Early morning paddle

Here are some pictures from a foggy early morning paddle trip in Turkey Pond. Hope you enjoy.

Grafton Pond, Grafton, NH

If there is a paddling heaven, then Grafton Pond is certainly in the running for that title. This may be one of the prettiest places to paddle your kayak. There are many nooks and crannies to explore . The lake is approximately 235 acres and over 28 islands. Some of the islands are decent size while others are barely more than a small spit of land with a tree.

Although the AMC calls this a small pond, I did not see anyone else for two hours. After that, it seemed like a kayak club showed up with about 14 kayaks.

Grafton Pond is a natural body of water that has been enlarged by a dam at one end. The water is very clean and the lake is deep in some spots (up to 65 feet) and also has some very shallow areas where you might scape the bottom of your kayak.

There is a dirt boat launch and a port-a potty but no other facilities are available. The majority of the lake is owned by The Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forrest. This means that the lake is undeveloped, with only a couple of discrete houses not to far from the boat launch.

It was not easy getting to this pond. This may owe to the sparsity of people I saw. If it wasn't for my GPS, I don't think I ever would have found it. In fact, even with the GPS, I had to stop once for directions. The best that I can say is get to 4A in Grafton and follow until to Grafton Pond Road. This road will bring you (eventually) to the pond and boat ramp.

So far, this has been my absolute favorite place to paddle. Even though it is over 1 hour from my house, I will go back here again.

I give this place 5 paddles out of 5.( I am going to start to rate the places I go from now on.) If you go to this place, you will not be disappointed. Remember, there are no facilities, nor any stores, bring food and and drinks. Happy paddling!

Turee Pond, Bow, NH

I recently kayaked Turee Pond in Bow, NH. Turee Pond is located directly behind Bow High School. It has good access to the pond from a dirt road. There is a concrete boat ramp, but no other facilities.

There is usually no more than one or two others there, fishing from shore or also out kayaking. Turee is not very developed, but there are several homes off to the left.

You can get to Turkey Pond by following the Turee Brook which empties into Turkey Pond.

However, this route is very overgrown with weeds and the padling is difficult at best. Perhaps in the early Spring when the weeds aren't so thick!

Yes....this is Turkey Pond....Again!

You may notice that I frequent Turkey Pond. That's because it is a mile from my house and big enough to make it worth while to go there. The last time there I caught 5 Perch of varying sizes and one monster Pickerel. I consider Pickerel the Barracudas of fresh water. Truly scary looking fish!

My mother said my pictures were not interesting enough. I try to give a sense of the lake or pond, and am not going for artistic merrit. However, for my mom I will endeavor to make them look better. Hope you enjoy the pictures. The picture of the boat house is from St Paul's School which owns most of the land surrounding Turkey Pond.

Hopkinton Lake again

I went to Hopkinton Lake again today, however, a storm blew in real quick so I left. Good thing too. It was severe lighting. Only spent 1 1/2 hours paddling. I did catch a small Perch and a Large Mouth Bass about 2-3 lbs. Enjoy the photos.

Locke Lake & Half Moon Lake, Barnstead, NH

Today I paddled in Locke Lake & Half Moon Lake which is located in Barnstead, NH. Although it is a nice lake to live on, if you paddle, these two lakes are very boring . There no coves or inlets, nor even streams to explore. I was out there with my friend Steve for two hours, battling 30-40 mph wind gust, which can be fun if you are in the right frame of mind. Of course, a bad day of paddling is still a very good day!

I have attached a link with a map of the two lakes for your convenience.

http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/Fishing/bathy_maps/locke_barnstead.pdf

Hoit Road Marsh, Concord, NH

This morning I paddled Hoit Road Marsh in Concord, New Hampshire. The AMC book Quiet Water New Hampshire & Vermont recommends this as a nice place to paddle. The marsh is maintained by NH Fish & Game and there are no motor boats here at all.

So, with that information, I decided to spend a couple of hours there. I found this to be one of the most uninspired places I have yet to paddle. There were far to many weeds for fishing and barely no nook and crannies to explore. The marsh has a very boring shoreline, without much scenery. Although the marsh is 206 acres, it seemed much smaller due to the inaccessible areas choked with weeds.

On the bright side I saw many Wood Ducks and other duck species, as well as a Blue Heron and a Bald Eagle. Other than this, not much else to see. I would not recommend this place to paddle until you have explored every other place you can.

If you still choose to go there, you can access the pond by taking Rt 93 to exit 17 (Hoit Road) follow Hoit Road east for approximately 2.4 miles. The marsh will be on the left with parking on the right. Other than a nice little sandy put in for the kayak, there were no facilities.

You can access the NH Fish & Game information on this marsh by clicking the link below.

http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/Fishing/bathy_maps/hoit_concord.pdf

Hopkinton Lake, Hopkinton NH

Today I paddled Hopkinton Lake. With it's great scenery and abundant wildlife, and the fact that gas powered motor boats are not allowed in this lake, makes for good paddling. Although the noise from Routes 202 & 89 can be heard, the lake is big enough that you can find solitude if you look for it. Although I encountered several canoes, I still found areas where no one was around.

Since the lake is rather large (roughly 500 acres) and I didn't have a lot of time, I headed for the quieter north east section. This area is accessed by taking a very scenic, narrow channel which is full of downed trees you must navigate around. It felt like I was traveling in a river from Jurassic Park!

You can access the lake by taking exit 5 on Route 89 (Routes 202/9). Take the first right after you cross Hopkinton Lake. The is a boat launch sign. There is a cement boat launch and parking, but no other facilities.

This was a great day and I look forward to going back there soon. I recommend this place highly!

Powder Mill Pond, Hancock, NH

On Labor Day I paddled unspoiled Powder Mill Pond. A few unobtrusive old farms front the western shore. The main drawback: road noise from Route 202, which runs quite close to the pond at the northern end. Since Powder Mill is a public water supply, gasoline-powered motorboats are prohibited, leaving exceptionally clean water. I spent about 4 1/2 hours paddling.

The pond can be accessed by Following Route 202 through Hancock to Forrest Road. Travel about 1 mile to the covered bridge. Put in is right after the bridge.

This lake encompasses 419 acres of empty landscape with a couple of unobtrusive farm houses on the western back of the pond. The average depth is 3 feet and the water is clear. With as much room as there is, it feels as if you are the only one on the pond. Most times you are. I recommend this spot very highly! Clink the link below for more information on Powder Mill Pond.

http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/Fishing/bathy_maps/powdermill_hancock.pdf

New to kayaking

I finally did it. I broke down and bought my first kayak. I purchased the Prodigy Perception 10, which is a very beginner kayak. Although I have enjoyed this kayak, I wish that I had bought something a little better, with more performance. Oh, well, this one will have to do.

This blog will be about my adventures in the kayak and the places, people and things I see along the way. I have been kayaking for two weeks at least 2 hours every day. This past weekend, I was out paddling over 4 hours on two separate days. Boy are my shoulders tired. I did take a rest day today.

I hope you enjoy the blog. Feel free to comment and suggest locations in New England for the kayak.