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?Dark Shadows

Several hundred km/miles, I suspect. I refer to my multi-days as sea safaris, FWIW.

Stumbled across this site that may be of interest to others: https://www.expeditionkayak.com/chronology-of-sea-kayaking/

This was released ~early June, basically saying Out of Staters, may enter after July 1, if they have a recent negative test.

Most of the rivers were drying out during early June, but there was sufficient flow in the Pemi to do the stretch from Plymouth to Ayres Island Dam. We picked a beautiful Friday and caravaned up to our now-familiar launch from Plymouth, after first spotting a car at the takeout in Bristol, next to the dam. The first stretch of the river was spectacular; shallow, clear, with abundant fish spotting, including a school of approximately 25 ?trout. Were I a fisherman, these fish averaged a foot in length. Because I am not, 7 inches was a good estimate. We meandered with the current through the uninhabited rural river, and stopped briefly at a steep rocky ledge, where the captain rinsed off. At the six-mile mark, smack-dab in the middle of the river was a ledgy, small island with a tall maple cluster on the western side. As we neared, and noted the sand dune-like features on the downstream side, it was obvious this would be our lunch spot. We landed and scouted the tiny isle, hereafter called Paradise Island. Narrow, sandy paths lead to rocky outcroppings, some of which lent themselves to perfect launches into the clear, deep river. Signs of campfire and hibachi suggested previous visitors. Small groups of people visited both shores during our lunch hour, enjoying ledgy or sandy features. IMGP0070.MOV Beyond Paradise, the river widened and quieted, secondary to the damn dam downriver. We spotted the typical wildlife – geese, kingfisher, osprey, and additional fish schools in-session, near the railroad/car bridges cluster. Towards the 104 bridge, the river widened to a pond-like area, with several people recreating (swimming, fishing, tubing), most likely from the nearby campground. The last 3 miles was not a little slog-ish, with a strong headwind and lake-like features. We muscled through, landed, and made our way back to Plymouth, first stopping at the very scenic Livermore Falls area, before burritos and the shortish drive home. Link to track here

I've used small plastic acorn nuts with success: Find these in the "aisle of drawers" (fasteners, doo-hickeys of all sorts) at your local Hardware. Bring one of your screws to determine proper fit. Most members may not be aware of the valuable info in the archives; the following link may provide some (too much) help:

Well, yes, Veggie Italian X2, RB X 1 for the 3 paddlers.

Skip report, go straight to slideshow. https://photos.app.goo.gl/KwT9coajfVZN6Vhv7 Plans to continue section-paddling the Pemi were put on hold, once N found a likely candidate while browsing the AMC river guide. Bonus features for paddling the beautiful Winooski River in Vermont included having N’s college buddy, C, join us for the long day trip, since he lived within a mile from the takeout, and, joining J, another mate/alum, for pizza after the paddle, when we retrieved the shuttle car back in Montpelier. #1 son N and I drove separate cars, the plan calling for dropping off the canoe (with cable lock) in Montpelier, driving NW to pick up C in Jonesville, car-topping his kayak, then driving back together in my car to the put-in. Despite ambitious plans, including leaving the house at 6:40 AM, we finally got our paddles wet at 10:10. Mid 60s, mostly cloudy, NW at 10, below-average water levels were the ingredients for the day. Routes 2 and I 89 would be our companions (zero other boaters/floaters) for most of this trip, though the high river banks and rippling water would drown out most of the traffic noise. We meandered/scraped our way 6 miles downstream, the first “obstacle” at Cemetery Corner (NOT named for the number of paddler deaths; there is a cemetery beyond the riverbank). A last-second, 1-foot drop through un-scouted challenge #2 surprised us, but didn’t separate us from our boats. At length we arrived at Middlesex Dam for our first portage. Our hero and pack animal for the day would be our dolly, “Llama.” After a climb up a steep muddy path, we settled the canoe atop Llama, and the kayak on top of the canoe, clearly looking like folks “from away.” Llama made short work of the roadside portage. Before launching again, we enjoyed a repast of veggie Italian and roast beef sandwiches from you-know-where. The second, longest (10+ mi.) leg of the trip from Middlesex to Bolton, would carry us through riverside landscapes we had yet experienced. We smartly landed our boats to scout Junkyard rapids. The line would be easy, but well worth the preview, as the chute was not visible behind the obscuring, jutting ledge. IMG_0938.mov We came to the conclusion that the word “gorge-ous" came about while traveling through a river section such as this. We were NOT going to Grandmother’s house, but “over the river and through the woods“ would be the mantra for the portage at Bolton Dam-a rigorous steep, uphill slog, through muddy woods, then downhill, across the picnic area, and finally to the beach, a 2000-foot trek. This would be the answer to the riddle “How do you gain 300 feet of altitude while paddling downriver?“ Downstream, the dam displayed a fairly decorative finish–large brownstone-like facing, similar to what one might see on a decades-old town library or a train station-quite elaborate, but visible to only a few. The third, and final segment of the trip would bring us 6 miles through mostly quickwater, beautiful pastoral scenery, geese and duck families, scattered small and large-grouped humanoids enjoying the river, and fly fisherpeople. We finally got off the river at 1830, loaded up the vehicles, short-visited C’s home and wife, then drove back to Montpelier to join J for delicious pizza from Positive Pie (+π), arriving back home at 10:20. Link to track here Local knowledge here FWIW: flow rate for this trip ~900cfs. Given the amount of new scratches on the canoe, this would be the minimum flow I'd recommend for this paddle The "other" Dolly Llama:

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NH-resident Sea Kayakers: Come to my neighborhood and enjoy the beautiful inland Contoocook River, launching @ CONTOOCOOK RIVER CANOE COMPANY, 9 HORSE HILL ROAD, CONCORD, NH. We will paddle upriver to Contoocook (Tooky) Village, enjoy lunch (PYO or Dimitri’s/EveryDay nearby) and distanced conversation, either on the grass or under the gazebo at the small park. After, we will paddle downstream back to our cars. DATE: SUNDAY, JUNE 14 START: 9AM END: ? DISTANCE: ~12mi. LIMIT: 6 (NH RESIDENTS) Participants agree to the following: -must not have had exposure to any known-positive contacts for the past 2 weeks AND asymptomatic -facemasks donned during launching/landing and public interaction -I will ask for 1 volunteer to help me unload/load boats. You agree to wear disposable or reusable (dishwashing-type) gloves. -bring personal cache of cleansing solution. My go-to: 1tsp bleach/1 c water, added to sealable container which contains rag/washcloth. Additional dry cloth for wiping bleach off gloves/debit cards If committed to this trip, RSVP on the calendar event here

Another resource if you can get it-Maine Public Coastal Access Guide (3 vol): https://www10.informe.org/webshop_ifw/index.php?p=6780&c=&storeID=8

The additional aft tether is a little cumbersome, but without it, a paddler friend has reported missing one during a day (luckily) trip. I don the crocs as soon as I exit the boat, taking my chances on the first few foot plants, snot or not.

With fond memories of our previous weekend’s trip still fresh in our minds, we conjured up a similar trip that would get us back in the canoe, before diminishing water flows would put us behind the eight-ball for a river trip. The two choices were: 1) continue the southward, lower section of the Pemi, beyond the impassible Livermore Falls, or 2) paddle on one of its major tributaries. As always, we checked the river data, and called one of the local canoe/kayak/tube liveries in Plymouth. We settled on #2, after consulting yet another resource, a 30-year old AMC river guide that indicated we could launch from our planned spot, given the water level was only slightly below average. Upon scouting an appropriate launch site near the bridge, we had second thoughts about the plans for a 20+ mile paddle, given the late hour, and the bony-looking riverbed from our vantage point. Nonetheless, our blood was up for an adventure, given the Q20 doldrums, and the phenomenal weather. Luckily, the first few hundred yards gave us the most bottom scratches than the remainder of the trip, and we quickly entered Paradise corridor. Numerous riffles, crystal-clear water, serpentine course, gravel and rocky beaches, steep sand/clay/rocky shorelines, and the only canoe on the river for seven hours on a glorious Memorial Day weekend! Aside from the rare proximity to the highway, and the laboring lumberyard, a more serene river trip I have never had. Before the first hour had expired, we were delighted to find a supreme lunch spot – sandy landing beach with adjacent “harbor,” rocky promontory, and a deep swimming hole. We were in no hurry to leave this spot, and lingered for a full hour, enjoying our lunch and Mother Nature’s glory. After some consideration/deliberation, the old man found the courage to jump straight into the swimming hole, without regret, though the water was not a little cold. Regretfully, with many miles to go, we resumed the trip down the undulating river, and remarked of the foolishness/bravery of Powell’s trip down the Colorado; no such danger on this day. Riverside bamboo was our frequent companion on this river, and we frequently pointed out to one another the various geological features of the riverbank composition, including layers of clay that was “scaling“ into the river, near-perfect pieces of pottery, unbaked. Toppled trees, boulders, and a rare group of tubers sharpened our paddling skills, the captain and his first mate scouting standing, and comfortably seated at the bow, respectively. ripsmov.m4v We were in no hurry, and our timepieces confirmed that, as the river finally discreetly nuzzled into its mother at 6:15 PM. We pulled out 1/4 mile past the bridge into downtown, car-topped the staged vehicle, and drove to retrieve the launch car, first stopping for supper at The Common Café in Rumney Village. We were delighted with the scrumptious, hearty meals, and the friendly owners-well worth the very short trip from the highway. Ocean, lakes, ponds, rivers, puddles – it doesn’t matter just get out there. ANTS (Aqueous Nature Therapy Solutions) are the best medicine for Q20! Link to track here

Everyone has the best ideas for tricking out their cockpits: I'll share mine. The school bus is 17 years old, and seen a lot of coastline and customizations. I removed the original footpegs in favor of some closedcell foam pads against the bulkhead. No ordinary foam, 2 YMCA kiddie swim aids @$5 each, back-to-back, surrounded by homemade elastic straps (bike inner tube material). The pads just happen to fit snugly against the bulkhead, without trimming. The pad setup doubles as a secondary paddle float. A solid pool noodle serves as a heel support, and this is cut such that the ends meet up snugly with the bottom of the footpeg track. This is replaced every year because of degradation. Be sure to carry an extra in your trunk, as they have been known to disappear at highway speeds if you don't use a cockpit cover. After burning through the heels of my neoprene socks, I tried to find a low-friction pad where my heels "travel." Originally, thick but pliable plastic rectangles were used (roll-up cutting sheets, plastic note binder covers, or the like. I currently use a piece of soft vinyl flooring material. Four D-ring pads (one is not stainless-the black sheep!) are secured to the floor with marine epoxy, and serve as anchor points for a 6L dromedary. Left picture below is shown without bungee cord, as I only add bungee on safari with dromedary. I know of a paddler who reported getting tangled in that web during self-rescue practice! My pump is secured under the cockpit roof, the end near me with (epoxied) velcro strap, and the distal part (pump handle) resting atop the pads. Lastly, in lieu of a back-band, I use a paddle float filled to a comfortable degree, ready to deploy when needed. Sponge and kayak carrying straps are tucked aft of the float. Aside from foaming out a seat, what are some of your customized features/fittings?

You can search the archives for other ways to make your own charts, but the simplest venue for me is CalTopo. If not familiar with CalTopo, review the “getting started” post here: You can construct your own chartlet by selecting an area that you are intending to paddle. My Mac allows a print screen with a shortcut (command/shift/4). I place a 6.5 X 8.5” poster-thickness cutout over my screen so the screenshot will be proportionate to the standard 8.5X11 final print. The screenshot appears in the desktop; do not “save” your screenshot until you have finished annotating! Here is my screenshot which I have renamed muscle: When you open up your screenshot on the desktop the top menu bar allows “tools.” Select “tools”, and scroll down to “annotate.” Here you will be able to select lines, arrows, and multiple other shapes. For my magnetic north lines I choose “line”, and an editable line appears on screenshot (note: you can customize the width and color of your lines). Now go back to CalTopo (which you have minimized), and select “measure” in the upper menu bar. Select “take bearing” from the drop-down menu. Select (click) a fixed point near the center of your chart area, near the bottom, then extend your line until the MN reads 360/0°. This will be your reference line for your screenshot. Now go back to your screenshot and reorient/drag the MN line such that it mirrors exactly what you had obtained through CalTopo. Back to CalTopo to now measure “distance” from that same drop-down menu. Depending on the scale of your chart that you are saving, select ½, 1, or 2. nautical miles for spacing of your MN lines. With the “measure distance” tool click on any point/feature and extend the line perpendicular to MN to a chart feature and distance interval you have chosen. IN screenshot, choose “line” again, and extend/drag/orient the line such that it mirrors the MN distance interval line you obtained from CalTopo. This will now serve as your guide for spacing of your MN lines, which, while not exact, will be "close enough." Highlight the MN line, choose line thickness/color that pleases you, then copy X 5. These copies will remain parallel to your original MN reference. Move lines individually by click/hold/drag of non-highlighted lines. When finished spacing and adding text, your screenshot will look like this: Your finished chartlet will look something like this (without the header): When you have finished ALL of your annotating, save screenshot and rename, if you like. Open up again, and export as PDF to your desktop. Build another chartlet and print both, place back to back and laminate at your local Fedex. If you have any questions when attempting this exercise ON YOUR APPLE COMPUTER, feel free to PM me, and we can walk through the process over the phone/Zoom.

With the indefinite postponement of our Allagash trip, in the thick of Q 20, we decided a more local day trip was in order. We had seen glimpses of the usually-bony Pemigewasset River from the interstate on trips north, and were worried that there might not be enough water for a paddle. A check of a few previous trip reports indicated that the minimum flow without lining the canoe was 400 CFS. The day before our planned trip the graph was reading 700, and we were optimistic that projected thunderstorms traveling through the area the night before our Saturday trip would benefit the plan. Sure enough, the flow skyrocketed to greater than 3000 overnight, and we were on the road by 8 o’clock. We staged one car at the takeout in Campton At Blair Bridge, a covered bridge dating back to 1870. As expected, the current was quite lively, and downstream we could see some action at the falls. 20 minutes later we were at the put in on Death Valley Road in Woodstock, just below another set of falls. The trip would be approximately 14 miles at a good clip. We pushed off under cloudy skies, 55F, and WNW of 10. The first half of the trip was uneventful, with sparse wildlife (white ducks with black hoods?), Including one bald eagle and kingfisher – par for the course. We stopped for lunch in an eddy under a very steep embankment, enjoying veggie sandwiches, chips, and mapled walnuts. Unlike the upper stretches of the Pemi, highway noise was a constant companion, routes 3 and I 93 contributing to the overall distraction from the beautiful flowing river. Our track shows an average speed of 4.3kn, with a max of 7kn. After the quick paddle we made haste to the Woodstock Inn and Brewery for take-away of Portobello sandwiches, french fries, and coleslaw, enjoyed at a picnic table behind the fire station in North Woodstock, overlooking the more lively upper section of the river.It was good to be dipping our paddles in the water, finally–a great remedy for the postponed Jewell trip, originally planned for this very weekend.

PLEASE DO NOT RSVP ON NSPN CALENDAR UNTIL YOU HAVE SENT YOUR PAYMENT. All the information is included in the calendar posting above.

I shared Ed's comments above with an Allagash outfitter I've been corresponding with and his reply (I've bolded his salient point): Hi Gary,You sure have a valid argument (case). I have not heard it explained this way, but I might repeat your explanation. You could pay North Maine Woods fees by phone with a credit card if this helps you. Their phone number is 207-435-6213.Please do not get me involved.Best regards,

...or making the requisite stops @ Amato's, Standard Bakery, and Pat's Pizza. I don't really see how this could be enforceable?

1. If I'm paddling with my phone in "airplane" mode, and I've allowed "location services" for GAIA only (for recording a track), can CG find me? 2. If my phone is shut down, this is of no help-correct? 3. What "mode" is your phone in when paddling? 4. Anybody NOT paddling with a phone aboard? 5. This is valuable supplemental technology, though not a concern for me on the water, as I always travel with my VHF. T or F? 6. Who uses their phone (with waterproof case [recommend]) in lieu of VHF? This would be of help if i'm hiking Marshall (with my phone), slip, and tear up my ankle. Rescue heli can land on the abandoned airstrip!

1. After a visit to Owls Head Light, Kyle and I were game for an extended paddle back to Lobster Bouy Campground. We left the group, rounded the NE tip of Sheep I., and paddled southerly ~1M before arriving here: 1. What is the small island behind the nun @ 187° mag? Marblehead 2. What is the island to left, and what bearing in line with the tip of Kyle’s bow? Fisherman; 164° mag 2. The long sandbar and beachside roses lured me in for a look-see of the campsite on Georgehead I., Stonington. 1. What island is circled, at a bearing of 93.5° mag? Ram 2. Name the islands at the pink, blue, and black arrows, respectively? A good application of the “rule of hues.” Spruce, Bare, St. Helena 3. On a trip throuth the Muscle Ridge archipelago, I spy the “target” on Sprucehead I. through my high-powered binoculars, @ 280° mag. From my position, a bearing to Two Bush Light reads 208° mag. Using TRIANGULATION, locate my GPS position. end of “Pile” on chart; 44.0008°, -69.0630°/ 44°.00.049’, -69°.03.781’ 4. On our safari to VHeaven, we stopped on ______ I., climbed the hill, and enjoyed the view and lunch. Rob wondered what island he was (purple) tethered to. I shot a bearing to the island mid-point; it read 204° mag. 1. Name the island he is tethered to. SheepSheep 2. Name the green, black, yellow, and orange-arrowed landforms. Bald, Eagle, Grass Ledge, Fling Bald, Eagle, Grass Ledge, Fling BONUS POINTS 5. On a solo trip to Muscongus Bay many years ago, this lowly-experienced paddler awaited the seas to flatten a bit before crossing to Thief to camp for the night. My compass reads 215° mag to the center of Thief I. 1. Where am I (GPS waypoint)? SW point of Cow; 43.9585°, -69.3957°/43°57.508’, -69°23.742’ 2. What island is to the left, and what is my bearing to there? Wreck-200° mag 3. What is the distance to Thief I.? ~1.83M Answers can be revealed by highlighting space following questions (white lettering). 1 83M

Of course Joe is correct Re: resolution. The beauty of printing your own 8.5 X 11" CalTopo chartlet to laminate, is that they are still cheap and very easy (fewer steps) to customize/print/laminate, especially if you are getting 2 chartlets/laminate. They stack nicely under your deck bungies. I am generally satisfied with less detail of the chartlet printed in a smaller scale; I can zoom in and get more detail for areas I will likely be paddling, then build more charts. As an example, the smaller scale (~1:56K) chart of the Stonington area here gives me an overall layout of the area, with loss of some aids to navigation (central blue area): I can then customize 2 larger scale (~1:53K) charts from this area, and label them Stonington N and Stonington S, the latter shown here: Note I have adjusted the interval between MN lines. Here are a few more examples of my customized charts: Muscle Ridge S.pdf Jewell chart2.pdf(Note the added lat/long references)