Mileage: 11-12 Miles
Weather: Hot
Portages: 1 (very minor around some rapids)
Wildlife: Herons, bald eagle, three riverside scampering mink or weasels, and something by our tent
Dinner: Pesto pasta, vanilla pudding with almonds
Decided to contact Clyde River Recreation about getting a ride TO Island Pond and work our way back to Newport. This served two purposes:
1) Were able to maintain our original meeting point with Beckie's ride and
2) It made us happy.
Left our food barrel with the outfitter, taking only 1 days worth of food, and put on behind the Clyde Hotel around 12:30 pm. Several fisherfolk were concerned about the ability of our 18' canoe being able to fit in what appeared to be more of a brook. Did seem questionable paddling between cattails, but after a few minutes, the river broadened. Blasted through and/or lifted over four beaver dams initially out of Island Pond, but then had more or less smooth paddling, with the occasional liftover through the fen, which was very interesting. Saw several old osprey nests. After Ten Mile Road there were LOTS of fallen trees, most of which could be negotiated paddling around or under and does appear that there has been an attempt to keep the river open to paddlers. In one of our more punchier moments, we figured out it was easier to get out of the canoe on top of the tree and slide the canoe under it, thus saving a portage. Got to paddle through another set of culverts, this time they were big enough at Five Mile Road that we didn't have to do any contortionist yoga poses.
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| Paddling through one of the "Tubes" at Five Mile Road |
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| The Fen |
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| Osprey nest in the fen |
Beckie found more chocolate mint.
She also says; "The Clyde is not so much about paddling, but rather an obstacle course on water." Hmmm....here's the list we came up with that supports this premise:
- A maze (the fen)
- Over/unders (trees we had to get around)
- Submerged sticks to avoid
- Sweeping branches that whacked your face from the banks
- Foot-sucking muck
- 175 degree turns (a LOT of them)
- Undercut banks that threatened to fall on you if you got too close (making that 175 degree turn)
- 6' grass that obscured possible campsites or ultimately revealed just another cow pasture
- And a rapid or two sprinkled in
Still we had fun, probably because we were going with the current.
Camped on a sandbar along the bank with a great swimming hole and ate dinner watching a very bright sunset. The occasional cow was mooing and dogs were barking in the distance.
