August 11, 2007

8-11-07.

from lake memphremagog, just 3.5 miles South of Canada border by water. tenting @ Prouty Beach. Town of Newport, VT.

18 miles and change today. a great day considering a paddle and my filson hat went missing. in todays last set of rapids, coming out of clyde pond, I bit the dust and hard. my canoe got beat up too. that royal-x material is the real deal!

all rapids before, I nailed. the water was fierce and the river was moving fast. water levels up.
paddling downstream on clyde river, North of Salem Lake I met some tough, rough water but stuck everything. at one point I could see a ledge coming up but did not have time or momentum to change my course so I leaned back like I was the man from snowy river, braced and paddled through it. half my canoe was airborn and I glanced back and saw that the drop was about 4 feet. man, talk about an exhilerating ride. I was yee hawing as loud as possible.
the highlight of my day was making it through the meandering boggy clyde river...with no wrong turns.

tomorrow I have about 10 miles of paddling up lake memphremagog and then a 5.3 mile portage to the North branch of the Missisiquoi. so some forty miles back to Richford, VT, downstream.

tonight I camp at Pouty beach on the lake and am right by the waters edge.
a women helped me find a replacement hat at the general store and said the hosts will find me, at Pouty beach for registration. if they dont then would this be considered stealth camping? if they stop by then I will pay the fee, if there is one. surely there is.

@@NEWSFLASH...the hosts stopped by right as I was zipping up. 22 dollars to tent but no sites were left. a nice couple Bill and Jean let me camp at their rv site.

this morning I was thinking of the stealth camping deal on this NFCT and I have not camped at a designated campsite or shelter more than 3 times this whole trip. mainly because once through the adironbacks camping is few and far between and I can not plan my days around this fact. this trail definitely needs more camping opps. how do we go about making this happen?
i am not complaining BUT gear manufacturers ought to refrain from using the words WATERPROOF or WATERTIGHT to sell their gear. when you dump your canoe or it rains all day, everything gets wet.

with over 4300 miles hiked and 300 miles paddling in the last 3 yrs I know of only 2 products that have stood up to test. Outdoor Research dry bags and a product called Dry Pak. if you think I am wrong, then prove me wrong by sending me your products. I will put them to the test.
3 portages today, .25, .25 and 1 mile.

I can not wait to see moose and hear the call of the loon. I wonder if the loon was ever considered as our national bird? A red squirell, from atop a downed tree in the river, watched me watch him today. I tried to talk to him but he never replied.

resupplied today at the local grocery store. hummus, fresh bread and some groovy asian dishes. granola bars, tobacco, and darn it I forgot olive oil.

my 2002 Playboy (Girls of the Big XII issue) got soaked along with a pound of venison. trash now.

the lake is beautiful at night and the sunset showed off some brilliant reds and purples. now, I am watching a real fireworks show. is it Canadian Independence day??

Today I sang songs Waiting For The Sun, Your Lost Little Girl and Moonlight Drive, by The Doors. Would love some black leather pants for Christmas in August!

Happy Trails,
Totally Different Subject