What a great few weeks it has been! Summer temperatures and sunshine have lingered, making for some great paddling trips. Our favorite local spot, Green River Reservoir, has transitioned from a very busy, often crowded, (though still delightful) lake, to a place of increasing solitude and peace.  Recent temperature swings downward have brought us the first real “feel” of autumn, but for us, that means it is time for some of the best canoeing ( and kayaking) of the year….

We invited a few family members to join us for one of our planned September canoe camping trips to GRRSP….we had selected one of our favorite sites, which just happens to have adequate tent space for a group of 5 or 6. Well, we had 6 campers, if you include the 2 Paddle Pups!

Paddling out to site 9

The weather was great…not too cool, but also not hot. We saw plenty of loons, and beavers near the campsite ( which had Edgar all in a tizzy). We had a sunset paddle up into Heron Bay, a section of the water which is closed from “ice out” until August 1, as it is a nesting area.  In the past, to get into the bay with the tandem canoe, we had to disembark, and make a short 100 foot carry around the small snowmobile bridge over the bay entrance. This trip, we had the kayak, my solo boat, and our companions had a tandem. We discovered that the water under the bridge was not so low as to prevent safe passage, but was low enough to give us (barely) enough headroom to duck under the bridge while paddling.

In Heron Bay

Stay down, Griff!

It is always fun to have a new experience, even though we paddle here quite frequently. We also took our very first GoPro “selfie”, and the dogs cooperated brilliantly!

Happy to see each other!

We took the boats out for a dawn foggy paddle…this was great fun, and absolutely quiet, except for the calls of the loons. These foggy paddles surely provide some of the most peaceful times on the water.

It was nice to have some company on one of our trips….and out dogs really love the extra attention!

On a sunny Saturday morning, we headed out to the Waterbury Reservoir, for a late ( for us, as it was 8 am before we were on the water) paddling session. The forecast was for wet weather coming in, so we wanted to get out and enjoy the sun….

We had a great time on the water, saw a few other paddlers, and saw quite a few of the remote campsites in use…the weather has been so warm, that even in mid-September, folks are continuing to use this resource.

The coolest thing we saw was an osprey, who was “treading air” for extended periods of time, before missiling down to the water to snatch a fish. We often see ospreys perched in high trees, but this hunting behavior is a rare treat to see. No photos of this, of course….but we did get some nice summery shots.

Well, the wet weather did come in as forecast…accompanied by quite the drop in degrees. On a cold, rainy, and very windy Sunday, we decided to explore some remote areas conserved by the Nature Conservancy. These areas are located in a part of he state only an hour away from us, but an area we rarely explore. So it was fun to get lost a few times ( thanks, GPS) , but to discover a truly hidden pond, accessible only by hike…and a small hill, with fabulous views. Certainly this was a change of pace for us,and I think we, and the dogs, really enjoyed it.

Gryphon and I have had to do a bit of traveling, for family business…to break up the routine, we try to get out for some hiking during these trips. We stopped by at French’s Ledges in NH…we hiked here last winter, when it required MicroSpikes to negotiate the trails. This time, no such traction needed…the trails were dry, the sun was shining, and the wind was blowing enough to keep the air cool. A great day for a hike, to a small section of rock, with huge views!

On a trip to Western NY state, Griff and I visited Letchworth State Park…My husband and I had hiked here a bit last fall, at the peak of foliage, and were astounded by the beauty of this park. On that trip, we did not have the dogs with us…so here was my chance to share this great spot with Griff.

Letchworth State Park

Hiking the Finger Lakes Trail

So…how do we celebrate the end of summer? Griff and I headed out to Green River, for a solo canoe camping overnight trip. The weather forecast was for clear skies,and temperatures possible down into the 30’s. I packed my woollies, Griff’s new Ruffwear Highlands Sleeping bag and Pad ( that we will be reviewing for backcountryk9.com), fixins’ for nice hot meals…and off we went. This was also going to be the first opportunity to use the Eureka Midori 2 tent that I had won from trailspace.com…and we also carried along the Trail Dog First Aid kit that we won from EXP adventures!

This was a great overnight trip! The foliage is starting to show , the weather was never really that cold, and my new gear worked out great….Of the 34 sites, only 4 were in use, so it actually seemed as though we had a private lake. We did a lot of paddling…paddle out and in to the site, paddled both at sunset and sunrise, and had a great afternoon excursion that gave us a nice view of the young loons…3 months ago they were little balls of brown fluff…now they are nearly as big as adults, though without the distinct coloration. There was one young ‘un, still staying close to mama….making a funny squeaky little loon cry, and not diving for nearly as long as the parent. We saw this pair at quite a few locations on this 600 acre body of water. We also enjoyed watching an osprey who was diving for fish near our site…at night we heard the nearby barred owl, and coyotes as they passed through the woods behind us.

Love the tent…a review will be forthcoming

We had such a  good time, that I plan to return next week, for another overnight…if the weather continues to cooperate! We have to play “moving men” this weekend, so our outdoor activities will be limited…we do hope to get out Sunday evening to see the blood moon/lunar eclipse.  There is still another solid month of canoeing, and definitely some more camping to be had. I plan to share some amazing fall foliage photos on my next blog post. I will also be reviewing the new gear, once I have had a chance to put  it to more testing!

Keep Warm, and Paddle On!

Wow! Labor day has come and gone, and despite the recent spell of very hot ( 90 f. +) and muggy days, we can sense our entry into the fall season…high up on the ridges, the colors are changing to russet and maroon…while lower down, on the water’s edge, snippets of reds and oranges can be seen. Some of the best hiking and paddling days are ahead of us, and we plan to take full advantage of the season. We have multiple canoeing and camping trips planned, and in a few weeks, we will be at the Sled Dog Trade Fair, getting psyched for winter.

The past few weeks have seen us taking part in lots of hiking, and exploring some new ponds and lakes….Lots to report, so for a change of pace, my entry this week is a “Top 10”- style list, which highlights the great events of the past few weeks ( and one not so great report)

                             Our Top 10! ( Since last blog post, anyway) Not in any particular order…..

1. WINNINGS !  Trailspace Swag ! I received the Eureka Midori 2 tent that Trailsace.com awarded me, as the Reviewer of the Month for August…it looks great, and I will be giving it a test run next week on a solo canoe camping trip. I set it up for practice, and to apply the sunproof/waterproof stuff that Trailspace also provided. Gryphon thought the tent looked very inviting, and he hopped right in…followed shortly thereafter by Edgar!

Trailspace also provided us with an assortment of goodies…socks, trail treats, hats, Stabilicers traction devices ( which will be superb for kicksledding, I think). I have suggested to other outdoor folks that it is smart to write reviews for Trailspace…who knows, maybe you could be the next lucky winner!  http://www.trailspace.com/

  2. Twitter win UST Survival Technologies hosts a weekly twitter chat…last week, the topic was “camping with dogs”…so of course, we had to take part! We were lucky enough to be selected as the twitter chat winners, and received some nice survival tools, that will accompany us on our canoe trips. Check them out! https://www.facebook.com/UltimateSurvivalTech

3. Early morning paddling Since sunrise is a bit later these mornings, it seems a bit easier to get out bright and early…it does not have to be before 6 am! Even so, the earlier we get out, the more likely we are to encounter wonderful peaceful paddling, in either morning fog or mist.

4. Lake Solitude Hike Gryphon and I have hiked this area before, but this month, we were able to share this fun, interesting, and rewarding hike with Edgar and my husband. We got out early, so we encountered no other hikers as we climbed…and on the way down, we only passed a few other hikers. The overlook area is quite small, so it was nice to have the rocky outcropping to ourselves….

5. Short local hikes, during the stinkin’ hot days , it is nice to have local trail networks, where we can hike to dogs for an hour or so, in the shady woods. Most of these trails have plentiful water supplies, so the dogs really enjoy hiking them….

6. McDaniels Marsh We have canoed here before in the “big boat”…but this time we used the solo canoe and the kayak…great fun exploring the 600 acre marsh, finding narrow channels to navigate our way through the marsh foliage, and around underwater obstacles. Really a beautiful spot, in Springfield, NH.

7. New Kayak! A trip to Concord NH, led to a test drive for my husband and Edgar, in a Jackson Tripper 12…a kayak designed with room for taking your human, or canine, child paddling with you. The reaction was extremely positive, so we drive home with a new boat on the roof! Next morning…a nice maiden voyage, with the loons and rising mist, on Otter Pond in New London, NH.

8. Paddling with Friends! We were able to get out to Wolcott Pond, with a good friend Anne, and her two daughters. I think they enjoyed the pond, though this was the only time in 2 years that we have paddled here, when we did not see any wildlife ( beyond turtles, that is !)

9. Labor Day in the Northeast Kingdom! We canoed on a pond that we had discovered last year, while hiking a nearby mountain…this time, we really enjoyed the time on Long Pond. There were the usual bird sightings ( heron, loons, kingfishers, etc ), but it was really cool when the loons flew within 20 feet of our canoe, only 15 feet above the water line…Beautiful!

After our canoeing, we hiked up Mt. Hor, an area where we had done some snowshoeing last winter….it was quite hot by mid-day, so we kept the hike short, only a mile or so each way…one of those hikes with little effort for a great reward. At the overlook, hawks were circling and soaring below us…definitely a different perspective.

10. The Best ( and Worst) of State Park camping Two nights on Spectacle Pond, at Brighton Sate Park…the first night, peaceful calm, and a wonderful full moon paddle on the pond. We were camping in “luxury” , using a lean-to on the waterfront site, and both adjacent sites were vacant that first night. Second night, we had a very quiet , mellow group of mountain bikers to one side of us. On the other side, there was a dad, and three high school age boys…we figured they would be mature enough to not disturb us. Then another man joined them, who was some type of big-wig from a nearby ski area ( his car’s plate was JAY PK 1), so we assumed that as a responsible business person from a large resort ( must be Jay Peak!), all would be fine. Well, not so much….they were loud, carrying on very detailed and loud conversations , with a radio playing well into the night ( despite my asking them to keep it down, at 9:30 pm). At midnight, one of the boys brought out his guitar, and it was “hootenanny time”….that led to another “request” from me to knock it off! They finally did settle down….the next morning we made a report to the ranger, so that the campers who followed us to our site would not be subject to that rude and obnoxious behavior.

But other than those rude campers, it was a great trip…we traveled further up towards the Canadian Border, and paddled Norton Lake, and also made a trek over to Little Averill Pond. We got caught in quite the wind on Little Averill, but we managed to get back to the launch site without taking on water, and without getting seasick!

We even went out to the North Branch Trail where we had snowshoed in March….there was still a lot of moose poop on the trail, but no moose sightings..we were hiking the wrong time of day for that.

And as the weather (hopefully) cools this week, we head off for some more canoe camping, at our favorite local spot, Green River Reservoir. It may mark the first camping trip in which we take 2 boats, loading up the solo canoe and the kayak with our gear…this could be fun!

Be sure to “like” our facebook page, Vermont Paddle Pups  https://www.facebook.com/vermontpaddlerK9   if  you enjoy our photos…that site gets updated a few times a week, with lots of photos from our adventures!

Paddle Safe!