Mist. Mist and Fog….Along with the rising sun and the glorious sunrise colors, getting out early in the canoe or kayak is a special time. We have been fortunate in the month of June to have had multiple opportunities for early paddling. We’ve been camping ( both solo and as a family) a few times, and have also headed out early to some of our local favorites.

The camping weather has been wonderful! Clear skies, mostly moderate temperatures, lots of sun…though it seems that the afternoons have been marked by a few hours of very high winds. We have managed to avoid some of our less than ideal weather, and have been lucky for the most part ( except for those high winds!) Our rough water paddling skills are getting a good chance to improve…should be helpful on our trips to the Adirondacks and Quebec later in the season.

Edgar especially enjoyed our trip to Green River Reservoir State Park, since he and Griff could run freely together, on the rocky Picnic Island!

In addition to our “real” canoe camping, we also did some “condo camping”…that is, sleeping on the floor of my Dad’s empty ,soon to be sold, condo in NH….we decided to hit some of our favorite Upper Valley of NH/VT lakes, since our frequent visits to that are are ending. We have plenty more “new”spots to hit up, and look forward to paddling in some different areas of New England and New York.

McDaniel’s Marsh and Kezar Lake

When we haven’t been paddling, we have tried to keep up the dogs’ hiking routine…we have had some very hot and muggy days, along with rain that has made for some very muddy trails. We try to head out in the cool of the morning, and also select trails that are wooded, and have plentiful water sources. We also prefer to avoid crowded, popular trails….the idea of participating in a conga line up a mountain has no appeal for us!

Our outing this month have provided us with some pretty neat wildlife sightings…baby loon chicks, juvenile owl, deer splashing along the water’s edge…and those beavers! Dam Beavers! Edgar really does not like beavers, and gets quite agitated when they are near our boats. He never used to react in this manner, so we are attempting to train him to “keep cool” when beavers are in the vicinity. No other wildlife elicits this response,but as I understand from others, certain dogs just have a “thing” about nature’s engineers.

So that’s it for this month…not a lot of written content, since I would much rather be spending my time out in nature than composing blog entries on the computer. We will be heading out for the holiday weekend for canoe camping at GRRSP, and the weather forecast looks great.

During the holiday weekend, I plan on getting quite a few surveys completed for the National Safe Boating Council. My anecdotal counts show that less than 10% of paddlers at Green River and at Waterbury Reservoir are wearing PFDs. These observations were made as I watched paddlers in high winds, with overloaded canoes, and with children and dogs in their boats…If you won’t wear a PFD for yourself, please wear one so that you will be more able to assist your child or dog in an emergency!

Happy Canada Day, and Happy 4th of July…Paddle Safe,and paddle smart!