we have enjoyed observing sandpipers nervously dipping heads and tails up and down in search of insects. We have also seen osprey and cormorants as well as countless red-winged blackbirds.

It is also possible to travel downriver from I-295 for a half-mile before encountering Class I whitewater as the river sharply turns eastward away from the highway. The river channel is deeply cut and parallels I-295. It seems strange to be paddling a beautiful section of river and have vehicles heading north at 70 miles an hour just yards away on your left. If you venture down into the whitewater chute, you will be headed downriver to Bowdoinham unless you have a pole to help you regain the flatwater near the interstate.

So many times over the years we have driven north to Augusta wondering what the upper Cathance would be like to paddle. A few years ago we decided to check it out, and it has become an "ice-out" annual — a touch of wilderness in our southern Maine back yard. Some years we get to the pond just before the ice goes out, and sometimes we get there just after the ice has gone out.

Come celebrate spring with a visit to the upper Cathance River this April.

Michael Perry is founder of Dreams Unlimited, specializing in inspiring outdoor slide programs for businesses, schools and civic groups.