Following the route of John Ledyard, I paddled 13 new miles of the Connecticut River today! I was helped by my friend, Herman, who (after I'd attended a Men of St. Joseph meeting at Sacred Heart), picked me up at the Cornish Boat Launch, located just above the Cornish Windsor Covered Bridge, at 1000 (I'd used I-89 and NH-12A to reach it). From there, we drove back to White River Junction and I launched from Lyman Point Park (1030). As I departed the mouth of the White River, it was VERY clear that the water levels were much higher than the last time I paddled nearby. This made for a higher current, but also less incidents with rocks. Along the way south, I checked out the mouth of the Mascoma River - easily navigable. However, I next had to deal with a series of pilings that were built during the repairs on the I-89 bridge - each created its own eddys and swift current so was glad to make it through… Passing by the West Lebanon shopping district (where we did a river cleanup last September), I continued south without incident until I reached Bloods Brook. Today, instead of a field of rocks, I found a large area of rough current. Again, I made it through ok. In this area, there were several instances where I had to make choices about which side of an island - fortunately, I decided wisely each time. I saw a lot of fishing raptors, including several bald eagles. When I spotted the mouth of the Ottaquechee Rver, I decided to paddle up to visit the Willard Covered Bridges. What a great view! Back in the Connecticut, I proceeded south and thought I was done with adventure for the day. However, I didn’t realize I had misidentified the location of the Class III rapids of Sumner Falls… And I didn’t really know how scary they might really be, although a portage that appeared on my map seemed to be a big warning. Even more ominously, as I got closer and closer, I encountered warning signs that reminded me to get over to the right side of the river to avoid the falls. With the already strong current, this took a lot of work - by the time I realized where the portage trail actually was, I was not in a good position to get out of the water. As a result, I was swept away by the strongest current I’d felt all day. Until now, I’ve ever been truly worried while paddling in Tequila Sunrise but all that changed in an instant. Because I was on the right side of the river, where the largest rocks and biggest drop-offs/waterfalls were, this caused me to have to make a choice: either take a chance to try to get out of the river late and, if unsuccessful, hit the big rocks, or try to steer into the water that was deeper and scarier. I chose the first option but still ended up filling up the kayak with water within seconds.. I did manage to stay near the shore (shallow), however, and that minimized my anxiety a little. Just when I thought I’d avoided the worst of the falls, I found myself beached on a big boulder that was overlooking a steep drop off. By this time, the kayak was full of water and could no longer float. As a result, I took a chance and “paddled” it over the side of the falls. Luckily, I ended up still with it at the bottom... I should mention that today was the first day in years when I wore my life jacket, and this made it easier for me to hold onto the kayak, paddle and a croc shoe that “escaped”. I was a bit concerned about my wallet, keys and phone but they stayed with the boat. By that point, I was swimming… A few minutes later, cold and relieved, I was able to lift the kayak up on the beach, empty out all the water and retrieve all my soaked gear. There were actually people nearby, but they didn’t seem to notice the entire episode. I thought: “where’s my applause?” After a few minutes of drying out my ego, I got back on the river and started paddling south again. At that exact moment, a truck towing 20 kayaks appeared and deposited at least that many people on the beach. More than anything, this motivated me to paddle as fast as I could. I was not able to get away from them immediately because I encountered an area with a reverse current. Eventually, though, I put some distance between me and the large party group… For the next six miles, I didn’t see anyone and I enjoyed the peace and quiet (punctuated only occasionally by motorcycles on Route 12A), along with some awesome views of Mount Ascutney. Back at the boat landing by 1400, I considered paddling to the covered bridge but realized that the current was too strong. Plus, I was too tired... Instead, I called it a day. I spent some time snacking, cleaning myself up and then backtracked via NH-12A and I-89 - home by 1530. Fun adventure and lots of good stories!
