Connecticut River Camping

I missed all the big camping trips this year, but I finally got out for a long weekend on the Connecticut River. We did the section of the Upper Connecticut from Bloomfield, VT (North Stratford, NH) to Lunenburg, VT (South Lancaster, NH) - about 41 miles. We had rain at least part of all three days, but the nights were dry. The foliage was nice even with the rain. Great trip - few pictures here:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/eckilson/albums/72157687131089020

The longer trip report is here:

https://eckilson.blogspot.com/2017/10/upper-connecticut-river-october-6-9-2017.html

Breakfast

The 3 minute version…

Camping on the Upper Connecticut from Erik Eckilson on Vimeo.

The song is “In the Rain” by Jerry Vandiver - the best paddling songs.
http://www.jerryvandiver.com/Store.html

Beautiful time of year to be on the river. Enjoyed the show, and the music fit very well. Thanks for taking the time.

So that’s what fall looks like. Often our leaves are just brown and down.
I wondered where all that gear went when I saw the campsite photos.
Very nice report.

The leaves were beautiful when the sun was out. Unfortunately, we had a lot of cloudy skies and rain during the day. The nights were dry, so I’ll take it.

Tommy and Mena packed light, and so did Bill, but I brought a lot of gear. I figured that it all fit in my solo boat, so it should easily fit in a tandem - not so much. I brought my dutch oven, though, and it was nice to have snacks at night.

I’d love to do the section above where we were sometime. Not sure how the campsites line up though.

Lovely video. Makes me think about giving up creature comforts and investing in a tent. Nice music, too. Thanks.

Camping is great - I sleep later camping than I do at home.

I too love camping. There are some great compact light weight cots, and sleeping pads for back packing that I use, and hammocks for warm weather.

I have a thin closed-cell foam pad and an old self inflating Therm-a-Rest pad that work fine for me. I can roll them up together and they don’t take up too much room. I’ve tried some of the newer pads, and they either pop after a couple of uses, or I roll off them in the night and end up on the ground. Never tried a cot.

What I would like to find is a chair that is small and sturdy enough to hold up to my 225 pounds. I have purchased and broken a bunch of them. I end up bringing a folding chair that folds up into a long bag, but they are not comfortable, and a pain to fit in the boat.

Nice. A multiple day kayak camping/fishing trip down the Ct River has been long on my outdoor to-do list. Have not found the time/energy to do the research on campsites on the river. Is there a resource guide you can point me to?

TIA

sing

Yes - CT River Paddlers Trail

http://connecticutriverpaddlerstrail.org

Here’s what we did:

Put-in - Debanville Landing - mile 348
First night - Samuel Benton Campsite -mile 334
Second night - South Guildhall Campsite - mile 317
Take out - Mount Orne Covered Bridge - mile 307

They also have some preplanned trips:

http://www.connecticutriverpaddlerstrail.org/crpt7/recommended-trips

Lots of options, but some of the campsites are more rustic than others.

Excellent. Thanks! Perhaps the trip for next fall with my college roommate. We are talking/planning a week long adventure marking our 40th year as friends.

sing

I was pleasantly surprised. It is not wilderness by any means (the second night we could see the farmer’s house on the other side of the field), but its an easy paddle, campsites are nice, portages (if any) are short, and the scenery where we were was great.

Looks like a nice trip. I’ve never considered it because I didn’t realize you could camp along the way. I usually do Adirondack riivers like the Oswegatchie or the Raquette. This looks like a nice change

cool

Its not the Adirondacks, but definitely worth trying.

@castoff said:
I too love camping. There are some great compact light weight cots, and sleeping pads for back packing that I use, and hammocks for warm weather.

Not to mention your trailer.

@string said:
Not to mention your trailer.

:wink: