The Connecticut River in Guildhall, Vermont

Yesterday afternoon was the first time I saw some sunshine since Friday morning, and my friend Matt Devlin joined me for an afternoon paddle on the Connecticut River between Stratford, New Hampshire and Guildhall, Vermont.  This is probably the most meandering part of the entire river as it loops back and forth through bucolic farms bordered by tree covered hills.  The river travels 14 miles while Vermont Route 102 travels the same route in only seven miles.  We saw lots of cows, corn, and silver maples which all seem to love the floodplain of the river.  Some of these floodplains have recently been protected by the Nature Conservancy who plans to restore the floodplain forests that thrived here before they were cleared in the 18^th and 19^th centuries.

Guildhall, VT

Hay field in Maidstone, VT

Matt paddling our canoe on the Maidstone Bend section of the Connecticut River.

Cows on the river bank.

East  Branch of Indian Stream near Pittsburg, NH

For the three and half days before yesterday’s sunshine, I spent a lot of time scouting the area and searching for moose.  I’ve got a lot of good photo ideas waiting for some good light, and I made a few decent shots of streams in hardwood forests.  The fall colors still aren’t peaking, but here in Pittsburg they are getting close (although 40 miles south in Guildhall, fall’s peak is probably still about ten days away.)  The highlight of the weekend was my first ever sighting of a bobcat in the wild.  Matt and I were following a bushwhacking up a stream, when the cat walked down to the stream about 20 yards in front of us. It didn’t seem to see us, as it bent down for a drink of water and then turned around and quickly disappeared back into the woods.  Of course, my camera was packed away in my camera bag with a 16mm lens on it.  There was no chance at all to get it out and ready to shoot before the cat was gone.  Still, it was a very cool experience.

A hawk in the forest east of First Connecticut Lake.

Fogged-in view from Mount Magalloway.

Encouraged by last night’s clear skies, I set my alarm for 5:00 a.m. and planned to hike to the summit of Mt. Magalloway for sunrise, but I awoke to rain showers this morning despite the Weather Channel’s claim that all the rain had cleared out of New England.  I guess the northern tip of New Hampshire has its own secret weather! After climbing to the summit yesterday morning only to stand around in the cold fog for an hour, I opted to write this entry over a cup of coffee and a bowl of cereal instead of repeating that experience.  The weather is supposed to improve this afternoon, but I’m planning on leaving the CT river valley this afternoon to do two days of shooting in Maine’s Moosehead Lake region for the Natural Resources Council of Maine.  I am definitely looking forward to that trip!

An unusual shrine of sorts that Matt and I discovered on Mt. Magalloway.

Matt crossing the Connecticut River at its source, Fourth Connecticut Lake, just south of the New Hampshire/Quebec border.

See you in Greenville...
-Jerry