All posts by Warren

Greenwood Pond

December 9, 2013LakeKingstonWarren

Date traveled – April 20, 2012
length of trip – 1.2 miles
weather -Partly cloudy, about 60 degrees.
Time on the water-30 minutes

I started kayaking that day knowing that I was going to kayak on 2 ponds that day. That was Greenwood pond and Great pond. Both ponds are next to one another. I went to Greenwood pond first. My intention is to go to Greenwood pond first. I did not know where to launch the boat. I traveled up and down different side roads trying to find it. A friendly woman came out of the house and asked me why I was going up and down the roads. I told her and she took pity on me and allowed me to cut through her property. I did and launch the boat.

As I went around the pond, I saw evidence of fish. There was lots of small fish – Too small to identify. I know where there are small fish, there are bigger fish. I also saw a blue heron and other birds there. The other thing that I saw was a boat launching sight. It was at the end of an alley behind a church. It was hard to find driving around but easy to see from the lake. This lake although small was a great lake to go kayaking because of the wildlife and the amount of area not built up.

After I went around the lake I went to the house whose family let me put the boat in. I said my goodbyes and thank them. I then went to Great Pond to continue my adventure. I could not find the pictures that I took that day. I might have to travel that lake again.

Great Pond

November 30, 2013LakeKingstonWarren

Date traveled – April 20, 2012
length of trip – 2.0 miles
weather -Partly cloudy, about 60 degrees.
Time on the water-44 minutes

It was time to start a new season kayaking. I had just spent the last two hours kayaking Greenwood pond. Great pond was only a few mile away and it seemed like a good place to complement the day. Most people know this lake as the lake Kingston State park is on. I have kayaked this pond before letting my kayak in at the state park. This called for carrying the kayak a good 75 yards from the parking lot to the water. I did this when the park was open but not collecting entrance fees yet. This time I went to the southern part of the lake. Here they had a landing place where one can drive the car up to the water and park close by. That is what I did. The water was calm.

As I went around the lake I notice that the houses here upscale. in between the houses were a number of camps. Beside the state park I remember seeing 3 camps with beaches docks etc.. The houses were good size. There was two 3 story houses with a walkway between the two houses. I did not see much wildlife. Just a few birds.

There was an eventful time. As I reached the northern part of the lake the wind picked up from the south. The waves picked up and was large enough that water from the waves were close to entering the boat. I realize that I must quickly get back to my car before the wind pick up any more and swamp my kayak. As I got closer to the car the waves got smaller so the worry about the kayak filling up with water went away. As I was nearing the end my arms felt tired from spending the last half hour going against the wind.

All in all it was a good day kayaking. I took some pictures and could not find them. I might go around the lake again taking a new set of pictures. I will do that gladly.

Gilmore park

November 3, 2013Hybrid (river and lake)ExeterWarren

Date traveled – August 11, 2011
length of trip – 7.4 miles
weather – sunny, about 70 degrees.
Time on the water-2 hours 47 minutes

Gilmore park in Exeter is a good place for a picnic, a walk in the woods, a baseball game and more. There is two 16th century cannons owned by the federal government and lent to Exeter. It also has a place where one can launch their boat on the Exeter river. Looking back I would have taken my GPS equipment with me for there is about a dozen geocache sites that can only be reached from the water. I launched the boat and went to the town. I could only go as far as the bridge for route 111. The dam leading to squamscot river was immediately downstream of the bridge and getting caught up by the current to the dam would have been disastrous. From there I went upstream exploring as many inlets as I could. I went under a foot bridge that Phillip Exeter students use to cross the river. There were many turtles along the shore sunning themselves on rocks and logs. They say there are fish there. I saw no evidence. There was an unusual looking rock. When I poked at it, I found that it was a snapping turtle floating in the water and sunning itself. On the other side , there was a rope hanging from a tree where people swung and jumped into the water.The journey began with the river being wide and stayed wide until the first right and then became narrow. At that turn straight ahead is a swamp. Going up the river there was a campground on the left. I could smell the campfires. I finally reached the end at a fallen tree going across the river. I could have made landfall and went around the tree. I was ready to go back. There is a place I can get into the water upstream to continue my journey. I turned around and finally made it back. I totally enjoyed the trip.

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Colcord pond

October 6, 2013LakeExeterWarren

Date traveled – October 3, 2013
length of trip – 1.1 miles
weather – cloudy, little breeze, about 60 degrees. Evening sun was going down
Time on the water- .5 hours

This is only a small pond in Exeter NH, fairly close to the center of town. Documentation says that the average depth is between 2 and 7 feet. It is more of a fishing area than a place to go boating. I had a busy day and wasn’t able to start until late afternoon. This is a small pond created by a dam on Little river. I did not know how small it was until I kayaked the pond. For a small pond I saw a number of ducks (about 20 – 30). When I got there was a parking lot next to the park. I needed to carry the kayak across the street. The bridge look too small to go under. There was very little lake on the parking lot side. I cross the road and put the kayak into the water. It was a very relaxing and uneventful trip. I saw a number of ducks and places where I disturbed the fish by the surface water motion. There were houses on both sides. I did not see as many weeds as I expected. Usually this late in the season when the water is warm and somewhat stagnate due to the lack of rain. This creates perfect conditions for the weeds to grow and overrun the pond. I finish the trip. I took the kayak out of the water and brought it back to the truck. It was a short and enjoyable time.

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Kayaking in the marshland in Hampton

September 27, 2013MarshlandHamptonWarren

<li>Date traveled – Sept 20, 2013</li>
<li>length of trip – 7.1 miles</li>
<li>weather – clear, little breeze, about 70 degrees</li>
<li>Time on the water- 2.5 hours

This is a trip that I have been hoping to take for a long time. Usually the parking is full. There is only enough parking for a few cars. Thousands of cars drive past the drop in point on a summer day. It is located on route 101 just before reaching the beach. Today there were no other cars. I drove past the memorial for the Hampton marshland and parked as far from the water as possible. The tide was still coming in and it was full moon which meant higher than normal high tide. I put the kayak in the water and decided to go where the current was taking me. Because the tide was still coming in the flow was away from the harbor.

I went into the area between route 101 and Winnacunnet rd. I was going in and out the different water inlets. There were birds all around me. Some of the birds I could not identify. I did recognize blue herons, egrets, ducks, Black Scoter , the illustrious seagull, and other birds that I could not recognize. The birds seem scared of my red kayak (red in the animal kingdom means danger). The tide started going out and I was rowing against the current. As I was closer to Winnacunnet Rd. the current got stronger. I did not know there was a place for water to go out into the ocean on this side of the marshland. (opposite side away from the harbor). It was strenuous going against the current. I finally got to the point where I was rowing with the current. I got to where the car was but decided to go further to the harbor. The current became stronger as I near the harbor. I felt that I was being pulled in. I did not want to go into the harbor. I rowed back to the car after one small detour. As I saw the car I was glad that I parked where I did. The rocks indicated the level of the water at high tide stopped short by about 6 inches before the water would have approached the car. My arms were feeling it when I went ashore. Like normal I felt like I just felt satisfied.

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Marshland Kayaking in Seabrook

September 9, 2013MarshlandSeabrookWarren

Date traveled – September 4, 2013
length of trip – 4.6 miles
weather – slight overcast, little breeze
Time on the water- 2 hours

I had a late start that day. I was trying to figure out where to go. I have been kayaking for over two years here and still so many places to try. The decision was made to go to Seabrook at the end of Farm lane. It was past high tide, but this has a fairly deep channel. When I got there it was beautiful. I saw fields of marshland grass. In the background was Hampton harbor with the Route 1A bridge.

I launched the boat. Because the tide was going out, the current was dragging me to Hampton harbor. I took a left instead to go up one of the channels. There was a blue heron. They are magnificent looking birds. There on the left I saw a electric line pole. An Eagle was on top of it. I could not see what kind of eagle. After going past the pole I continued up the channel for the longest time. I took side channels to explore whenever possible. There was a number of birds all around. The birds includes other blue herons, sea ducks, terns, sparrows, seagulls, cormorants, etc… I also saw a number of small fish in the water. The channel in many places went as narrow as 10 feet wide. I felt as if I was taking an African safari with the narrow channel and the grass on both sides of me along with the birds. Ungowa. I came upon a bridge and easily went under it. There on the left was the Seabrook elementary school. The water channel continued on. I reached another bridge when the water became too shallow to continue. I turned around and headed back. The tide that was fighting me is now helping me go back. This allowed me to enjoy the scenery more, going fast enough only as needed to steer. As I entered the more open water, I realized that I was lost. The grass was tall enough to block my view. I remember some of the landmarks U saw when I started and followed them back. I finally came back to where I started. Click the mouse on the pictures below to see a close-up

Kayak through the upper portion of the Taylor River

August 17, 2013Hybrid (river and lake)HamptonWarren

Date traveled – July 4, 2011
length of trip – 1.9 niles
weather – slight overcast, little breeze
Time on the water- 50 minutes
Kayak trip looking from above

I found a place to park on Towle Farm road. The kayak had to be carried through the woods and down an embankment. I got into the kayak and pushed off. The water was calm. It seemed so peaceful. I was taking my time. First I went up the river. The river was lined by trees on both sides. No houses could be seen. On my left was a rope swing for people to swing in the water. I went as far as I could (which was about 1/4 mile) and turned around. I

went under the Towle Farm road bridge. The lake continued. There was still heavy woods on both sides of me. However in between the trees there was homes. I continued and turned to the left. On the right of me was a field lined with trees. On the left was a cove with fisherman boating. It wasn’t long until I saw Route 95. I knew that was the end. There is a dam right before the highway. I watch the traffic for a while and then turned around back to the car. The pictures below shows the kayak going over the water, Geese along the water bank, launching the boat, rope to jump in the water, statue on a lawn. When I got back I felt that I had a most enjoyable time. However bringing the kayak up the banking was not as easy as bringing down.

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