17.7 miles to Wethersfield Cove Boat Launch

The camp spot on King Island is lovely. It is maintained by the Appalachian Mountain Club with funding from REI. It has two large tent platforms, plenty of flat places for a tent like mine and another great moldering privy. But what I really found spectacular were the trees. There were some huge oak trees and the largest, healthiest beech trees I had seen in a long time.

Millions of beech trees in New England have been killed by beech bark disease. https://ag.umass.edu/landscape/fact-sheets/beech-bark-disease And now this majestic tree, which provides food for many animals, is dying from yet another disease. Beech Leaf Disease is still poorly understood. But what is known about this new malady is alarming. It is fast moving and deadly to beech trees of all sizes. https://www.science.org/content/article/beech-leaf-disease-ravaging-north-american-trees I hoped the trees on this island would be safe for years to come, although I knew that even birds could bring disease to an island.

It was 28.3 miles to next campsite. I knew I could go that distance in one day, but I really did not want to. Plus there were thunderstorms in the forecast. I don’t mind paddling in a light rain. It is a relief from the blinding, incessant rays of the sun reflecting off the water. But thunderstorms are another thing. Four times during my hike of the Continental Divide Trail I found my hair standing on end when thunderstorms raged around me while I was at high altitude. I was once with someone who lost his big toes because he was standing in a small stream that got hit by lightning. I had no desire to be near water when electricity from these powerful storms was nearby.

It was getting harder to find a place to camp anywhere along the river. Poison ivy was thick, and the vegetation was dense. Plus I would be paddling through some large cities, including Hartford, Connecticut. I don’t mind setting up camp along some rural road when I have to. I am less thrilled with camping in the midst of the city. I reminded myself to trust that I would figure something out before nightfall.

I still had a few more miles of the Enfield rapids to navigate. The shallow water meant I kept getting hung up on rocks. A few times I got out of my boat and pushed her along. I was grateful whenever I was able to navigate my way through the rocky course without getting out. Getting in and out of the boat and pushing her was taking a toll on my injured side muscle. At least nothing was as scary as it had been the day before.

I breathed a sigh of relief when I finally passed out of the rapids into calmer water. But now I had a new challenge to navigate. On the shallow bottom of the river I saw what seemed like a hundred discarded tires of all sizes, including some large tractor-sized ones. I got hung up twice on this trash in the river. I wondered if the quantity was a result of some flood event or if people really had thrown that many away in one area.

One benefit of the shallow water was that there were no motor boats to contend with. I enjoyed the peacefulness even though I had to stay alert, constantly looking for the thalweg, which is the deepest portion of the river.

The river widened and deepened as it passed through Windsor CT and neared Hartford. The wind picked up and I really had to fight against it. White capped waves were crashing over my bow and leaving quarts of water on my spray skirt. I wondered if I was beginning to feel some tidal effects. It was about the time for the tide to be switching and coming in. The strongest pulls are when the tide switches and I figured if I was going to feel it this far upriver, that would be the time. I felt really tiny in my boat as the river widened and the waves crashed over me.

I pondered some of the different types of waves there are. There were tidal ones and ones caused by wind. Wakes from boats varied depending on the type, speed and size of the boat and motor. Currents from incoming side rivers sometimes caused squirrely waves. Obstacles in the water caused yet other types of waves. Learning to read these gave me a sense of intimacy with the river. It was like learning to read the moods of people I knew well.

By mid morning it had begun to drizzle. At times I was paddling in full on rain. But with the waves crashing over my bow I wasn’t sure the rain was making me any wetter.

There was a break in the rain just about the time Hartford rose from the banks of the river. I passed under this busy metropolis and pulled my phone out to see if I could find a place for the night. I noticed a small cove about four miles distant. There was a phone number listed so I called it.

Kathy turned out to be an angel. Wethersfield Cove is part of a town park and she told me I was welcome to spend the night there. She told me what to look for and the best area to set up my tent. As we hung up she told me if I called when I arrived she would come down to meet me. I hung up touched and amazed that this local town park was willing to let me camp for the night. I thought of towns along the Continental Divide Trail that had let me do the same thing. I wondered if the local parks in my home state of Vermont would allow travelers like me to camp for a night.

The rain came down harder as I plied those last four miles of the day. I was so relieved at having a place to stay that I did not care how wet I got. As long as I kept moving I stayed warm enough. I was sure my gear was staying dry and knew I would be dry in my tent. I just wanted to make it to Wethersfield Cove before the predicted thunder storms hit. I became more eager to arrive after I heard a loud crash off to my right. I heard the unmistakable sound of a tree breaking and falling. I was completely unprepared to have it fall in the river just in front of me. Startled does not begin to describe how I felt. I knew I had just escaped another close call.

With some new found energy I made those last miles four miles in a bit over an hour. The rain let up as I pulled in making it easier for me to pull out my phone. I called Kathy to let her know I had arrived. Soon I was greeted by a wonderful welcoming committee. Kathy, Rachel and Cathy came down to greet me, honoring me with a gift of a shirt and hat emblazoned with the park’s logo. We shared a lovely conversation before they headed back to their office.

I put Jenny onto her wheels and pulled her up the ramp to a nice spot to settle for the night. I set up camp and changed into my new, dry shirt. I debated about walking into town. But the rain was coming down hard again and even though it was on the early side I was ready to call it a night. I cooked two of the dinners I had with me and crawled into my tent. I was glad to be ensconced in the tent when the booming thunder storms arrived. I drifted off to sleep while watching the lightening flashing around my tent.