With work and family, it’s tough for me to get away to do long camping trips. Instead, I have been doing more 3-day, long-weekend trips. One of the perfect rivers for those types of trips is the Connecticut River – especially the sections that form the border between New Hampshire and Vermont. It’s not too far away (at least for me in RI), the river is pretty (but not exactly wilderness), and there are lots of well-maintained campsites. Last fall we ran the section from Bloomfield, VT to Lunenburg, VT; last spring we ran the section from Canaan, VT to Blooomfield, VT; and just last week I ran the 30-mile section from Woodsville, NH to Orford, NH.
We put-in Saturday morning and took-out Monday afternoon. It was mostly cloudy which muted the beautiful foliage, but it didn’t rain and there was no wind which can be a real problem on some of the bigger sections of the Connecticut River. On Sunday we got to enjoy a cookout and concert on the river by one of the watershed associations. Always a good time. Video here (great paddling song by Jerry Vandiver):
You can read the complete trip report here:
http://eckilson.blogspot.com/2018/10/upper-connecticut-river-woodville-to.html
Pictures here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/eckilson/albums/72157702002206244
There is great information on camping on the Connecticut River at the Connecticut River Paddlers Trail site:
http://connecticutriverpaddlerstrail.org/