Day 1 June two

I was so excited and nervous at the same time I could barely stand it. My dear friend Claire brought me to Headwaters of the Androscoggin, in gods country New Hampshire. Just below the Errol dam at my put in white water was waiting.

I was nervous about that part for sure. I haven’t paddled white water in quite a while. I’ve never paddled white water  with a full canoe or solo. Triple Crown fear. Well I said my prayers and off I went.  Without my maps I might add, nor the knee pad I knew I would need figuring I’d be on my knees a lot of this trip. She managed to find me. She’s that good :-)

We get THIS.
We GET this.
WE get this!
Gorgeous pristine waters and landscape. I kept smiling thinking, “this” is the river I grew up on?  I was wowed.




I talked to myself a lot today. Talking my way through class II and III RAPIDS, sometimes picking my way through a boneyard of rocks quite briskly. It was exhilarating!

My niece Christa sent me a text recently and invited me to not fight the river and go with the flow. I heard myself shouting, “OK Christa I’m going with the flow here! 
Quick adjustments, short strong strokes, yipping along. Sliding over and around and into rocks. Descending quickly. It went on and on. It was actually a blast. Right at my edge. I really didn’t want swimming to happen today, then trying to find my gear down stream. No swimming, just shear fun and some nervous laughter.

Found a sweet spot for a nice lunch and my afternoon requirement- cup o joe. Really savored it, smiling.






I am now resting in the most perfect campsite.




Wild life report: 1 bald eagle, a loon showed me her belly like my cat, 2 osprey, 18 geese from Canada, quite a few humans fishing, and a handful of humans camping along the river.  It was nice to see everyone here in the upper Androscoggin region. I was taken by it all. 

I seemed to have paddled over 20 miles today, more than I thought I could. It wasn’t  really me though; very quick water, a steady wind to my back much of the day and many rapids. 

 I had my first portage around Pontook Dam. We’ll leave that as a private experience😶. Let’s just say I learned a lot. And I’m better for it.

All of it.

Until next time
Thanks for reading🤓😍🛶

P.S. I am so grateful for you all supporting this journey and being a part of stewardship for clean water. Thank you 💙🌀🐟

Comments

  1. Kathy in MaineJune 2, 2018 at 6:10 PM

    Yay!!! Love it and you! Claire! Christa! Your Deraspe feet!! Living vicariously 💙

    ReplyDelete
  2. LeeJune 2, 2018 at 10:32 PM

    One down...keep us informed. I understand the feeling of being on the Androscoggin and wondering how it was the same river we knew as kids, I get that when I'm fishing it.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Nicole FrenchJune 3, 2018 at 5:08 AM

    Wow - 20 miles! Yay for swift waters and the letting go to be in the flow. And way to go Claire! That sure is a sweet camping spot...Nice start Jen!

    ReplyDelete
  4. UnknownJune 3, 2018 at 7:48 AM

    That sounds like an amazing start! And the portages will get easier :-) You got THIS!

    ReplyDelete
  5. UnknownJune 3, 2018 at 9:41 AM

    Thank you Jen for taking the time to write about the day. I loved reading it and living your adventure through your words!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Day 3 June 4

Image
A roller coaster day it has been! I knew rain Was coming so I set up the tarp the night before and had everything ready and decided to have some company with a morning fire. It really felt nice to sit there on the river rocks next to the fire mulling over whether or not to stay put. I was taken by these old river rocks. They’ve seen it all. They’ve been through it all over so many generations of life here.  From the Ice Age to this age, I was surrounded by historians and felt their wisdom. Tarpe diem - Latin for way to go jen with the tarp. Seize the tarp!  Suddenly while under said tarp, I got a brilliant idea to call fellow tribe member Cathy DiCocoa who runs Cafe DiCocoa in Bethel, a destination for basically the best coffee and café food around. I call the cafe and she answers. I’m like hey hi it’s JEN I’m upstream it’s raining you got a place I could stay? I could be in Bethel by tonight. She’s like yeah I got a little studio room you could have above the k...
Read more

Day 5 June 6

Image
Hey I lined and paddled up Sunday River this morning! Not the ski resort. It’s a real river offering cold and clear water right into the Androscgoggin. This eagle was resting nearby and  I couldn’t resist a little side exploration.  But, first!  Lest we forget, people are kind and beautiful. These two people exemplify it. Not only did Ed and Cathy let me stay two nights at their place but they fed me and caffeinated me and shuttled me and told me stories and shared their lives with me. And their dogs. If you’re ever traveling through the Bethel area visit them at Cafe DiCocoa. Today I got to meander through quick water, flat water, around islands, through pastoral farmland, under leaning swamp maples, with heron, ducks and their babies, geese and their babies, and Eagles. I could’ve been in Montana or in Canada but no I was traveling through western Maine on a River that at one time nobody got near. I think that’s why it’s nearly completely undevelope...
Read more