Spent the morning walking on the Northern Rail Trail east of the Village of Canaan (off US-4). The drive wasn't too bad (although I encountered some cops on the way to/from). Started off from a parking spot near the NH-118 split and walked towards Boston (0930). It was a bit overgrown in places and didn’t have a really smooth surface - nevertheless, it was a nice walk. Saw several bikers but was alone most of the walk between the village center and Height of Land Road (near Tewksbury Pond). The segment was about three miles out and the same number back (walked for about 2.5 hours). Got some great views of Mount Cardigan and enjoyed some solitude before the big heat arrived. Before leaving (and backtracking towards Lebanon), I located the Advance Transit bus stop so I could use it for a future "bike shuttle" adventure. While heading west on US-4, I decided that I'd like to try some paddling on Mascoma Lake. Picked up lunch (great sandwich!) at a deli called Pellegrino's just after noon and then made my way to the town of Enfield. Found a place to park near an old railroad bridge (another NRT section crossed it), just north of the bridge that connected to NH-4A. The area was quite crowded but I was able to get my kayak in the water by way of a nice beach (1300). For nearly two hours, I paddled all around the eastern end of the lake, including following the Mascoma River until it crossed through Enfield Village. At one point, I passed some other kayakers and one insisted that I give him a "paddle high-five." The western end of the lake seemed too hard to reach due to a large number of motor boats that kept coming under the bridge. It was also a bit windy and the water was quite choppy in places. But the weather was pleasant and not extremely hot - this made for a relaxing (at times) or exciting (when I wanted it to be) experience. A lot more people were out for the day than I'd seen at other lakes/rivers nearby but I was glad I tried the location. Finished another successful hike/paddle day by 1500 and headed home. So happy to have such flexibility for outdoor time and exercise!
