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| Spirit Falls in November 2006 |
With medical issues and other obligations, my usual circle of paddling friends was not available this morning, but I still wanted to get out early. My first thought was a bike shuttle on the flatwater section of the Quabaug River above Lucy Stone Park, but I decided to save that for another day. Instead I decided to go the Tully Lake.
I did my first trip at Tully Lake in October of 2006. My computer crashed around 2010 and I lost a lot of my early paddling pictures, but surprisingly I still have the pictures from that trip on Tully Lake. Wayne and I scouted during a torrential downpour, but we got some nice pictures at Spirit Falls.
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| Early morning sun at the boat launch |
The next weekend I ran a RICKA trip. We shuttled up to Route 68 and paddled down the Tully River through “beaver-dam-land”. The foliage was beautiful. I’ve thought about running that trip again many times over the years, but hadn’t been back until today.
Tully Lake is a 1,262-acre reservoir and flood control project constructed by the United States Army Corps of Engineers in 1949. The project prevents flooding of the greater Connecticut River and Millers River valleys and provides a variety of recreational opportunities, including a campground operated by The Trustees of Reservations. Tully Lake is an important link in the 22-mile Tully Trail, which I would like to try sometime.
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| Entering the Tully River |
I was on my way early and arrived at the boat launch at the Tully Lake Dam around 7:00. The sun was still low and there was mist rising off the lake. As I launched my boat there was one lone fisherman - no one else in sight.
I headed across the northern shore of Tully Lake past the campground and into the short section of the Tully River that links Tully Lake to Long Pond. There were a few cars in the parking lot at the Canoe Launch, but they must have been hikers since I didn’t see anyone else on the water. I continued to the top of Long Pond, but couldn’t find my way through the weeds to continue up the Tully River.
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| Lower drop at Doane's Falls |
On the way back downstream I stopped at the take out for Spirit Falls. Spirit Falls is part of the Jacob’s Hill Reservation and is a multi-tiered waterfall that tumbles 150 feet down a rocky slope from Little Pond. Unfortunately, in our current drought the waterfall was bone dry.
I continued downstream and stopped at the Canoe Launch to walk over to Doane’s Falls. Unusually when I am in this area it is to paddle the Upper Millers, so the water levels are up. Today the water was low and I was able to walk up the rocks in the middle of Lawrence Brook to take some pictures.
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| Back to the boat launch |
Doane’s Falls is named for Amos Doane who built a large, 4-story mill above the falls in the early 19th century to manufacture doors, sashes, and blinds. Doane’s mill was the last of a series of sawmills, gristmills and fulling mills that stood on this site. Today, only the foundation of Doane’s mill remains.
By the time I got back to Tully Lake the place was mobbed – kayaks everywhere. Apparently there was a meet-up group having a picnic one of the Tully Lake islands – no thanks. I was on my way by 10:30, and home by noon.
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