Mileage: 12-13 miles
Weather: Overcast, light showers, cooler
Portages: 0
Wildlife: Mink or weasels, five or more bald eagles (two juveniles), five-six ospreys--these included two juveniles on a platform nest with the adults ominously encircling overhead, merganser broods, Canadian geese groups and several embedded late model rusted cars and tractors along the banks
After a fine breakfast at the Common Sense Cafe (loved, loved, loved, the interior--lots of varnished tree limbs, branches, twigs and planked table tops. If you are from Green Bay and remember the Shire restaurant on Adams Street from the 70s, you'd love this place too.) It's run by members of the Twelve Tribes, not sure what that's all about, but the people were very nice and more importantly, trail angels who helped us arrange a ride to Bloomfield.
I had had mixed reports about the water levels of the Nulhegan River out of Island Pond. Tried to figure out a means of being able to paddle the first boggier, section and then skip the bony, virtually waterless section north of Bloomfield. We were at the Simon the Tanner shop asking around (also a Twelve Tribes business in Island Pond), and I was able to get ahold of Ross from the Northwoods Stewardship Center who confirmed the dry river levels.
I wasn't sure how to be able to ask about getting TWO shuttles in order to paddle the first part of the Nulhegan without being a complete pain to the folks who had agreed to provide us a ride to Bloomfield, so I reluctantly had to opt to skip this section. (Linda pointed out that maybe I could catch it on the way back to Wisconsin once Sam picks me up at the end of the trip. I like that idea! Plus, I think we should eat at the Common Sense/Shire-like restaurant again too.)
Note to Island Pond: Perhaps someone there WOULD be interested in coming up with a simple shuttle arrangement so through-paddlers would be able to canoe (parts?) of this section if the water was low. There are two outfitters in town and it would have been great to be able to work with them rather than grovel for help.
So once again the canoe was creatively tied onto the back of a pick-up truck--this one actually had the right kind of tie-downs, and Gene brought us to Bloomfield where we put in on the Connecticut at the Debanville Landing.
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| Flood-damaged banks along the Connecticut |
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Arrived at the very nice Samuel Benton campsite around 5:30 or 6 p.m. There was firewood ready and the cleanest porta-potty I have ever experienced. Made the first campfire of the trip. Mosquitoes were out, but still not as bad as what we had seen at the North Hero Campsite on Lake Champlain. (That continues to be our benchmark.)
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| Samuel Benton campsite |
Dinner: Lentil chili and cornbread
