May 19th Day 1 from Canaan, VT
Temp was about 41 degrees when we left Canaan. Karen was pretty sure, along with John and Mark, that we were crazy to go out in that. Later in the day she was happier but by the evening back to feeling we were crazy. Maggie was beginning to agree! Did we say it was very cold???
You can see in the photos that the roily water is flowing swiftly! It was very cold (41 degrees-ish) and we were dressed for winter with rain jackets and pants on top of other layers. We pushed off and immediately shot down the river, nearly turned the boat backwards as the water rushed us along!
John and Mark caught a photo of us at bridge downriver at 1:30 pm in Colebrook (Photo on right above) and honked later down the road on their way home. We saw an osprey right after it had grabbed a bird in its talons.
3 pm We took a break at the Francis Smith Access and accidentally set off the bear spray which was in the side of the backpack. Karen got it on her hands and legs, and it took a number of days for them to stop burning. Maggie inhaled some of it before realizing what was happening. Not fun. Photo below: Karen trying to wash the residue of the pepper/bear spray off. Didn’t work.
5 pm, we stopped in North Strafford for a break. It was cold and windy and Karen thought we should stop there but Maggie didn’t like the feel of the place, so we went on to the Maine Trestle Campsite. It was a good choice! We had paddled 32 miles. The Maine Trestle Campground was appropriately named after the railroad trestle that once carried the train. Only the abutment was left, in sight of the campsite. You can see it in the photo below beyond where Karen is trying to wash the bear spray off her hands.
A beautiful walk through a spring fern forest with beet red trillium and yellow fuzzy violets led to an elevated area with a fire pit, privy and picnic table. These sites are maintained by a variety of entities in cooperation with the Connecticut River Paddlers’ Trail. Some of individuals, some Boy Scout Troops, some other entities including the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation. The temperature was near freezing that night and you can see that we slept in our full gear with hats and jackets on. Yet we were uncomfortably cold all night and didn’t sleep well.
This is what it looks like when we are dressing for bed on a freezing cold night.
May 20
The next morning, we ate breakfast of eggs and morning glory bars and fruit and trekked our gear back to the canoe at 8:20 and headed toward the Gilman Dam. Took a wrong turn in a watery cul-de-sac somewhere near Groveton. Yes, you can get lost on the river. Using gps , we turned ourselves around and were back on track. The water was so high that it was hard, at times, to determine where the river flowed and where it is just sprawled out. Some clues were there: seemed a bit like a bayou with trees growing right out of the water and the flow of the water at come to a standstill. But we were still happily paddling along in these conditions until we literally could not see where the river was bending and realized we had gone the wrong way.
We paddled right over the remains of the Wyoming Dam with no problem. Since the water was high, there was no chance of running into any of the old structure that was well underwater. Water was flowing slower…our speed was 4 miles an hour vs the previous day’s speed of 5 miles an hour.
3 pm We stopped at a Velero near Lancaster, NH. We were very cold and needed a place to get warm. We ate cheese steak hot pockets and Karen added cheeseburger macaroni to get her temperature back up. The staff was gracious in letting us stick around until we felt warm enough to go out again. We both questioned our decision to leave when we did at that point! But once again, in our distress, we were cared for by strangers.
Got to the Gillman Dam (above) at 6:30 and easily found the portage trail. It was a fairly steep ascent on a trail suited for the wheels so we took some of the weight out of the canoe and carried it up to survey where we might camp. The Ampersand Power Company owns that dam and allows camping in the field along the portage trail. We found a spot, deposited the gear, and went to get the canoe and the rest of the gear. We put on the dolly wheels and Karen pulled and Maggie pushed the canoe up the slope and across the field. The sun had been shining with clouds most of the day. Our faces were sunburned as we had not expected the sun or its powerful rays and didn’t have sunscreen or hats readily at hand. It was still cold at night, but we dressed better and slept a bit better with the roar of the water shooting out of the dam just a few hundred feet from us.
May 21
Packed up and carried some of our gear to the lower side of the dam. Because there was so much water, we could not access what we thought was the put-in part and had to portage through a forest with rocky path (Above, right photo) to get to a slippery and steep few feet down to the water’s edge. Karen slipped on the wet grass and leaves but fortunately only caused brief pain to her leg and ankle. We pushed off into the roily water with no problem and shot down the river quite fast at first. That was fun!
John picked us up at the Moore Dam at 12:45 pm. After padding against the winds on the Moore Dam, we decided not to paddle the future reservoirs between the upcoming dams and decided to go out to lunch at a diner in Woodsville with John> in and then get in back in the river there in Woodsville. We chose to forgo the Narrows right before Woodsville that looked exciting and pretty but maybe a little too exciting. So, in the end John portaged us about 25 miles downriver that day to avoid the time-consuming portages of separate dams.
Being taken out to a meal is always a treat when we are out on the river with dehydrated food!
That night we headed to Vaughan Meadow campsite only to discover several boats/canoes already beached there. We were tired and didn’t know where we might find the next place so decided to ask the five men who were on their twice-a-year fishing trip if we could join them. They were welcoming and gracious and helped us move our gear through the muddy banks to higher ground where we set up our tent. They had a fire going and we enjoyed hearing their stories and they enjoyed hearing ours. Spam packs and chorizo egg burritos for breakfast, compliments of the “Five Guys” Campsite!
May 22
After enjoying the fire again and conversation in the morning We left our “Five Guys” campsite around 8:30 and hoped to paddle 12-15 miles before the stormy weather set in. But after 5 miles the wind came around into our faces, misty rain started to fall and we simultaneously came upon a dock at just the right spot. We decided it was good to get out before we got cold, especially knowing there weren’t many ramps to get out for a few miles.
They helped us get our gear back to the canoe and pushed us out into the river. The mud was well over our ankles and Maggie slipped sideways into the canoe trying to get in. One of the guys helped her up into the seat after some laughs. It was not graceful and was the first of two such muddy falls into the canoe on the trip.
We had headwinds pushing downriver trying to get to Orford. In addition to the headwinds we had some mist and light rains. We found a ramp to take a break in Bradford but as we started paddling again, the headwinds increased and the rains were coming and we were cold. We spotted a private dock and tied up there and decided to send out an SOS to John to some fetch us. We were 50 minutes from Maggie and John’s home at that point so after hoisting our gear and the canoe up to the house above, we walked to a convenience store for hot beverages, a muffin and some rest in a warm place. John found us as we were walking back to visit Farm-Way, the famous farm and clothing supply store in Bradford. We made our way back to the canoe and gear, loaded up and headed home for a couple of days to wait out the unusually late nor’easter coming through New England.
Sumner Falls, Hartland, VT
May 23-May 25
Did some reconnaissance for preparation downriver of the Wilder Dam portage, the Sumner Falls (photo above, Hartland, VT) portage, and the Bellow Falls portage as well as a little shopping at the three outdoor equipment stores in West Leb NH: LL Bean, Eastern Mountain Store, and Sierra. We were able to make some decisions about the next leg of our trip after seeing the portages. And a decision to stay at home one more day to let the worst of the weather pass was made. We will set again on Sunday, May 25.
At this point in our journey, we are committed to finding fairer weather for future trips. It is easy to question our decisions when we are cold and tired. We needed some rest to make it possible to go out again. And then the weather improved. In hindsight, we should have put off our departure for a week, and we could have paddled for 8-9 days and made it all the way to the Long Island Sound. We are at a stage in our lives that we are no longer concerned about reaching an arbitrary goal. We would have loved to have done the whole source to sea thing, but it was just not feasible given the weather in May 2025. One day hot and the next day cold. It would have been hard to guarantee good weather once we set out no matter what the weather.
May 25
We enjoyed some special attention at Wilgus State Park in Weathersfield, VT. Jamaican dinner compliments of two couples camping there for the weekend, breakfast compliments of Maggie’s daughter and son-in-law who live just a few miles upriver, and an introduction to the Dartmouth Canoe Club’s annual trip from Hanover to the Long Island Sound. They had huge “war” canoes! Big enough to carry about 20 of them, their gear and, of course, a keg of beer!
Another beautiful day that started off cool and foggy but cleared and warmed nicely. 33 miles paddling and we did a dam portage ourselves. 1/4 mile with a very steep slope at the end. Our little wheels worked well and saved us so much effort!
We saw more otters today, a little closer up but still couldn’t get pictures. Also saw our first bald eagles, 3 sightings, and had a great blue heron fly by our campsite as we were eating dinner.
After 2.5 days at Maggie’s home taking refuge from the weather, we loaded up the car yet again and John drove us north, a bit downriver of where we pulled out Thursday. Still overcast but a bit warmer, light breeze, and a flat river most of the day. The current was great and moved us along well. Once again, we had a friend drive us around a section with a dam and small but dangerous waterfall, skipping a 10-mile stretch. And we paddled 33 miles to a Wilgus State Park (Vermont) campsite.
May 26 Day 6
What a great day! We finally got the weather we’ve been hoping for so we traded in our neoprene and heavy sweaters for sun screen, sun glasses and sun hats.
Day started watching a group of 20 Dartmouth College seniors launch their giant canoes into the river. They are on a trip from their college in Hanover, NH to Long Island Sound. Fun to watch.
Then Maggie’s daughter and grandkids brought us breakfast sandwiches and coffee and saw us off, after several games of hide & seek.
We paddled 20 miles to the next dam, which would have been a crazy 1.5 mile portage. But, Maggie has a friend! (Familiar theme this trip)
Gabe picked us up in his company’s 1-ton truck, drove us around the dam, and we were on our way again. 9 more miles and we arrived at the same campsite as the Dartmouth students, who welcomed us and helped us unload. Fun time talking with them and hearing of their future plans.
May 27
We said good-bye to the Dartmouth “kids” and headed out in the fog to our next destination in Massachusetts. (sunset photo)
We did 33 miles of paddling and we did a dam portage ourselves. 1/4 mile with a very steep slope at the end. Our little wheels worked well and saved us so much effort!
We saw more otters today, a little closer up but still couldn’t get pictures. Also saw our first bald eagles, 3 sightings, and had a great blue heron fly by our campsite as we were eating dinner.
May 28
This is the longest trip we’ve ever done, in # of days and miles travelled. We’ve paddled 214 miles and been portaged another 46 by cars and trucks. It has been a great adventure so far.
Today began with a delicious breakfast – dehydrated egg scramble! While sitting at the water’s edge, our friends from Dartmouth College paddled by, having stayed overnight at a boarding school about a mile upriver. I suspect that is the last we’ll see of them but who knows?
You’ll see in the photos that we had beautiful weather yet again, though afternoon winds arose and we expect light rain tonight and tomorrow.
Our river angels today were David and Deb Johnson, formerly of Plainfield NH but now Greenfield MA. They portaged us around Turner Falls, let us shower at their house and charge our phones. We enjoyed lunch out with Deb at Rendezvous Vous in Turner Falls. We ended the day at a very muddy campsite south of Sunderland but all is well.
The campsite we aimed for proved too difficult to access – very steep steps with about 8” of mud. Maggie tried to scout it out but couldn’t move once her foot was in the mud! A little way downriver we found a tiny cove with slippery mud flats and that’s where we landed for the night.
The Dartmouth Kids caught up to us. We leap-frogged with them for a few days but in the end, they got ahead of us!
French King’s Bridge, MA Rt 2 The land on either side of the river at this point is millions of years different in age…one of the interesting facts of the Connecticut River and how it was formed.
May 29
We paddled 28 miles, portaged one dam around by the power company that runs the dam. But here are the main things of the day – milestones and full circle moments.
Milestones – as of this year, we have paddled together for 25 years. Not every year, but most of those 25.
And as of today we’ve paddled over 2000 miles together!
Full circle moment – in October 2018 we finished our first long trip, ending at the Mississippi River. We had a picnic with friends and family from around the country at the confluence of the two rivers to celebrate. One in our group noticed a person in the park who appeared to be on a bike trip. Turns out Monique Gallant was biking the full length of the MS River and had stopped there for a break. We invited Mo to our picnic, then helped transport her across the Ohio River over a narrow bridge unsafe for cyclists. Mo and Karen have been Facebook friends ever since. When Mo saw we are paddling the CT River she offered help from with her friends, Ben and Julie Quick. Ben invited us to stay in their Springfield, MA home tonight and they provided dinner, which Mo attended! So fun to reconnect with her.
Mo is pictured picking us up at the Pioneer Valley Riverfront Club where Ben is Exec Dir.
May 29, Part 2
We had a challenging start as we figured out how to load the canoe from our “mud flats” campsite. The river level receded overnight and the canoe was on an even slipperier slope than when we unloaded the night before. So I paddled around our muddy peninsula to an area where Maggie could drop gear to me to load, then she slid and plopped herself into the canoe and we headed out. It was another nice day with our last dam (damn!) portage and we knew we had a real bed to sleep in that night, with new friends.
May 30
Day 10 of paddling and we have decided it will be our last this year. With another storm rolling in tomorrow, and already having taken 2.5 days off for storms last week, it seems to make sense to head to Hartford, CT and bring it to an end. We won’t make it to Long Island Sound but it has been an awesome trip and we are feeling pretty good about how far we’ve come.
Ben, our host from last night, drove us back to the river and filmed the start of this last day. He also put us in touch with someone at a paddling club in Hartford who agreed to let us leave our canoe and some gear overnight until our ride came on Saturday. River people are the best!
Today’s milestone was that we paddled into Connecticut, a state neither of us had paddled in before. Fun to check off a new one.
The wind came up strong in the afternoon and the paddling reminded us of tough days on the Ohio River. The effort it took affirmed our decision to get off the river before the storm comes in tonight.
Knowing we had a place to get off the river, we booked a room at a hotel about half a mile away where we would clean up and wait for Maggie’s husband to pick us up Saturday morning. Once settled in there, we walked another half mile into Hartford to a restaurant for dinner and enjoyed passing the Dunkin Donut stadium, home to minor league baseball team, the Hartford Yard Goats.
After dinner, we strolled over to the Old State House and found the statue of Thomas Hooker, Maggie’s great, great, great … grandfather and a founder of Hartford. It was fun for her to get to this place of family heritage.
A tiring but very good day and trip!
We are safely off the river and in a motel in Hartford CT. We end our journey here and John will fetch us tomorrow. The new storm coming in and our tired bodies convinced us that 8+ full days of paddling and 271.5 miles was quite enough. Hours of headwinds today also convinced us that we were ready to stop. We are tired, safe, and pretty darn proud of ourselves! Fun fact: there is a minor league baseball game going on a couple of blocks away. The home team is the Hartford Yard Goats!
That’s a Wrap May 31 Day 11
Saturday morning was overcast and windy in Hartford, CT and we were glad to have been in a motel during the rainy night. We had a break in the rain when Maggie’s husband, John, picked us up after driving 2 hours from their home in Vermont. We headed to Riverside Park to retrieve our gear and canoe, packed it all up and were on the road headed to Karen’s home in Sugar Grove, PA, by 10:00 am. It was nice to have a couple of days together to process the trip and to begin plans for the next!
The dreary skies let us know we made the right decision to stop in Hartford, CT.
Each trip, and each river, have their own personalities. This one was about people and connections. Being near Maggie’s home for much of the trip meant we had plenty of people to call on for help. And with many agencies working to improve paddling and camping opportunities on the Connecticut River, there were many more paddlers, campers and rowers than we have seen on any of our previous trips. Making new friends and building existing relationships is such a gift – We are very grateful!
We love seeing how many friends on Facebook follow along with our journeys – thanks for your encouragement! My wish for all of you is that you will find ways to connect, to give and receive help to those whose paths cross yours and to find your own adventure, whatever that means for you. Happy Trails!
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