Our winter weather ended quickly, and suddenly we were no longer snowshoeing…we had temperatures in the 70’s in March, so we knew it would be an early ice-out this year. Gryphon and I traveled an hour south to find open water on March 23, the first time ever we’ve been canoeing that early! One of our local paddling lakes had open water for paddling on March 30, so our paddling truly began in earnest on that date. We’ve actually been able to paddle 8 different lakes by April 15th, and at 12 days on the water so far, the 2021 paddling season is off to a roaring start. We hope to have Duncan out in his new canoe this weekend, once the water temperature gets to a safe temperature for paddling without a dry suit.
Gryphon’s first paddles of 2021….
And Edgar’s first outings….
Oh, but wet snow arrived overnight, so we may have a brief hiatus…we have been continuing to hike regularly with the dogs, though our last on-snow hike was on April 3rd, when we had a nice sunny hike on a few inches of fresh fluff.
Wildlife sightings have been great, with eagles, otters, osprey and loons among the highlights! So, we are just about ready for some canoe camping, though I think we’ll wait until this most recent snow has melted! Paddle On!
Vermont Paddle Pups! 