Uncategorized | Water and Wood

Here’s a typical interaction between my wife and me:

Me: Hey, for our canoe trip: do you see yourself wanting to be up at 6 and arriving at the next camp site at 7? Or do you see yourself wanting to break camp at 10 and be at the next place at 4?
Her: It’s in two months. I have no idea.

So now the trip is upon us. The food is dehydrated and packed. I ordered a few new dry bags, replaced the rub strips on my boat, and I’ve called the police departments at our put-in and take-out towns to let them know where we’re leaving our cars. I just can’t even express how exciting this is to me. Five days floating with my wife. It’s going to be amazing.

And I have to say, while the amount of extra stuff my wife packs gives me pause, she’s actually doing really well. She has a few more things to pack, but both of our bags come in at about 22 lbs with consumables and a few inefficiencies in the base weights, My backpacking base weight is between 9 and 11 lbs depending on season, so I’m pretty happy.

So this is the plan: tonight we drive up to Canaan, NH to camp. In the morning, we’ll get an early breakfast, pack the car back up, and paddle off. We’re following one of the suggested trips on the Connecticut River Paddler’s Trail, starting at Canaan and ending at the Mt. Orne covered bridge in Lancaster. Here’s the trip plan. Descriptions are taken from the CRPT site:

Day One: Put in in Canaan, Vermont (RM 372), at a town owned park below the bridge to West Stewartstown. There is ample parking here and an improved access. Journey through a broad pastoral valley marked by quickwater and Class I rapids past the Johnson Farm Wildlife Management Area on right right. Stop for lunch and a swim at Picnic Rock. 10 miles in, the river slows as you’ll pass by Colebrook (RM 363) and Monadnock Mountain, a rugged site hike with rewarding views. Spend the night at Holbrook Point (11 miles in, RMN 362), a small campsite nestled beneath Silver Maples or Columbia Meadows (14 miles in), a more open site at the edge of a hayfield.

Day Two: The river is quickwater here – delightful after rains but scratchy at low water. It is an easy, 10 mile (3-4 hr) paddle to Lyman Falls (RM 351), one of the finest campsites along the Upper River. Scout/line this rapid on river left. Camp at the state park (no reservations needed) on river right, or the island on the NH side. Enjoy catch and release fishing at this well known angling destination.

Day Three: Enjoy four miles of quickwater to Bloomfield. Resupply at general stores located both in Bloomfield and North Stratford, easy walks from landings at the confluence of the Nulhegan (VT) or a park in North Stratford (RM 347). Below Bloomfield you’ll be paddling part of the Northern Forest Canoe Trail. The river is fairly flat, with occasional quickwater, and is well away from roads. The river braids around islands here; in general, stay river right. Stop for lunch and a swim at the Maine Central Campsite (RM 341), before carrying on to the Samuel Benton Campsite (RM 334). This campsite, managed by the NFCT, is situated beneath trees at the edge of a large farm field, 17 miles below Lyman Falls, and is suitable for large groups.

Day Four: Paddle through the Maidstone Bends – a series of old oxbows and wide meanders, and on to Guildhall. For a shorter day (or lunch break), stop at the Scott Devlin Campsite (RM 324), a pleasant campsite in a stand of pines. One mile downstream is the breached Wyoming Dam (RM 323) – take out on river right above the bridge to stretch your legs, and portage or scout. Rebar from the old dam creates hazards at low water or for accidental swimmers, and at high water this is a short Class II rapid. It is possible to end a trip here – please park by the town offices. Those carrying on should consider camping at the South Guildhall Campsite (RM 317), with splendid views of the Whites, or the less primitive Beaver Trails Campground near Lancaster (RM 313), where you can also take-out to end the trip.

Day Five: Its a mellow, ten mile paddle on from the South Guildhall Campsite to the Mt Orne Covered Bridge Access (RM 307). For a longer day, one hour further is the John’s River Ramp on river left (RM 304).

Ever since I started following Brian at Cape Falcon, I’ve wanted to build one of his kayaks. But until he released his courses and plans, I had no hope of ever affording the travel and tuition for one of his classes. And then I decided that canoes would fit my family’s needs better than kayaks would. So last year, I built a SOF canoe to plans I found knocking around on the internet. It was a fantastic first experience, and I learned a ton (details below)

Then Brian released the plans for his 66, and I can’t wait to build a bunch of them. The reasons why the 66 appeals to me are too numerous to list. But nesting four boats on top of my SUV is a big one. Having a small, light boat that my wife can manage on her own to take to the lake for some exercise is another. And this summer, we’re planning to take the family on our first canoe voyage. That means we need boats, and we need them by August.

tl;dr: This is the first canoe I made. It was successful as a learning boat. But for every day use, it’s heavy. Here’s some of the ribbing stage.

I wrapped it in pallet wrap for the test. I actually like the looks of the transparent wrap with the black duct tape. Maybe a future boat would stay white and get a vinyl topside stripe.