Current Practice ... x2

On Saturday Tim planned an adventure in the currents by the old stone bridge in Tiverton. TM, RR, BH, EJ, RB, and Brian D showed up. We met for a 10AM launch but chose to have coffee first and let the outgoing tide build a little.

Unfortunately the wind was blowing fairly strong in the same direction as the current. It would take a boat or some other random activity to get some of the standing waves building. When a boat would pass we'd dash in like seagulls behind a dragger and play in the turbulence. The most exciting spot was right near the "big evil can" that would oscillate back and forth and occasionally get sucked down deep.

After about an hour of play we paddled around Gould Island to loosen up a bit. Our intention was to head back to shore for lunch but as we neared the beach I noticed it was whipped up pretty good so EJ, BH, RB and I returned for a little more. This really was the best current of the day and for about 15 minutes we frolicked in the 18 inch standing waves. This included watching Bob be chased by the evil can!


On Sunday CM had a paddle planned out of Westport. The group split into a level 2 and a level 3. The smarter 2 paddle went up river with the current. The 3s went out to the mouth fighting the current al the way.

At the mouth we all played in the current by the end of Horseneck Beach. CH and others went out around Gooseberry, TM, BH, EJ and I stayed in the mouth for some more current play. We ultimately headed out to the beach in front of the Charlton Estate for lunch and waited for the tide to turn.



After lunch we headed back in and found just what we had been looking for. The river was dumping its current at an unbelievable rate and the SE breeze was just enough to get it all stirred up.

We were treated to 2 foot standing waves in a 400 x 100 yard area. We passed back and forth through this slop multiple times. Each time one or two of us would watch (and rest) and the rest would mix it up. Our boats were at times buried to the spray skirt in the wave in front of us while the following wave pushed us in. The spacing between these standing waves was less than 15 feet. My first pass through bordered on scary, my second was an adrenaline rush that had me trembling with excitement. The third time through was less exciting and it was time for a rest to calm down. We made a few more passes before deciding we had pushed our fates far enough. It was one of the most exciting times I’ve had on the water.

Stonington Maine

This spring I joined the Maine Island Trail Association ($40) and received their Stewardship Handbook and Guidebook. I’ve been fantasizing about kayaking and camping along the coast of Maine. I had spent a number of nights perusing the book while simultaneously planning my Alaska trip. Before I left for AK I offered to loan the book to Bob in hope that he’d plan a trip. My plan worked and he and Carole did the homework to set us up for a paddle out of Stonington.

Stonington is about a 6 hour ride from Worcester. Bob arraigned camping at Old Quarry Camp ground. From there we could explore the dozens of islands between Deer Isle and Isle au Haut. When we arrived Sunday evening we were a bit disappointed because “overflow camping” turned out to mean we could stick our tents in any number of spots along the camp road that were just big enough for a tent. CC, BH, and RB set up near a parking lot where a fire ring and picnic table were situated. E&H’s site was occupied by a “lingerer” so they too set up near the parking lot for the first night. (They would not arrive until after midnight so we also wanted it to be obvious where they were to drop their palatial tent.) Lisa and I set up in a tight gravelly spot between the quarry pond and the camp store. Fortunately we would spend very little time in camp and most of our time on the water.

In an interesting twist of desire, L,P,E,&H were content to car camp and eat fancy meals instead of packing all our boats and lugging stuff out to the islands. (We had done plenty of that in AK.) B,C, and R were more adamant that island camping was in the cards. As a compromise it was agreed that we’d explore potential camp sites the first day and return to the most desirable site (if we found one) the next.

For breakfast Monday morning Lisa and I cooked pancakes and bacon on the Coleman stove. We all carried our boats to the launch and set out in exploration of the islands. We were quickly greeted by a small pod of porpoises (well actually we saw them from a few hundred yards away.) C was nominated leader and map reader. H seemed determined to follow along also. We meandered around a number of islands C&B stopped at one to look for a camp site while Rick picked muscles from his boat. We stopped for lunch on a long sand spit off an island that was occupied by a couple with a friendly black lab. He stayed with us looking for food handouts the whole time (Bob obliged him often.)

After lunch we crossed Merchant Row to Harbor Island. There we found three nice camp sites that would comfortably fit our 5 tents. It was agreed, assuming the weather was good, that we would return with tents the next day. We paddled back on a different route through the islands and explored another potential camp site. For dinner Rick cooked the mussels he gathered as well as a delicious shrimp dish.

On Tuesday morning Carole cooked eggs and home fried potatoes. We packed our boats, this time with tents and fresh water, and headed back to our island camp site. Although we got off to a late start we arrived to a vacated island and had our choice of sites. Choosing the right site was a balance between picking a prime location visually and avoiding being near the snorers of the group. Although L and I were interested in the meadow on the west side of the island we offered it to E&H. Instead we set up as close to the rocky shoreline prominence on the south east side as we could. C,B, and R spread out in various other spots with similar great views. Shortly after we got our tents set up a family group of about 8 showed up. They set up their tent city in the meadow around E&H. Boy did L & I luck out!

After setting up camp we headed over to Isle au Haut. C was expecting a little town but all we found was a general store. We descended on the store in search of ice cream. But six dripping wet kayakers was more than the store keepers could take (they were stocking shelves with their recent delivery). They kicked us out and locked the door behind us, asking us to return in 15 minutes when they were finished (and presumably we had dried off!) We never returned. My sunglasses were a casualty of the short landing. Lost somewhere in the melee of getting out and into the kayak.

For dinner back on the island H&E created a Mexican dish on the ultra light camp stoves. This was much more difficult than cooking on the Coleman stove. The temperature was dropping and the breeze was blowing over the meadow. We were all bundled up in as many layers as we had. After dinner we headed to the lee side of the island and lit a fire by the shore. We shared our fire with a couple from Brookline NY who had set up near Rick. We all settled into our warm sleeping bags relatively early. In various late night extra-tent excursions L, C, and B all mistook the anchor light of a near by sailboat as a celestial curiosity!

Wed morning Bob cooked an oatmeal dish with various fruits to liven it up. We talked about what the plan might be but really we all just sat in the sun on the rocks like little lizards absorbing the heat. I gathered more mussels for a pre-lunch snack. Then we all shared very soft cheese and other snacks for lunch.

About mid-afternoon Eric had a plan to paddle back along the eastern side of the islands. This route offered us some beautiful views toward Acadia over open water. One of us was a bit under the weather so the rest of us took opportunities to practice our towing skills in a non-critical situation. We found that the double-I-tow was the easiest. The V-tow seemed to have a lot of drag from the tow ropes being pulled sideways through the water (although it was reasonable when the tow-ers were close together).

For Wednesday evening’s meal we went to a restaurant in Stonington. Thursday morning we all fended for ourselves with breakfast, packed our stuff, and headed off in our own directions.

The coast of Maine is a beautiful place to paddle. Our pod of 7 kayakers was great from a safety point of view and it made for plenty of laughs and interesting conversation. But it was a little bit difficult to find sites that could accommodate such a large group. The camp sites are primitive and you have to carry EVERYTHING out. We were fortunate to have beautiful albeit cool weather. Rainy days would make it far less enjoyable.

Water temperature mid-50s, air 60-80 days, 48-55 nights, winds light, seas <1 foot.

Lake Champlain

Lake Champlain has been on my list of places to kayak for a few years now. I was excited about paddling on this fresh water lake that is over seventy miles long and as much as 15 miles wide. Lisa and I headed up on a Friday evening and arrived at a hotel a little after dark just south of Burlington VT. We were planning on paddling the next day from St Albans to the “Cottonwood” site on Knights Island. The 185 acre island has only seven sites on it, all spread out on the shore.

We paddled the 6 miles from Kill Kare Point by Woods Island to our little private site on the Northern most point of the island. The winds were light and the boat traffic was light relative to what I would expect on Narragansett Bay for the same weekend. It was a very pleasant crossing

Upon arrival we set our tent up facing west on the pea-gravel beach. We could swim and sunbath “very casualy dressed” with the warm fresh water and the pleasant air temperatures. We were so relaxed we were thinking about staying a second night on the island. We walked a half mile of shoreline to the Ranger’s Station to try and pay for our site and inquire about it’s availiability for an additional night but there was no one to be found. We walked back by a trail down the center of the island. Our pace was quick as there was a preponderance of mosquitoes given the significant wetland acreage on the island.

We swam some more and cooked a lovely dinner on the camp stove. The sunset was beautiful and the stars were plentiful. I was awake to see a large and bright shooting star. It was part of the Perseid Meteor showers.

The next morning we woke to a stiff breeze. Our site was on the lee side of the island so it didn’t look like much. We made coffee and cooked breakfast (boiling water twice because some uninvited guests had slipped into the first pan of water). We hiked a 1.5 mile loop to the other side of the island and saw that the exposed side was experiencing a short wavelength 2 foot chop (and some more wonderful views from the thirty foot high cliffs).

We loaded the boats and paddled in the protection of the island as long as we could. We stopped and paid the ranger and talked with him and his family for a while. We decided to make the 5 mile crossing directly to Burton Island so that we’d take on the seas more directly with our bows. The loaded boats have the advantage of mass that keeps them from being knocked off coarse by the wind and the waves. I was extra careful to load them with the weight low to keep them uber-stable. We had chosen to head out early to avoid the seas building any more but as it turns out we would have been better off waiting as the breeze subsided a bit as the day went on.

We landed on Burton Island and relaxed and ate lunch. We were entertained by dozens of small frogs hopping around on the shore. One more mile of paddling got us back to the launch point in the mid afternoon.

The section of the lake we visited is a beautiful place to paddle. (It’s the only section we explored.) If you can get reservations through the Vermont state campground system to one of the islands (Knight or Woods) you’ll be delighted. Membership in the Lake Champlain Trails Association ($35) will get you information about a number of other first come first serve sites. We did not visit any of these but I’d be leary of these on a summer week-end.

Air 80, water 75. Sat winds light. Sunday winds 15+

Glacier Bay Day 5

Let the rains begin… today was the day we were to be picked up by the day boat and head up the west arm of the bay. Lisa and I loaded up the perforated double we had acquired in the safety trade. It did not pack as well as our two singles and it was as wide as the row boat I had in my teen years. E and H were a step more organized than us and were ready to go before us. We headed to the pickup point and saw a plethora of campers settled in an area that was off limits for camping. The rangers definitely don’t want to encourage bears to expect food in an area where people will frequent. All had their excuses but frankly I think they were all inconsiderate. We were greeted by a too friendly fellow who confided to us that he had left his girlfriend 30 miles up bay because they couldn’t agree on where to paddle to. He claimed he was sacrificing the trip to save the relationship. (I think both were cut short.)

The day boat is a 100-ish foot catamaran that pulls directly up to the beach to pick up and drop off boats. Upon boarding I was overwhelmed by tourists who thought we were mountain men and women for camping “in the wild”. They wanted to hear of our stories and adventures. I didn’t want to tell my story. I just wanted to be back where I came from in the peace and quite of the bay. I retreated to the cold and rainy back deck of the boat where only an occasional guest would wander. I missed the bay already. Fortunately I knew I was better off leaving while it was still a good experience. It would rain for this and the next two days straight. We were leaving on a high point.

The tour boat afforded us some great views of a half dozen glaciers. The boat stopped in front of one that was calving. We could hear the ice cracking and watch it dropping into the sea. We also saw a seal or two, a family of three bears, and an orca. I was slowly settling into public life.


When the boat landed back at the ranger station we had to rush about and empty our camp fuel, return the boats, return the ‘thankfully un-used’ bear spray, pack our stuff, pick up E&H’s stored bag from the lodge, return the bear canisters, and close out our float plan. We had less than an hour and a half before our flight left. Fortunately we made the flight. It was delayed by the weather.

The trip was simply delightful in its entirety. We all suffered a little anxiety about being alone in the wild (in a way three of us had never been before). Lisa’s expertise made it very comfortable and the company of E&H and their agreeable and relaxed demeanors made it very fun. It was definitely a trip I’ll never forget. It just has me yearning for more. After all, I still haven’t paddled with whales!

Glacier Bay Day 4

Although the forecast was for strong southerly winds and rain we woke up to sunny skies and a light north wind. All this concern to beat the weather and it turned out to be a beautiful day all day with temperatures at times in the seventies!

We had no paddling planned but exploring in the east arm was an option. But the boats were just not that comfortable and we decided to just hang out and play on the island. Lisa and I had our hearts set on catching a fish. We had seen Salmon jumping on the east side of the island so that was our destination. Travel to that side of the island required disturbing the already quite disturbed Oyster Catchers. It would also sometimes incite a dive bomb attack by the terns. We knew that the Oyster Catchers were nesting on the beach and tried to give them their space. We did get a chance to see their eggs when they were off nest. They blended amazingly well with the rocks and were arraigned in no obvious “nest” structure. They were just laid on the beach above the tide line. I can make no excuse for the terns.

Lisa and I both have little interest in fishing but a huge interest in eating fresh fish. We made two forays to that side of the island during the day. The first time Lisa did have a fish almost landed. We did see fish jumping each time we went over there but getting a bite proved difficult. In a last desperate attempt before committing to turkey fettuccini for dinner Lisa tried a few casts right by our tent. (She had wanted to fish there but Eric and I insisted that the other side was better. It was the only side we saw fish jumping.) On her second cast she had a fish hooked. I went into coaching mode. Keep the line tight, just drag him to the shore… (she would have done just fine). Before the fish had a chance to know it was out of the water Lisa was ready to release it. I would have nothing to do with it. Besides, it was hooked in a funny way. Convinced that we were keeping the fish the focus turned to a humane death. She was suggesting dropping a rock on its head! Two indirect hits on a crazed flipping fish convinced me that we were far more likely to get hurt than the fish was. I quickly beheaded it and cleaned it in the water to avoid attracting bears. Our dinner would be Pink Salmon!

We also spent time on the island exploring the woods and the geology of the shoreline rocks. At one point Lisa stopped for a little nap on the shoreline and within 10 minutes the water had risen to the point where her boots began to fill (funny thing about 20 foot tides).

Lisa and I were also approached by a couple in a double kayak with a little problem. It seems as if the guide service had dropped them off in a boat with a hole in it. They had fixed it with Duct Tape but it seemed a little foolish to head out on a 6 day paddle with a patched boat. Eric and I used our hand held marine radios to try to hail a nearby boat. Our radios would not reach all the way back to the ranger station but we assumed we would be able to communicate with a boat or cruise ship that we could see on the other side of the bay. We finally talked to a chartered 50 foot sailboat that relayed a message back to the ranger station. We had offered to let the couple trade their double for a couple of our singles. We only had about a mile and a half to paddle to the point where we would be picked up and were comfortable we’d be able to make it with the patched boat.

It was a very relaxing lay over day on the island. We appreciated not having to tear down and re-setup camp for one night. It all worked out quite nicely.

Glacier Bay Day 3

The first half of our trip was within the protection of the Beardslee Islands. The second half was to be up the east side of the bay along the Beartrack Mountains. This section was exposed to the most open section of the bay. It also was a section with limited shoreline camping because a significant portion was closed due to high bear activity. This gave us few fall back opportunities is something was to go wrong. Our plan on paper was to paddle about 10 miles to Sturgess Island on day 3 and then 6 more to Garforth Island on Day 4. But with a forecast was bad for day 4. I was wondering if the right thing to do was head back along a different route within the safety of the Beardslee Islands. Back home, on a day with 20 knot winds and rain predicted I’d tend to stay home. Here, in Glacier Bay, miles from help, in uncomfortable and fully loaded kayaks, why would it suddenly be a good idea? Lisa and I discussed it a bit in our tent and then opened it up to Eric and Heather. It was decided that we’d go for an epic day and try to go all the way to Garforth.

With full agreement we all suited up in our Drysuits for what would include two 5 mile open water crossings. While making the first crossing we were fighting a light headwind (the forecast was for a push). But a little liveliness in the water and sweeping views in every direction as we paddled in the open water was exhilarating. We stopped for a snack at Leland Island which looked to us as if we were in the middle of Glacier Bay. We had distant views of Mt Fairwether at over 15,000 feet. We were also in a zone where the glaciers were approximately 150 years earlier. Our next crossing brought us to Puffin Island which was where we would begin to paddle against the shore and search for a much needed re-supply of water.

Our long paddle didn’t allow us to explore this shoreline as much as we would have liked to. It was a shore with mile high peaks and in spots dropped from about 2000 feet of elevation to 500 feet of depth over less than a mile. Some of the streams would disappear into the coarse rubble within the last few hundred feet of the shore. I finally located a stream where I could just step out of my boat and fill the dromedary bags.

We were now in clear sight of our destination but it was still almost 4 miles away. We paddled on with the long twilight beginning to start. I was starving and tired so I quickly jumped out of the boat and began to search for a place to camp.
I was excited to find zero sign on bear but the first spot was not ideal. Lisa and Eric continued to search around the island for a good spot. There was a boat camping on the north end (this island is often used as a staging point for the guide boat drop off spot which was less a mile away). We settled on a beautiful spot on the west side of the island that had almost 360 degree views.

It was still clear and comfortably light outside when we retired to our tents at 12:30 (We never used a flashlight during the whole trip). We had completed our “epic day” and were prepared to hole up for a windy rainy fourth day.




Air Low 60s, clear, light North wind, 16.2 miles

Glacier Bay Day 2

We launched our boats about 1.5 hours before low tide. The day started overcast and warmed and cleared up as it went along. We headed to the west of Eider Island and skirted west of the outer Beardslees. This brought us over deep water where I thought there might be potential of seeing a whale. It was pretty and relaxing but uneventful. We did see one tent but no other boats. We stopped on a rocky beach for lunch. I perused the horizon with binoculars for a whale but only saw seals and sea otters. After lunch we tucked between a couple of islands and continued our journey up the middle of the Beardslees into a stiffening breeze. Here it felt more protected and visually the islands all looked like interesting places to explore but the wildlife spotting was limited. We were in no rush so we rafted up frequently to trade stories and snacks and debate whether the map was indicating that we could pass between the last two islands or whether a portage would be required. We avoided making the wrong call by going around the islands instead.

We only had ten miles under our boats for the day but we were surprisingly tired. The wide boats loaded down were deceivingly slow. We were at the top of the Beardslees at the entrance to Beartrack Cove. A squall was looming ominously to our west. It was time to find a campsite. I jumped out and was pleased by the first spot I found. It was a small knoll surrounded by beach on the front and marsh around back. I returned to the boat and discussed it with Lisa but her feeling (from a distance) was it was too wet. The second spot I checked was loaded with bear scat. The third spot was ideal from a tent point of view but was fairly close to the second spot and looked too “bear-y” to me. Lisa and I returned to the first site and with the two of us looking the debate about wetness was dismissed as we found multiple piles of both bear and moose scat. We headed further back towards where we had come from and finally settled in on our fourth choice. We had passed it initially in favor of sites with deeper water access but otherwise it was a beautiful sight! A lightly treed point facing straight up the heart of Glacier Bay.

Our camp site quickly became magical as the wind died down and the squall passed us slowly in the distance playing hide and seek with the sun. The marine mammals started to play right in front of us. Throughout the evening Sea Otters, Seals, and Sea Lions passed just off shore. In the quiet air we could hear the otters cracking shells on their bellies. Lisa spotted a baby on top of mom. The Sea lions rolled over each other like unruly teenagers wrestling.

We set up our tents (a little further apart than the first night) and began to cook dinner well down on the shore. Just as we were getting started a double showed up on shore with two slightly freaked out young men we had seen back at the ranger station. They said that they had seen 6 bear and 2 moose as they paddled up through the Beardslees along the mainland. Everywhere they had stopped had too much bear sign. And in fact we had a bear walking along the shore right now only some 500 yards to our south. I ran up to alert E&H to make sure they had their food packed away properly and have them join us on the beach for safety in numbers. I wanted to go see the bear but didn’t want to abandon cooking duty so we continued to cook. Given that we had not found any favorable sites for at least another half mile we invited them to camp near us.

Just as we were finishing up dinner our neighbors stopped by and told us there was a big bull moose just behind out tents. The four of us went off to explore and saw the huge animal a few hundred yards away and slowly approaching. He disappeared from view too close and for too long so we all retreated back to the beach.

Lisa and I walked the shore and I could hear what sounded like an elephant in the distance. I asked Lisa what it was and she said it was a whale she had heard before (or a whale with a similar atypical breathing sound). We searched for it until Lisa finally spotted its tail. It was not just diving but flipping its tail repeatedly at the surface.

What had been up until now just a nice paddle in a beautiful place had turned nothing short of breathtaking as the sun set and the animals continued to frolic out in front of our tents.

Each day at 8:45am and 5:45pm the Ranger station reads the weather forecast for the bay. The forecast for our forth day of paddling was rain and winds 20 knots from the south. Hmmm… I needed to sleep on that. Sleep that is until I woke to the sound of wolves howling and barking in the distance.

Air temp Low 60s, Winds light-10 North, water 45, 10.2 miles