Category Archives: Lake

Kayaking on Blackwater River

February 24, 2016LakeWarren

72715blackwater

Date traveled – August 27, 2015
length of trip – 5.3 miles
weather – windy, about 80 degrees, high level clouds
Time on the water- 2.5 hours

It was late morning. I had wanted to get there earlier but life got in the way. The best time to get there is about an hour before high tide and it was already high tide. Most of the tidal waters are navigable for at least 3 hours before and after high tide so I started.

There was a good place to park along route 1A on the Seabrook side of the channel. I let in the kayak there and took off. I went up the river. It was beautiful. I saw some majestic houses to my left. On the other side of the channel I saw grassy marshland full of Red-wing blackbirds, herons and other birds. It was a nice trip. I had the channel to myself.

Soon there was a choice of whether to go to the left or right. I wanted to go to Browns restaurant. I took a right. Wrong choice. It was a scenic trip and enjoyed it. I went to as far as I could go which was Route 286 and turned around. When I got back to the fork I went the other was. Soon I got to Browns and I could hear the loudspeaker yell out “Order 86 is ready for pick up.” I continued on and saw under the bridge where it was too shallow. Even when the tide was at it’s extreme height it would still be too shallow.

I headed back to the car. It was easy since I was going with the flow of the tide. At the entrance of the river I hit a submerged object. It was metal. It look like a runner that is used to drag the larger boat out of the water. I backed up and went around. I then concluded the trip at the same location I started out. I had a good time.

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DSCF0642 — Open water prior to going into the marshland

DSCF0645 — One of the homes adjacent to Hampton Harbor

Kayaking on Lake Pawtuckaway

September 19, 2015LakeNottinghamWarren

Date traveled – August 6, 2015
length of trip – 5.1 miles
weather – some wind, about 75 degrees no clouds
Time on the water- 2.5 hours

I have been wanting to kayak on this lake for a while. At first I thought that I would have to enter the park through the main entrance. The main entrance is on the south end of the lake. Through some investigation I found a simpler and more direct route to the lake on the northern end. I needed to go past the entrance to Nottingham town beach.

When I entered the parking lot there was not only a ramp to easily place the boat into the lake but there was a well maintained trail that led to the system of trails that the park has to offer. Only problem with this trail that although well maintained it leads one through a lot of marshland. So bring powerful insect repellent.

There is also an outhouse there at the parking lot.

Before I put the kayak in the water there was someone to inspect all boats for foreign vegetation. I was glad to do this. I have been on lakes that have been overrun by plants. It makes boating much more difficult. He said he had already found a few of those plants already that day. After inspection I was given the approval to enter.

I was with my brother-in-law that day and we were both anticipating a great time kayaking and we weren’t dissapointed.

Stonehouse pond

September 2, 2014LakeBarringtonWarren

Date traveled – August 29, 2014
length of trip – 1 mile
weather – slight overcast, strong breeze
Time on the water- 30 minutes

I was out exploring for a place to let in my kayak. I tried the Isinglass river but the water level was too low. I tried a few small lakes close by. All was unsuccessful. So I explored. I found a road where the map showed where there was no road. I did find a launch that the map showed was in the middle of the woods at the end of a road that allows only one car moving down the road at one time unless one of the car pulled off to the side of the road. The road was about a mile long.

When I got to the end I saw a small pond with hikers and people on a nearby rock having lunch. There was not a single house on the pond. On the other side of the pond was people doing rock climbing. I put the kayak in the water after carrying it only 50 feet.

The water looked clear and felt warm. I took the kayak around the lake. It was short but one of the nicer excursions in the kayak. When I got back it was nice. I asked local people people if there was fishing and they said there was some fly fishing. It was a great time in the wilderness.

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Getting ready for the trip

Kayaking down the Hampton River

August 19, 2014LakeWarren

4112011hamptongoogle — Trip as seen in Google maps

Date traveled – April 11, 2011
length of trip – 3.8 miles roundtrip
weather – slight overcast, little breeze
Time on the water- 2 hours

It was the start of a new season for kayaking. It was my second year with the kayak. This winter a decision was made to start documenting my trips. It would not only be for me but other people who want to experience the water also. I went to fantastic place to lanch. It was in Hampton Falls at the end of Depot rd. There was no one else on the water. Hampton river exists only on maps. It is really a tidal area shaped like a river. The tide was slowly going out. On the right side we saw the Nuclear plant, an observation blind and some structure that I don’t have a clue what it is. As got closer to Hampton Harbor the tide became swifter. I turned around as I approached Hampton Harbor. I had to row against some swift current. It quieted down as I approached the finish line. I smelled a fire burning as I neared the end. I love smelling the scent of burning wood. This was a great start of the season with more trips to come.

Don't have a clue what it is — Don’t have a clue what it is

Onway lake

July 31, 2014LakeRaymondWarren

Date traveled – July 10, 2014
length of trip – 2.1 miles
weather -Sunny, about 80 degrees.
Time on the water-50 minutes

This was my second lake of the day. While the first lake had problems parking, this lake had a place set aside by New Hampshire Park Department. When I got on the lake, I did not see many large boats on the different docks like I saw on the other lake. On the lake there was an island. On one side it was shallow with weeds. It looked like one could walk from the shore to the island without swimming. I was told that there was a pair of loons that had babies but didn’t see them. It was a nice relaxing time going around the lake. There was a number of rock crop ups along shore. It was not a crowded lake. When I got to the end there was a fisherman. He was going out. He said that he had always had good luck fishing here. He said the biggest that he caught here was an eight pound large mouth bass. All together it was a good time on this lake but I was getting hungry for supper.

Governor’s Lake

July 20, 2014LakeRaymondWarren

Date traveled – July 10, 2014
length of trip – 1.4 miles
weather -Sunny, about 80 degrees.
Time on the water-40 minutes

That day I was looking for a place to go kayaking that I never heard about before. I scanned the map and found three places. One place was on the Lamprey river. The dam that held the water back to make the water deep enough was recently removed so I then went to Governors lake. It seemed like a nice lake. When I found the place according to the map to to get on the lake, there was a sign that said that it was deeded property and only townspeople can use that property. I continued going around the lake and found another place to launch the kayak but it had the same sign. Two lots down I saw a location to launch but the only sign was not to bring in any foreign weeds. I always inspect my kayak before every launch for weeds. Although there was no signs saying I could launch there there was no signs saying I could not. I put the kayak in the water hoping nothing would happen to the car. As you can tell I had a bad first impression of the lake. It did not improve as I went around the lake. There was a number of large boats docked on the side of the lake. I can imagine on weekends how crowded this lake must be. I continued going around the lake and saw a number of upscale cabins or houses on the side of the lake. I finally got back to the end. The car was alright. I was ready to try the next lake – Onway lake.

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.

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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