Relatively few people will ever notice the numbers painted beneath some bridges that cross rivers and streams throughout Maine.

But when the ice begins to melt and the water levels rise, those spray-painted numbers become a good indicator of when the spring whitewater boating season has begun. “People probably think that other people who paddle whitewater in March are a little screwy,” Ron Chase of Topsham said.

“It’s the best time to be here,” Chase said about kayaking as soon as the ice flows down river. “If you have the right gear and you love the sport enough, (spring) is when the water is up and when it’s the most exciting,” he said.

The Cathance River in Topsham is one of the first significant whitewater runs in Maine to see action each spring.  Chase lives nearby and keeps watch as the water rises . When the water line hits the 2 painted beneath the Maine 295 bridge, Chase lets the word out and the ice cold fun begins. “I wear a drysuit with lots of fleece underneath,” said Chase. 

The Cathance flows 20 miles. from Bradley Pond to Merrymeeting Bay, but only a couple-mile section that flows past the Cathance River Nature Preserve draws the attention of whitewater boaters. “It is a good little river,”  Morrill Nason Jr. of Hartford said. “It’s a hidden gem write in the town of Topsham,” Chase added. 

Six rapids, consisting of ledge drops and cascading falls are separated by large pools of calm water. Most paddlers consider the river a Class IV, which carries the definition of “very difficult” by the International Scale of River Difficulty. One technical rapid with no room for error is rated a Class V, or extremely difficult.

Rapids carry names such as Cave Drop, Manky Rapid and Magic Carpet Ride and are run when the bridge gauge reads anywhere from 1.5 to 4.5. Lower water requires a sharp lookout for submerged rocks and high water runs demand precise boat handling by experienced boaters.  “It’s almost like a Disneyworld in here,” Chance said.. “It’s a remarkable place.”