It was literally just a few weeks ago that the Connecticut River, which I drive over several times a week, was frozen. One day it was frozen and the next day it was flowing water. It was a long winter in Vermont and New Hampshire!
The days are warm now and the rains are keeping the water levels high as Karen and I prepare for a source to sea paddle from Canaan, VT, to the Long Island Sound. This is a first. Technically, we won’t be doing the WHOLE river this year. Two years ago, we had an outing with our spouses and went to the headwaters in Pittsburgh, NH, and paddled parts of all the Upper Connecticut River lakes. There is no way to paddle through up there and the river at times it too rocky. But this will likely be as close as we get to paddling a whole river at one time. And it will be the longest we have been out on a river at one time. The advantage this year is that I live part way down the Connecticut River and have a spouse willing to come do some portages for us with a car and bring us back for a hot shower.
I am studying the maps this evening. The Connecticut River Paddlers Trail Map is amazingly detailed with distances between town, camping areas, portages, and historical, industrial, and natural points of interest. But I got a bit frustrated by the small print (am I aging??) and trying to keep track of each section as I studied it. Just as I was going to use pencil and paper to organize it, I realized I could turn to my new friend, ChatGPT, to do that work for me. In seconds, out pop all the dams and falls and the degree of difficulty of the portages. Scary and weird but very helpful!
Karen and I planned out our food last weekend. Because of the extensive number of portages and the fact that we have a 16 foot canoe, not lightweight kayaks, and camping gear and food, we want to keep our weight down as much as possible. In the end, we found that we really have to reorganize more than cutback. One big way we do plan to cut back is by not carrying 2-3 gallons of water. Karen bought a water filter, and we hope that it lives up to its reputation!
Another addition is a waterproof sports camera. So many times, we tried to rig up my phone on my life vest to take exciting photos. But it was too nerve-racking in terms of fear of dropping it. This year we hope to catch some rapids on the camera and make a short video. Fingers crossed.
So, please stay tuned and follow us on the river. We will put in on May 19th and see you somewhere down river!
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