Paddling on Squam Lake (Chris Glazner's Photos)

Summary
OwnerMITOC Gallery Administrator
Creation Date2004-09-13 00:00:15 UTC-0400
Description


Paddling on Squam Lake, Intro Circus 2004
Date: September 12, 2004
Location: Squam Lake, Holderness, NH
Leaders: Rick Abott, Greg Wallace
Participants: Chris Glazner,
Summer Austin,
Jean Marie Deux ,
Tyrone Yang ,
Tom Faulkner,
Jon Mapel,
Audrey Lee,
Thomas Gauthier,
Marion Gauthier,
Erika Boeckeler,
Derya Akkaynak,
Patrik Meyer,
Devanie DuFour,
Ching-Yu Hui,
Jose Espinosa,
Gregory Marton,
Orian Regnier


Author: Chris Glazner

Photographer(s): Chris Glazner




Our crew didn't have to leave Camelot until 9, so we were among the last to rise. The problem with this was that all of the other groups, including the Circus ringleader, Max, took off earlier, kicking us out of the cabin and locking up. For those of us planning on sleeping in because we knew we had that luxury (myslef included), this meant no breakfast. That sucked.

We gathered at 9 to get ready to go and count heads, as we knew that it was going to be very tight car wise getting people to the lake. Lo and behold, 4 people and a truck were missing! We couldn't figure out what happened! We hoped that they too had discovered themselves SOL on breakfast, and had run into town to grab a bite to eat. We left them a note on how to get to Squam, and took off (aided by Eric Dill's gracious help transporting a few people before he continued on to climb).

We arrived at the Squam Lakes Association Headquarters just outside Holderness at 10 AM to find Greg and Rick there with a trailer each of canoes and kayaks, as well as our four missing people. Apparently, they got directions from Max and made their own way there. We were very glad to see they made it! To avoid the hassle of dealing with the sketchy MITOC trailer, Greg was able to work a deal with a former employer to rent him a trailer full of canoes for $100 for the whole day. What a great deal! Rick brought up all of our sea kayaks from MIT on his trailer. In total, we had 5 canoes and 7 kayaks, including a double.

After getting ready and getting a bit of overview for first time paddlers, we shoved off into the cove and waited for everyone to get ready and oriented. We then began to paddle out, flotilla style, to the mouth of the cove. Greg, in a canoe with Brian Demsky, set the course for an island up ahead with fabled beaches that we could get out and swim at and have lunch.

About 3/4 of the way there, a small group of boats got a ways ahead of the large pack, so decided to hold up for the others. We came along side each other, and before long, there was talk of taking a swim. Greg took off his PFD and shirt and soon made a spectacular dive into the water from his canoe. Erika soon followed. For some odd reason, they got the idea that they were going to swim the rest of the way. That lasted for maybe a couple hundred yards, before they climbed back in their canoes.

We rounded the island ahead, and eventually found a small cove with a beach that had a rope put up to designate a swimming area. We paddled over to the beach, and many of us hopped out and grabbed a bite to eat or took a nice swim. Rick took this opportunity to give the kayaks a quick freshwater wipedown that they hadn't had in a while. After a little over a half hour, we loaded out boats again and set out sights on another cove across the lake.

After the long paddle there, Greg ran into an old friend on his powerboat anchored in the cove. While they chatted it up a little bit, one of our kayakers accidentally capsized. He didn't have his spray skirt on, so he just made a quick wet exit. Rick came over and taught everyone around how to right a boat, pump it, and climb back in. By this point, we looked at our watches and realized that we needed to get back in.

We were a good ways away from our put in, and the wind was starting to pick up. Poor Chris Brooks had been in a solo canoe all day, and he was getting beat trying to keep up with all of hte kayaks and teams of two. Greg graciously agreed to switch with him, as Greg's a masochist like that. With that, we made it on our way.

We stopped for a breather at a couple of smaller islands just across the way from our first crossing. Greg was gettign mandled by the wind, so Chris Glazner and Summer traded with him for the double kayak, which is much easier to paddle solo than a canoe. With that, order was restored to the universe and we continued paddling in, with a few breaks on the way.

As we neared the mouth of the cove to gather, Brian Demsky wanted to see if he could roll a sea kayak, which he went on to do quite well twice. We then paddled up to the launch, and quickly got our boats out of the way to make room for others on their way in.

Greg had to get the canoes back before the shop closed, so he left a little eariler than the rest, taking a few people who wanted to get back to Boston earlier as well. The rest of us cleaned up, and then headed for a relaxinf dinner at Walter's Basin in downtown Holderness, right on the lake, on Greg's suggestion. It was a nice place. The normal restraunt menu was a bit pricy (wine list, roasted duck....), but they also had a bar menu with more pub-style fare. All in all it was very good, and conversation was great. Oh, Gremio loved his duck.

One carload stayed with Rick on the way back, and helped him unload the kayaks and gear back into the boathouse, concluding a long and excellent day.