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| Woodville Access |
Bill arrived at my house at my house at 6:00 a.m. for the drive up to New Hampshire. We planned to be at the boat launch in Orford, NH by 10:00 a.m. for our next trip on the Connecticut River.
The Connecticut River is the longest river in New England flowing south for approximately 400 miles from the Canadian border through four states before emptying into Long Island Sound. With work and family obligations, its tough for me to do long camping trips, so Bill and I have been doing 3-day trips on the upper Connecticut River. We ran the section from Bloomfield, VT to Lunenburg, VT last fall. In the spring, we ran the section from Canaan, VT to Blooomfield, VT. This trip would be on the section from Woodsville, NH to Orford, NH.
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| Bath-Haverhill Covered Bridge |
When we arrived at the boat launch in Orford (mile 240), Al and Jonathan were already there, and Conrad arrived shortly after. With the crew complete, we consolidated our gear for trip up to Woodsville (mile 268). We put-in at a small beach off Connecticut Street just below the Route 302/Railroad Street Bridge.
Before heading downstream, we paddled upstream to the mouth of the Ammonoosuc River to see the Bath-Haverhill Covered Bridge. Built in 1827, this bridge is the oldest covered bridge in the State of New Hampshire. The bridge was closed in 1999 and restored for foot traffic in 2004. After checking out the bridge, we started our trip downstream.
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| Hartdale Farm |
About 2 miles below the Route 302/Railroad Street Bridge we came to the Howard Island Campsite (mile 265) on the New Hampshire side – a grassy campsite accessible from a cobblestone bank. We continued downstream to our destination for the evening - Harkdale Farm Campsite (mile 259). Hartdale Farm is a wooded site on the VT side. We set up the camp, gathered firewood, and had a nice supper of fried fish and Maine guide potatoes cooked by Jonathan before settling in around the campfire for the night.
We awoke the next morning to drizzle, so I took my tent down early to try to keep it dry. I got the fire lit and the coffee started, and Jonathan prepared a tradition English breakfast with eggs-in-a-hole, sausage and fried tomatoes. After a leisurely breakfast, we packed up and headed out for our 13-mile paddle down to the Underhill Campsite.
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| Paddle the Border Cookout |
After 4-miles we took a break at Bedell Bridge State Park (mile 255) – the site of an old covered bridge. As we continued past the Newbury Boat Launch (beside the Haverhill/Newbury Bridge on the VT side), we noticed lots of kayaks heading downstream. We learned that this was the Paddle the Border event sponsored by the Upper Valley Land Trust, who maintains many of the campsites on the VT side. About 100 participants were headed down to Bugbee Landing for a cookout and music by the Strawberry Farm Band. It sounded good to us, so we joined in.
We paddled past the Vaughan Meadow Campsite (mile 253) – a wooded campsite on the VT side about a mile below the old Bedell Bridge abutment. After another 4-miles we came to the Waits River on river right. We paddled a short way up the Waits River to the Bugbee Landing in Bradford (mile 249). We had our fill of hamburgers, hot dogs and pulled pork, and enjoyed the bluegrass music before heading out again. From there, we had about 4-miles to paddle to the Underhill Campsite. (Camping is also allowed at Bugbee Landing in a mowed area adjacent to the boat launch.)
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| Heading to the Take-out |
The Underhill Campsite (mile 246) is located just west of Piermont Village at the mouth of Eastman Brook. It is a wooded site up a steep bank on the New Hampshire side of the river. We lugged our gear up the stairs and followed our usual routine - set up camp, gather firewood, cook supper (pasta and sauce prepared by Bill), and then gather around the campfire for the night.
We awoke the next day to foggy skies and mist. Once again Jonathan prepared breakfast, and then we packed up for the final leg of our journey. The Connecticut River is not known for its wilderness feel, but this section seemed a little more remote with hemlocks lining the banks in several sections. We also paddled past the steep cliffs of Saywer Mountain and the Palisades in Fairlee, VT before taking out at Orford Boat Launch (mile 240) near the Pastures Campground. The rain started just as we pulled out of the boat launch for the ride home. Perfect timing.
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