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Ultralight boats!
Saco River
Last Friday I was invited to spend the day with the members of the Woodsville High School student council, canoeing on the Saco River near North Conway. Three van loads, 15 participants in all, headed out over the Kangamangus Highway early in the morning. Now I truly love kids, but I must be honest and tell you I wasn't expecting the ride to be one of the more enjoyable parts of the day. Mainly because of what music I might have to endure. Having two teenage sons of my own I was prepared for the worst. I now know what my parents had to put up with. To my surprise, Caleb, our DJ, has very good taste. The Beatles, Pink Floyd, CCR, Forest Gump Soundtrack, along with many more. So far, so good!!
Our first stop would be for food at the Dunkin Donuts in Lincoln. A relatively smooth operation other than having Feid embarrass us slightly by ordering only two donut holes after waiting in line for 20 minutes.
Once back on the road, we enjoyed a beautiful drive through the mountains the rest of the way. Our destination was "Saco Valley Canoe" in Fryeburg, ME. Here we rented 4 canoes, 3 single kayaks and two doubles. We loaded up gear, lunches, and plenty of bug juice and were transported to the river. The fog was clearing and the day was shaping up nicely. Our launching point was to be Swan's Falls. From here we would head down stream11 miles to Walker's Bridge.
The Saco River is a beautiful river flowing out of the White Mountains, east into Maine and then the Atlantic. The section around North Conway/Fryeburg is a very popular summer paddling destination. It is slow moving, meandering and almost 100% sand. The few rocks you see are large and do not present any problems at all. There are many, many outfitters and times when you literally cannot get to the water it is so crowded. I personally would try to avoid it during the summer. Today, however, human crowds would not be an issue. The only company we would have would be the bugs. They were out in full force. Looks like it might be a good year for them.
Our friends at Saco Valley quickly unloaded the canoes and gear and promised to meet us at the end. We were off. To my surprise, all headed in the same direction, relatively speaking. As we drifted along I couldn't help but offer a few tips on technique now and then to those willing to listen. Mostly to a couple of young ladies who couldn't quite coordinate their efforts in one of the tandem kayaks.
Shortly into our trip we spotted a young bald eagle. Not long after that there was another. The second one was, we thought, being relentlessly pestered by a smaller bird. We soon came to realize though it was a young eagle getting its first flying lessons. I must say this was a first for me. After an hour or so we took a short break on a wide beach area. Everyone shed some clothing and loaded up on bug dope. A few of the more adventurous soles even took a "short" swim. Partners and craft were shuffled and we were off again.
The day was pretty relaxed and uneventful. No complaints here. We just paddled and drifted along enjoying the company and scenery. There was the occasional sprint race, or splashing frenzy and a few bumper boat battles. To my surprise, only one capsize that went almost totally unnoticed.
At some point early on in the trip I pulled out a huge bag of sunflower seeds and offered them to any takers. At first they were not well received but as the day went along their popularity grew. In particular with Feid. He was quite pleased with himself, mastering the multiple mouthful, crack and eat technique by the end of the trip. In fact, we sent the unfinished bag home with him. Lunch was had at a beach campground site. This place was huge. I cannot imagine being there in the busy season with 500 other campers and paddlers.
The entire trip including break and lunch stops took only 4 hours. We reached Walker's Bridge at approximately 2:30pm. Just as we were pulling the canoes and kayaks ashore, our livery service showed up. Great timing. These guys were really quite good. I would certainly recommend them. (Saco Valley Canoe, 800-447-2460)
After returning to the shop and changing our clothes we headed into North Conway for some shopping and dinner. After that it was time to head home. No reservations about the return ride. The music was great. Added to that we saw two moose and Heather entertained us with a 30 minute laughing attack.
All in all a great day. Thanks for inviting me.
Happy Paddling!!!
Have a question? I'm happy to answer it - just email me at hpcanoes@gmail.com
hpcanoes@gmail.com
603.667.5112
We specialize in ultralight solutions and offer expertise in canoes and Wee Lassie boats, as well as all the related equipment. Our favorites are Wenonah canoes and Wee Lassie boats. Although we will work with any material we like to get folks set up with lightweight canoes so you can dedicate your time to the joy of being out on the lakes and rivers instead of struggling to move your boat between car and water.
Scott Edwards, "Hemlock Pete" himself, offers you decades of paddling expertise. He is friendly, down-to-earth, and provides superior customer service. You won't find a better, or more pleasant, deal elsewhere.