Enfield, NH (USA)

Recovery from yesterday's big hike was a bit slower than I'd hoped but, fortunately, I had a day of office work to take my mind off the pain.  Once I signed off from my last meeting, I headed to the LISTEN Food Pantry in Lebanon and did about 1.5 hours of volunteering.  It was good to see the folks who work there and meet some new volunteers - I'll miss the place when I move...  At 1430, I departed with plans to paddle near Grantham.  Unfortunately, I made the mistake of getting on I-89 (southbound) and immediately got stuck in a big traffic jam (by Upper Valley standards) due to road construction.  As I approached the exit for Enfield, I decided that I didn't want to follow the single line of traffic and got off the Interstate.  At that point, I really just wanted to get in the water and didn't care where.  This resulted in me taking US-4 and NH-4A to the Main Street bridge across Mascoma Lake.  I parked at Lakeside Park just before 1700 and launched Tequila Sunrise very quickly.  The lake surface was quite rough and I wondered if I'd regret trying to kayak.  However, it was a warm and clear day and I had time enough to try.  So, I decided to paddle a full circuit of the larger end of the lake.  When I moved to the area in 2020, I made a few attempts to venture out from this location and quickly tired of fighting the stiff breeze that seems to originate from the far southeastern corner.  Today was no different but I was determined to try to reach the beach near Shaker Boulevard.  Over the next two hours and fifteen minutes, I experienced almost everything I've ever seen in a kayak: huge swells, waves from motor boat wakes, dangerous glacial erratic boulders just below the surface, water splashing over me, wind in my face and at my back, a visible current and even some glassy conditions (where the wind was blocked by trees).  The Mascoma Lake area had a lot to offer, including fancy homes, friendly people waving to me from their pretty porches, a variety of water craft tied to extravagant docks, mountain vistas, many species of waterfowl, historical buildings (Shaker and La Salette) and a wonderful sunset.  By the end of my time on the water (roughly six miles), I was thoroughly exhausted but also felt pretty good about my ability to circumnavigate (clockwise) the entire shoreline and also avoid being swamped or dashed against the rocks.  Wrapping up at 1915, I was soaked but happy.  Headed home via the Packard Hill Covered Bridge and was in my condo by 1930.  Very glad to add a paddle to my week!