Kayaking the Connecticut.

As much as I love skiing, summer does have its pleasures. And one of them, to be sure, is kayaking.

My husband and I recently spent an absolutely stellar Saturday kayaking on the beautiful Connecticut River (for those who don't know, that's the river that divides Vermont from New Hampshire). The weather couldn't have been better -- 70 degrees with a light breeze, clear, sunny skies, a few puffy clouds. Thanks to recent rains the river was running at a nice clip -- 11,000 cubic feet per second. We put in at Sumners Falls, just above the town of Hartland, VT, figuring we'd paddle a couple hours, ending up at the Harpoon Brewery in Windsor. Sitting in our kayaks, we could feel the power of the river surging behind us, carrying us along without even the need to paddle.

Though paddle we did.

The Connecticut River Valley is a beautiful place. Lovely green, tree covered banks, the mountains of Vermont rising both beisde and in front of us, as the river bends. We saw a variety of bird life (alas, no eagles, though they do frequent th area. Guess we were there at a bad time,) Suprisingly enough, no one else was on the river with us -- we had it all to ourselves. A perfect way to spend a Saturday.

Thanks to the swift current, our trip was over in much less time than anticipated. All the same, a lovely day.

I guess summer isn't so bad after all.

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