East Inlet Pond - Pittsburg, NH

East Inlet Flowage (or Pond) was a side trip (about 15 minutes) from Lake Francis that was downright amazing. We saw 2 adult bald eagles and 1 juvenile eagle. We even saw one threatening a loon and her baby and then watched it swoop down and catch a fish. We saw a river otter, yellow warbler, loons, geese.  This was a long and tiring kayak but mostly because on our way out, the wind picked up and it was head on for the entire trip back to the car.

We explored all of the inlets and coves on the right side of the pond and then found ourselves in the 'inlet' brook. Winding forever (?) we followed this deep channel through scrub, marsh, alder and sedge. It kept going going, and was fun. Never knowing what was around the next corner kept it interesting. This is where we saw the otter and the warbler.  I think that if we had gone early in the day, we had the chance to see moose and more birds. There were a ton of duck boxes and you could tell that this was a great place for photography and wildlife viewing.

A perfect place to spend an entire day, but bring layers (it got chilly) and expect wind in the middle of the day. There is absolutely NO development and occasionally you could hear logging trucks but they weren't offensive.

Lake Francis State Park - Pittsburg, NH

Another great adventure based on the Quiet Water kayaking book. Using one of the recommendations, we traveled 3 hours to Lake Francis State Park in Northern NH. In the town of Pittsburg and along the line of the Connecticut Lakes, we found this awesome lake and state park. Our camping site was right on the water and we could put our kayaks in right from the site. The inlet area of the lake is quiet water and stayed relatively calm despite some high winds.

We kayaked several times on the inlet part but only ventured a tiny bit into the main lake. We saw tons of birds, fish (more on that later), herons, black ducks (and babies), and a deer. Most of that was actually from our campsite, but we did see them from the kayaks also. We also got treated to a great night sky and saw one of the best views we have ever seen of the Milky Way. No light polution.

One cool thing that we saw was this weird thing with fish. There was a part of the lake with some foam and rocks and there were tons of fish swimming close to the top of the water. A huge school. Almost like they were spawning or something. Their fins came out of the water and the water 'boiled' around them. Still trying to figure out what they were but it was really cool.

 This was a great place to stay and a great place to kayak. almost no development and the camps that we saw were set way back from the Lake.

Dead Creek WMA & Shelburne Pond

Epic kayak FAIL today. Decide to drive all the way over to the Dead Creek and we launched and figured out the water was MAX 12" deep. Lots of underwater obstacles (couldn't see them bc the water was so muddy). So, we headed back and the mud was so deep I ended up to my knees in MUCK trying to drag the kayaks out! Yuck. Then we went to Shelburne Pond and found white caps and high winds. So, not much kayaking today! Bummer

Molly Falls Pond

This is the second time that we have kayaked here, but I guess I didn't blog about it the first time. This is a very enjoyable place to kayak on a quiet weekday morning. Evenings or weekends are not great because of the large number of motorized boats and water skiers.

Last time we saw a bald eagle, this time, just a few loons (one with two babies) and an odd bird or two including a favorite Cedar Waxwing. Not much else because of the time of day and the number of people. It is a nice kayak that can be pretty long if you go the entire pond, but we tend to cut off the very end.

Arrowhead Mountain Lake

Being such a big body of water in Chittenden County so close to Lake Champlain, we weren't sure what to expect from this adventure. Little did we know that it would become one of our all-time favorite kayak locations. The put-in was a little ways down Rte 104A off of Exit 18 (I-89) and there was ample parking and it was simple to get our kayaks into the water.

We headed east towards the railroad trestle and crossed the opening to the Lamoille River. The rest of the afternoon was spent lazily paddling/peddling through fresh water marsh, cattails, and other pond vegetation. It was quiet, peaceful and serene.

We saw tons of osprey, including two nests on platforms; seagulls, swallows and kingfishers swooped around searching for lunch. We even saw swallows coming in and out of holes on the bank. Mo almost got a fish in her kayak when a HUGE one jumped right next to her boat!

After watching some huge but beautiful thunderheads roll in, we decided that we should head back in the direction of the car. Once we headed across the river back towards the boat launch we were able to catch the current and the wind and surf our way back quite a distance. 

Look closely, you can see little bluet damselflies! 

Retreat Meadows

We headed to southern Vermont for Du's birthday (camping and kayaking) and spent two nights at Molly Stark State Park in Wilmington. A very nice, small park it was perfect for what we needed and wanted (quiet, close to kayaking).

We drove to Somerset Reservoir (10 miles on a dirt road), but as soon as we got there it rained. So, we didn't end up kayaking but enjoyed a great view and the call of the Loon from the camper.

We did, however, get out on the boats and tackled Retreat Meadows, a small marshy inlet off of the Connecticut River just north of Brattleboro. With the Brattleboro Retreat looming on the southern end, we paddled in and out of the weedy, shallow fingers of the marsh. It was VERY shallow at times, and we even watched a couple in a canoe have to push themselves off of a sand bar.

We navigated through an old bridge piling and onto the Connecticut River to find a place to stop for lunch. After a lunch (awesome sandwiches and pasta salad from the Vermont Country Store (on Rte 9) in Brattleboro, we meandered back to the put-in (on Rte 30).


Not much in the way of wildlife, but we saw an Osprey, a heron, some marsh birds, turtles and Geese.

Peacham Pond

WOW! It has been almost 2 years since I posted the last time and that doesn't seem possible that time has flown by that fast.

Finally got the kayaks out and headed to Peacham Pond.  It was a great day; hot and humid to start, but then the weather started to break, the breeze picked up and it was just perfect. The sun was hot, but the air was just warm.

Peacham Pond is a good place for a relaxing paddle. Lots of homes so not a lot of virgin wilderness, but on a weekday, the boat and people traffic was non-existent so it was a quiet afternoon.

We explored the quiet coves that dot the left side of the pond. Spent about 3 hours paddle slowly and exploring the nooks and crannies. Saw a Gray Jay (first for us) and a HUGE snapping turtle.  We also saw and heard two Loons; one popped up in front of Du's kayak and never moved until she was about 10-12' away from it.

 In every cove there were blue water iris. Very pretty addition to the Pond.

This is a great place for an afternoon kayak. Especially if you get to go to Rainbow Sweets for a snack or meal afterwards!