Local authorities that I trust have highly recommended that I visit the Northeast Kingdom for a hike/paddle adventure and I decided (yesterday) that I should make the trip today. I was up early but it was very foggy in Hanover so I wasn't sure if the drive was worth the effort. In the end, I decided it was and left my condo at 0830. To reach the NEK, I used I-91 and some back roads north of Lyndonville - Google Maps took me to the northern end of the lake and I got some good views of water and mountains. Overall, it took a 90 minute drive through fog-shrouded Vermont but, when I arrived at the north end (Barton side) of Lake Willoughby (1000), there was a brilliant bluebird sky. After I drove along the east side of the lake (VT-5A) I managed to get one of the coveted parking spot next to the south end launch point. I met a helpful parking lot host who gave me lots of suggestions for a successful day. I started my hike at 1030 - Part 1! The trail up Mount Pisgah, one of the two palisade hills above the lake, began about half a mile south of my car so I had to walk on the road. This was ok because there wasn’t much traffic yet. Starting from the Southern Trailhead, I then climbed up to the summit. At first, I was leap-frogging with a group of young people (I found out later that they were from the BU Outing Club). Before long, though, I passed the kids (along with almost everyone else I encountered). During most of the hike, I heard a LOT of French (only 20ish miles from the Canadian border). The climb felt good and reminded me of many past AT hikes. Brightly colored leaves surrounded me - on the ground, above me and in the breeze. There were glimpses of the lake below and they grew more and more amazing as I climbed. I eventually reached a rocky outcropping that was covered by a crowd of people but it only had views towards the south (Burke Mountain). I had a sinking feeling that I’d missed a chance for a lake view. But, fortunately, some of the other folks mentioned better views a little further up the trail. I didn’t pause and was soon rewarded by a *spectacular* viewpoint of Lake Willoughby from the ~2.7K summit. There was some wind so I didn’t stray far out on the narrow, precarious ledge. Got some good photos and felt VERY glad I’d made the trip! After getting my full of the scenery, I backtracked quickly downhill, stopping only to help a few hikers (“how much farther?”) who were struggling uphill. Reached my car (after almost 6 miles; pedometer actually said 6.66 miles) by 1300. Recommendation for Part 1 of the adventure was excellent! After this point, I made a quick transition from hiking to paddling. It amused me that lots of people wanted my parking spot so I didn't move the car to get the kayak near the water. Instead, I carried it about 100 yards to the edge of the lake. Overall, Part 2 of my visit to NEK was a bit more of a challenge. While I’d been hiking, a stiff wind from the north had built some solid waves (most with whitecaps) on the surface of Lake Willoughby. Still, I’d made a long drive and wasn’t inclined to skip a paddle in such a pretty place. Still, I was quite nervous to watch the swells as I was getting ready to go... There was a large group of divers at the same beach - they looked like they were having fun. Eventually, I summoned the courage to launch from the beach (1315). From that point, I struggled through the swells (water coming into the boat almost every paddle stroke) until I was more than 25 yards offshore. After that, I made my way up the western shore, fighting for every inch of water. I saw an interesting “yellow brick road” of leaves that flowed along in a lazy line - realized later that I’d seen this effect during my hike! Somehow, I made good progress until I was directly under the summit of the western palisade and abeam of the Mount Pisgah summit. Turning around, I practically surfed back toward the southern end of the lake. Before I was done, I made some runs back and forth parallel with the swells. Even made a short jaunt up the eastern lakeshore. Finished at 1415 (2 miles) after a satisfying paddling workout. The views alone made all the effort worthwhile but I was actually glad not to have sunk... I left my kayak on the water's edge and walked back to my car. After driving it a short distance to the landing, I stowed it on the roof of "Nessie." During this time, I talked to a diver about a place where I might complete the classroom course for Dive training - he mentioned a place in Burlington that I'll have to check out! Afterwards (1430), I headed south on VT-5A towards, West Burke. Once there, I got on US-5 and drove into Lyndonville. By 1500, I'd reached Hoagies Pizza and Pasta and spent some time relaxing inside. I tried a Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale (with cinnamon on the rim!) and ended up having lunch too (Cordon Bleu Panini and chips). While relaxing, I found out that the nearest Mass in the area was in St. Johnsbury at 1600. So, I ate quickly and departed from the pub at 1545. From there, I used I-91, US-5 and back roads to reach St. John the Evangelist, just in time for the service. The church was a beautiful (large!) and nearly full of people. Everyone sang loudly and the Deacon gave a great Homily. Once Mass was over (1650), I drove (via US-2) back to I-91 and headed south. After that, I made good time all the way to Bradford and then hit the closed section of Interstate. I used US-5 to reach Fairlee and then crossed the Connecticut River to Orford, following NH-10 and River Road to get back to Hanover (I arrived at my condo by 1810. Great day in the woods and on the water!
