Top middle: Tony DiBlasi and his wife and fellow whitewater enthusiast, Kate, have decades of experience on Maine rivers. The Dead River was serving up threes, with a couple of fours thrown in for good measure. His knowledge of Maine’s whitewater runs — not just on the Dead — is encyclopedic. The epicenter of Maine whitewater paddling is the Somerset County town of The Forks (year-round population: 50), where the Dead River empties into the Kennebec River. For the most diehard, the three-part Maine Whitewater Championships are a highlight of every year, each race with a distinct personality.