Friday, July 14, 2023

North Thetford, VT (USA)

With all the rain (and flooding!) lately, I haven’t even thought about kayaking.  Today, the weather looked nice enough to change that!  Still, I had my job...  I teleworked from very early in the morning and, at 0745, drove to Lebanon to get a haircut and then drove to White River Junction for a doctor appointment at the VA Medical Center. After that, I did some errands in West Lebanon and went home (1030), where I continued teleworking.  By the time my work day ended (1745), I practically raced out the door to get Tequila Sunrise ready to go.  Using US-5, I made it to the boat launch in North Thetford by 1900 and, after launching, started paddling north towards Fairlee-Orford.  The Connecticut River was quite high, with a heavy/strong current, unusual but completely unsurprising with all the nearby dams releasing their excess water.  If I ever stopped paddling, for even just a few seconds, I quickly found myself flowing south with lots of debris from upriver.  This meant that my paddle took a lot longer than I’d expected and it soon started to get dark.  I had to give up the fight about a quarter mile from the creek where the Edgell Covered Bridge (where I’ve been birdwatching a few times this year) is located.  It took me only 30 minutes to cover the roughly two miles downstream that had taken 60 upstream.  Finishing at 2030 and, for the first time this summer, I was able to drive home with my windows open, enjoying the breeze.  I arrived at my condo by 2100, feeling pretty good about my evening paddle.  Two more miles completed in my quest to paddle the Connecticut!