August A Bust
August 25th, 2008 by SallyThe month of August has been a bit of a bust as far as kayaking goes. With a revolving door of guests, a herculean effort to complete our front walkway (laying your own brick walkway is not as fun as it might seem at first consideration), and a two week vacation out of New Hampshire–kayaking has been out of the question.
If the weather cooperates, I’ll be out this weekend. And September/October look to be two serious months to make up for lost time!
Blackwater River
June 25th, 2008 by Sally
If you have a copy of the AMC Quiet Water New Hampshire/Vermont Guide (p.72) then you have probably breezed past the page devoted to the Blackwater River. Personally, I’ve read the entry several times and made a mental note that I’d have to paddle there. I wish I had done it sooner!
The boat launch starts you at the quiet end of the wide body of water. Head to the left from the launch and you’ll pass some marshy sections full of wildlife. During my initial paddle last weekend, and in the early morning, I was greeted by two deer, heron, songbirds, and a great number of (really large) turtles. Paddle in this direction, the shoreline narrows to a river. After about a mile the river narrows more. It appears there are some small rapids here, I didn’t have time to paddle further in this direction so I’m not sure if this section is passable.
Head back to the boat launch and continue past to the larger part of the paddle area. One or two houses dot the shore at this end. Again the water narrows to a river meandering off through the woods. While the way appeared partly blocked by a beaver dam, it still appears that there is ample room to paddle around the dam and continue on.
This initial exploration took only about an hour and was perfect for a quick paddle (which is all I had time for). This Friday I’ll be back to explore both ends of the river to see how far one can paddle before being turned back. AMC’s guide indicates end to end is about 5 miles.
How to get there: Traveling east on Route 4, look for Bay Road on your right about two miles past the junction of Route 4 and 11. A sign for the “Green Crow” will be on your right. Traveling west on Route 4, look for Bay Road on your left after driving through Salisbury Center. Head down Bay Rd about .7 mile. The launch area is on your right, a bit hidden and easy to miss.
The boat launch: Easy, dirt, shallow.
Pooch Paddle Rating: Sadie only gives this paddle 1 paw. As you can see from the few pictures I took, she was more than bored. “No ball playing? No getting out for a jaunt through the woods? Why bother? You humans are weird.” is her official line on this outing. When we have more time, Sadie will join me again and I’m hopeful she’ll score the Blackwater River higher on the scale!