Day 16

5June2008

Woke up dreaming of sunshine and got our wish just after we began our morning portage. Glorious! The rail trail snakes its way alongside the river through some amazing Vermont scenery - green fields, farms, pastures - a very pleasant and scenic route.

Unfortunately, our little portage cart hit a bit of a rough spot today - due to low air pressure the wheels came off the frames. We like to think that it was due to our excessive portage speeds...continued on to the put in like a regular carry. We shall add the cart to our list of "to-do's" in town.

The current on this upper section is moving along much more swiftly from the North Sheldon Bridge to Enosburg Falls. It was some hard paddling in spots - especially around the bends where the river narrows and picks up its pace. We managed the seven miles to town and took out below the dam (sure are a lot of those around these days...) and portaged through town to the other side.

We set up camp right at the put in on private property at a place known as Lawyers Landing. Met Kim, the owner, who hooked us up with showers, cold drinks, and water - what generous hospitality! Tomorrow shall be a day of re-supply, repair, and rest.

Weather: sunny! 70's - although we heard a rumor that there are some high temps and thunderstorms on the way over the next few days...

Wildlife: more beaver, swallows (they flew out right over us from little nests in the side of the river banks!)

The Quitter ~ by Robert Service

When you're lost in the Wild, and you're scared as a child,

And Death looks you bang in the eye,

And you're sore as a boil, it’s according to Hoyle

To cock your revolver and . . . die.

But the Code of a Man says: "Fight all you can,"

And self-dissolution is barred.

In hunger and woe, oh, it’s easy to blow . . .

It’s the hell-served-for-breakfast that’s hard.
"You're sick of the game!" Well, now that’s a shame.

You're young and you're brave and you're bright.

"You've had a raw deal!" I know — but don't squeal,

Buck up, do your damnedest, and fight.

It’s the plugging away that will win you the day,

So don't be a piker, old pard!

Just draw on your grit, it’s so easy to quit.

It’s the keeping-your chin-up that’s hard.
It’s easy to cry that you're beaten — and die;

It’s easy to crawfish and crawl;

But to fight and to fight when hope’s out of sight —

Why that’s the best game of them all!

And though you come out of each gruelling bout,

All broken and battered and scarred,

Just have one more try — it’s dead easy to die,

It’s the keeping-on-living that’s hard.

Day 15

4June2008

We are at camp along the Missisquoi river near/on the Abbey Rapids - after just having a scrumptious meal at The Abbey Restaurant - the day didn't begin as nice as it ended!

An easy, but long, portage began our morning after a night of hard rain (all of the gear is now speckled with sand - gritty stuff that sand.) It will be good to see the sun again! We followed along that ATV trail and put in down an embankment past the ledges.

A short paddle followed which led us to our 2nd portage of the day around the hydro dam at Sheldon Springs. The first 1/2 mile was a steep uphill battle - and then we had an epiphany (cue dramatic music.) Well, actually, Bean had an epiphany...we rigged up a harness out of some webbing, a locking carabiner, and some rope - this whole apparatus attaches to the handle on the bow and goes over the shoulders of one of us. Basically, one person ends up being a beast of burden while the other hauls from the bow or pushes from the stern - the whole get up is super effective, although the commands are taking a bit. GEE - HAW! No, the other haw!

At the put in we ate our lunch and got back on the water. A fast three miles later we took out on river left up a steep hill onto the Missisquoi Valley Rail Trail to negotiate our way around the Abbey Rapids - this was portage number 3 for the day.

Fortunately, the rail trail was smooth gravel and made for an easy portage on the cart - giving us a second chance to work with the harness. We were cruising along at about 2mph - not bad at all for a portage!

About a 1/4 mile from the North Sheldon bridge, we came across the Abbey Restaurant. Good food, nice folks - they even let us crash in their backyard at a little picnic area on the water beneath two huge oaks. Beautiful.

Weather: RAIN

Wildlife: beaver, dead hawk on the rail trail - random, ducklings, a salamander, and osprey.

"If I had influence with the good fairy who is supposed to preside over the christening of children, I should ask that her gift to each child in the world be a sense of wonder so indestructible that it would last throughout life, as an unfailing antidote against the boredom and disenchantments of later years, the sterile preoccupation with things that are artificial, the alienation from the sources of our strength."

~Rachel Carson

Day 14

3June2008

Two weeks of paddling on the Northern Forest Canoe Trail!

Started the morning off right with a tasty uphill portage around Highgate Falls Dam...mmm...Easy upstream paddling to East Highgate - where the fun began.

Along this stretch are a series of ledges that the water drops down over - basically unnavigable by us moving up river (a combo of rocks/shallows, and swift water) This left us to portage along Rte. 78 - which has no shoulder...hair raising!

From Rte. 78 we found a small dirt road that led to a forested path down to the ledges and water below. So we muscled the gear down the slope and loaded up. Then we paddled about 300 feet, unloaded the boat and portaged through the brush around the last set of ledges at the bend. In the rain. We actually kind of had fun - stranger things have happened...This all sounds pretty simple, but the whole adventure took us about 2.5 hours!

Continued around the East Highgate Oxbow - a lazy, meandering bend in the river - it was great to actually be paddling the boat again after all that portage action. After the bend we ran into another series of ledges - took out river left to scout it. It was too bony to pole and the lining looked iffy. However, we discovered a great little campsite tucked under some large maple trees - so we took out and called it a day.

After a little investigating, we discovered an ATV trail that runs right along the river, out and around the ledges to deeper water - looks like we will start the day tomorrow with another portage!

Weather: rain - 60's

Wildlife: BIG beaver (he slapped his tail at us a bunch of times!), during the whole Rte. 78 debacle we discovered some wild asparagus and garlic - sauteed them up with our rice for dinner - YUM.

"The rain I am in is not like the rain of the cities. It fills the woods with an immense and confused sound. It covers the flat roof of the cabin and its porch with insistent and controlled rhythms. And I listen, because it reminds me again and again that the whole world runs by rhythms I have not yet learned to recognize, rhythms that are not those of the engineer.

I came up here last night. The rain surrounded the cabin with its virginal myth, a whole world of meaning, of secrecy, of rumor. Think of it: judging nobody, drenching the thick mulch of dead leaves, soaking the trees, filling the gullies and crannies of the woods with water, washing out the places where men have stripped the hillside! What a thing it is to sit absolutely alone in the forest, at night, cherishing this wonderful, unintelligible, perfectly innocent speech, the most comforting speech in the world, the talk that rain makes by itself all over the ridges, and the talk of the watercourses everywhere in the hollows!

Nobody started it, nobody is going to stop it. It will talk as long as it wants, this rain. As long as it talks I am going to listen." ~Thomas Merton

Day 13

2June2008

Took down our stealth camp at the DOT base at Louie's Landing and got paddling early. We continued the quest upriver - taking out at Marble Mill Park and portaging around a dam in Swanton, VT.

Stopped by the post office and had our package forwarded on to the next town - our slack boxing is working well and is a great way to keep odds and ends (bulk foods, supplies, etc.) at hand without having to carry them in the boat. After the post office we feasted at a local diner - excellent breakfast and a great way to fuel up for a paddle!

Continued upstream - it really starts to look rural after you cross under I-89. Cows, corn and farms. Made camp at Highgate Falls - amazing dam and waterfall!

Weather: Cloudy then clear - 60's-70's (heat wave!)

Wildlife: Osprey fishing the river in front of us - amazing, beaver (both dead and live...), coy fish, butterflies, and cows.

"Listen to the mustn'ts, child,

listen to the dont's

listen to the shouldn'ts,

the impossibles, the won'ts

listen to the never haves

then listen close to me -

anything can happen, child,

ANYTHING can be."

~Shel Silverstein

Day 12

1June2008

Left North Hero and Win and Jane at Aqua Vista and paddled along the eastern side of the island to Stevens Point. From here we turned towards Hog Island and mainland Vermont as we paddled towards Missisquoi Bay. The wind and waves really picked up as we made the crossing - the spray cover on the boat did an excellent job keeping the water on the outside! We fought across choppy 2-3 ft waves in a strong cross wind - it made 1 hour feel like 5 - sore arms!

We joined the Missisquoi River via the West Branch and began to paddle upstream towards Canada. The current is relatively sluggish as this end of the river drains into Champlain via a large wetland area - there is a heron rookery here and we saw a few million of them hanging about. The river is murky and deep - lots of things swimming up to the surface - not quite sure what they were, but this area is renowned for bass, trout, and just about everything else. Could have been the kraken for all we know...or perhaps "Champ" - Champlains version of the Loch Ness...

Made camp on the sly at a DOT maintenance shed on the side of the river - weird.

Weather: warm-ish, low 60's, overcast and partly cloudy - on the edge of raining all day.

Wildlife: canada geese, tons o' herons, beaver, fish, a rotweiler (that promptly peed on Cranky Pants - now he truly has Cranky Pants...), and birds - too many and varied to list!

"Something we were withholding made us weak

until we found out that it was ourselves

we were withholding from our land of living

and forthwith found salvation in surrender."

~Robert Frost

Day 11

31May2008

The end of May. Wow. And here we are in Vermont. Spent today writing letters and postcards - waiting for the storm to pass. Water is calming, but the thunder and lightning continues to crash down and the rain is torrential. Theoretically this will blow by in the morning and we will paddle northward once more.

Here is a photo of the little cabin we are crashing at - this is at Aqua Vista here on North Hero. These folks are very accomodating and incredibly generous - once again, we meet amazing people...

Cranky Pants is on the deck contemplating the infinite nature of the abyss. Deep thoughts.

Weather: STORMY

Wildlife: just a bunch of partying folks down at the local inn rocking out at a wedding...

"I must go down to the seas again, to the

lonely sea and the sky,

And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer

her by;

And the wheel's kick and the wind's song

and the white sails shaking,

And a gray mist on the sea's face, and a gray

dawn breaking.

I must go down to the seas again, for the

call of the running tide

Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be

denied;

And all I ask is a windy day with the white

clouds flying,

And the flung spray and the blown spume,

and the seaguls crying.

I must go down to the seas again, to the

vagrant gypsy life,

To the gull's way and the whale's way where

the wind's like a whetted knife;

And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing

fellow-rover,

And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick's over." ~John Masefield

Day 10

30May2008

Greeted the day at Peter's camp on Union Falls Pond and made a big breakfast. Repacked our gear for the journey to P-burgh. Loaded the truck down with the canoe and put all our gear in the back.

Took this photo at the dam - Peter is the one in the scarf and hat (he is a sort of local do-it-all kind of guy, chat him up about lodging or shuttles, or just about anything else...) with the Scepter of awesomeness - Dennis is in the green shirt on the left. Bean is in the middle and Cranky is in the back.

Made it out to a marina in Plattsburgh and bid Dennis and Peter a fond farewell - as Champlain was incredibly calm, we decided to put out on the water ASAP. We began paddling at 1pm and made it to North Hero around 530pm (14.5 miles or so) - just as rain storms began to roll in. Since it was in the forecast for the storms to increase (wind and thunder storms) we decided it would be a good idea to lay up for a day in North Hero where we have access to a post office, a cafe, library, and food.

Weather: Sunny to start, gathering clouds, slight headwind, Storms a brewin'...

Wildlife: FISH - Champlain is so clear you can see right to the bottom along the shore, amazing! Blue herons, King Fisher, Cormorants, Gulls and lots of geese.

"What is life: It is the flash of a firefly in the night. It is the breath of a buffalo in the winter time; it is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset." ~ Crowfoot