Saugatuck River, Westport, June 10, 2007

Jean Trapani, leader. We had a successful first sea-kayak trip of the season. It rained before we put in and later in the day but not while on the water. There were five of us. We put in under the I-95 bridge on the Saugatuck River in Westport, paddled out into the harbor, and around Bluff Point. We explored Bermuda Lagoon and circumnavigated Sprite Island before returning. The wind picked up on the return and we had to push against a head wind outside the harbor. Notable birds included 2 black-crowned night herons and a little blue heron, in addition to the usual gulls and egrets.

Great Island, Old Lyme, August 5, 2007

Robert White, leader, Barry Gorfain and Jean Trapani, co-leaders. We had a beautiful summer day, no clouds, a 5 knot wind from the west. We had 10 boats and 3 wet-exits. Putting in at the Great Island boat launch, we paddled down the Connecticut River, around Griswald Point and east along the shore. We stopped at the beach for a brief break and then returned.

Timble Islands, Branford, August 19, 2007

Robert White, leader, Barry Gorfain and Jean Trapani, co-leaders. We had 13 boats and 3 wet exits. The weather was great, warm, very little wind, flat seas. We put-in at the Stony Creek launch and proceeded clockwise around the islands. We stopped at Outer Island for an hour to visit and explore. We returned to Stony Creek by 1 PM.

Algonquin Wilderness Canoe Trip August 29 - September 3, 2007

August 29, 2007 Arrival
Charlotte and I had traveled up to Vermont the night before to stay with relatives. Today we drove from Vermont through Montreal and Ottawa through the park to Huntsville. There was an intense rain storm for an hour just before the park, actually bringing down a tree across the road. We wondered what that meant for the weather for the trip. We stopped briefly at the Visitor's Center and had dinner in Huntsville before going to the motel. It had not been possible to arrange car pooling (cars coming from different locations, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts, leaving and returning on different days, one participant flew to Ottawa and rented a car). 2 of the participants were driving alone (600+ miles) and had a long trip. Everyone made it.

August 30, 2007 Day One
The group assembled at 8 AM at the put-in on Canoe Lake for breakfast. Everyone arrived on time. We had introductions and talked about the trip and procedures. The two rented canoes were picked up, we loaded up and were off by 10 AM. The weather was clear and warm as it was throughout the trip. There was a moderate headwind most of the first day. We had 4 canoes, 2 canoes with experienced couples, 1 canoe with 2 women who didn't know each other and one man in a single canoe. The day went quite smoothly. We paddled up the length of Canoe Lake and had our first portage (295 m) into Joe Lake. Halfway up Canoe Lake, we stopped to see the memorial totem pole erected where Tom Thomson (a famous modern Canadian painter) had drowned under mysterious circumstances. We saw a female Merganser and her chicks. The portage was flat and deceptively easy. On Joe Lake, we took the island on the left passage, then north into Tepee Lake, up a long channel to Fawn Lake, and into Littledoe Lake. Taking a left channel, we found a beaver dam that had to be lifted over. That brought us to Tom Thomson Lake where we found a beautiful flat campsite on an island. It was now apparent that each canoe had a different rate of paddling. The younger experienced couple was fastest and was quite self-sufficient. We generally allowed them to proceed ahead as scouts. The single canoeist was slowest but had a steady endurance. We all stayed in eyeball distance. There were loons on all the lakes. Dinner that night was fresh steak, with onions and peppers, and rice. One man slept in a hammock and the others slept in 4 tents. We had fun trying to throw a rope over a tree branch using a weighted water belt, where the food was hung from a tree successfully.

August 31, 2007, Day Two
Waking up in the early morning, there was a mist on the lake that gradually lifted. We had a leisurely breakfast of oatmeal, oranges eggs and bacon. After cleaning up and packing up, we got off by 10 AM (similar pattern each morning). This was a different day, full of portages and short paddles. Other difficulties became apparent. Only 3 of the participants had packed correctly with one large backpack. There was too much loose stuff and extra equipment (a folding chair, extra mattresses, a pail with rope and stoves, etc.). Only two of the pairs could carry their own canoe consistently. This meant extra work on the portages and the strongest pair doing extra work carrying canoes and extra baggage. In addition, the leaders had packed all the food in 2 large bags that had to be carried separately. One pair carried their canoe upright with their arms, which was very inefficient. In spite of this, we managed to make only 2 trips on each portage and everyone worked hard to their abilities. From Tom Thomson Lake, we paddled into Barnett Lake and had our first portage (470 m) into a boggy pond. There was a passage through the bog and mud and we made it half poling and half paddling. All of the portages this day were on rooted and rocky trails with some up and down. The next portage was 130 m. into Willow Lake where we had lunch. The salami, cheese and apples was a great hit and the peanut butter and jelly was not. Power bars were appreciated. We saw a raptor and a great blue heron. After lunch, we made a long (670 m.) portage that had some steep stretches into Sunbeam Lake, where we camped for the night. Several of us had a refreshing swim. Dinner was a sauce of dried tomatoes, dried hamburger, Italian spices, onions and garlic with pasta, very good.

September 1, 2007 Day Three
Similar to yesterday, this was another day of mostly portages and short paddles, with similar problems. Breakfast was oatmeal, and pancakes. We portaged 390 m. into Treefrog Lake, 110 m. into Jay Lake, 495 m. into an unnamed pond, and 680 m. into Burnt Island Lake. Charlotte and I found a swimming snake on Jay Lake. The last portage was mostly downhill, which made it much easier. Burnt Island Lake is large and beautiful. There was no wind. Our scouts found us a nice campsite on a point. We were all mystified that we couldn't find the latrine but didn't give it much thought. After lunch, everyone relaxed, some went swimming and several went off in canoes to explore the lake. Charlotte and I set out to photograph loons and had a nice leisurely paddle. When we returned, there were 2 rangers in a motorboat. They were looking for some illegal fishermen but told us we were not in an approved site. None of us had noticed that there was no orange campsite marker. Now we understood why there was no latrine. So we had to move. While everyone took down tents, the leaders went off to find a new campsite. By this time, most were taken but we found an empty site at the end of a nearby bay and we all moved there. It was darker but adequate. Dinner was a chicken curry with mushrooms, dried broccoli, spices and rice. Excellent.

September 2, 2007 Day Four
Breakfast was oatmeal and cinnamon apple burritos. Leaving at our usual 10 AM, we faced a moderate headwind going down Burnt Island Lake to the dam and portage (200 m.) over to Baby Joe Lake. At the outlet of Baby Joe Lake, there was a 10 m. class II drop into Lost Joe Lake, which we all enjoyed running. Out of Lost Joe Lake, there were intermittent class I rapids with some quick turns around bends in the river. Once on Little Joe Lake, the headwind picked up and it was a hard paddle. It was choppy but mostly just hard moving ahead. From Little Joe Lake, we paddled into Joe Lake and the same 295 m. portage we had going out. From the top of Canoe Lake, it was a long hard paddle down to the finish. We started off together but soon got separated as we each struggled with the wind. The leaders pushed ahead with the lead group and lost sight of the last 2 boats, in retrospect a mistake. We were too preoccupied with getting back. The last 2 boats stayed together and arrived about 20 minutes after the first 2 boats. After unloading, one of the participants found that her car battery was dead. Luckily, she had jumper cables and we were able to get her started. We arrived at our campsite for the night in Canisbay Lake around 4 PM. There was some confusion as to whether the campsite had showers, so 2 participants had showers at the campground and the others went to the Portage Store for showers. We all arrived for dinner at Arowhon Pines Lodge on Joe Lake at 6:30 PM. It was a lovely meal, with a table of appetizers, juices and salads, 3 choices of an entree and a dessert table. We had a bottle of wine. The leaders handed out captains awards to each of the participants, giving left over trip food as prizes. It was a fitting end to the trip.

September 3, 2007 Leaving
Most of the participants packed up early and were off for home. The single canoeist was staying in Ontario to meet some friends for sea kayaking in Georgian Bay on Lake Huron.
Robert White

Fisher's Island Sound, Groton, September 16, 2007

Leader Barry Gorfain, co-leader Robert White. The day was sunny and clear but the forecast was for 5-10 knot winds from the North. However, the winds were more moderate with less than 1 foot seas. We had 7 boats. We left from Groton Long Point at 10 AM and made the passage to Fisher's lsland in less than an hour. We ended up in Pirate's Cove on Fisher's Island where we had a break. The trip back was longer with a headwind. We estimated the trip at 9+ miles. Notable birds included 2 American Oystercatchers, 3-4 Laughing gulls, a Green Heron and a Kingfisher.