14 miles / 23km Perkins Landing, Canada - Clyde Pond, US
Fair and windy
We are up at 4.30am to be ready to present our canoe for a boat wash at 5 am. The official was much more pleasant and friendly this morning, wrote out the certificate and announced that we did not have to pay. It was free for NFCT paddlers.
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It is busy at Perkins Landing with already a queue of motor boats wanting to launch
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We paddled off around 6 am estimating 3 hours for the 18 km to Newport. After ½ hours paddle the wind and waves picked up and it took us a 4 hour hard slog to battle against the southerly wind and partially breaking waves.
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Newport |
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On arrival in Newport we made contact using the phone with US customs. It took 15 minutes of questions and answers and presentation of our passports using the video phone but finally a voice on the other end of the phone announced “you are all set to go”.
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We were happy we had encountered no problems on re-entering the US. It has always been a worry as the information on the website for Newport contradicted the information we were given by the US embassy in Amsterdam.
At the dock in Newport we met up again with thru paddlers Chris Elliot and Meghan. They have been resting here a few days at a friend’s camp and they were now going to do the Clyde as a series of day trips with an empty boat. As we carried our packs this afternoon up the portage road to Clyde pond we were slightly jealous. They also explained that they were so far ahead having skipped from Bakers Acres to North Hero Campground and then also avoided Lake Memphremagog using shuttles by family members.
After having formally reentered the US, we drank some coffee and made a grocery shopping list. We were disappointed that the food coop in Newport had hardly any dried vegetarian food. There was a large choice if you have a fridge or a freezer but not of food suitable for canoeing and backpacking in the heat.
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Newport |
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We paddled to the Clyde river and soon we had to get out and walk the steep road up to Clyde Pond.
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Clyde river just past Newport |
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The campsite at Clyde pond was occupied with some day visitors so we first paddled up to the section of the Clyde river flowing into the lake and inspected the first grade II boulder garden. We have decided to try the river route tomorrow up to Salem Pond. If it gets too difficult we can always turn around and enjoy a downstream paddle and take to the road.
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Inspecting the outflow of the Clyde river into Clyde pond |
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We are now settled at the Clyde Pond campsite, a nice location but a little dirty and trashed with litter. Geoff managed to put his shoe into some human waste.
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Campsite at Clyde Pond |
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Clyde Pond |
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