Canoeing South through the Connecticut River from Amherst, MA to the Ocean!

[TopHatFox]

The Plan:

I'll have about a month in between finishing my summer job on August 28 getting ready to sail across New Zealand in late September. I think I'd like to spend part of that month thru canoeing the Connecticut River from Amherst, MA to the river delta around Old Lyme, Connecticut. It would be a ~100 mile voyage one way. I would sleep, eat, and carry all of my supplies in the canoe, under dynamic environmental conditions. I think I'd do it alone since I can't seem to find anyone willing or available to come with.

-----------------------------------------------------------

The Route:

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Amherst ... 41.3159315

-----------------------------------------------------------

The Supplies:

Toiletries: toothbrush, small soap (toothpaste), floss, baking soda (deodorant), nail clipper/file
Medical Supplies: bandages, rubbing alcohol, band-aids, etc.
Mending: needles and black, grey, and tan thread.
Electronics: iphone 4 & charger (not sure how that would work, most of the river is around towns though, or maybe batteries?)
Tools: Swiss army knife, pen & pencil + graphite/ink, notebook, headlamp], laundry bag
Clothing: two jeans, two shorts, seven shirts, one fleece, seven boxer-briefs, seven sock pairs, sandal pair, shoe pair, a hat, towel
Books: one or two traded as available
Documents: wallet with cash, debit, credit card, & driver's license/ID
Cookware: camping stove, large pot, metal bowl & cup, spork, 6" flip-knife, little
Food: grains, beans, nuts, canned or dried fruits & veg (fresh when possible)
Shelter: one-person Canoe, sleeping bag & pad, Tarp to cover canoe under rain, rope to tie down the canoe at night

The clothing bit probably needs a lot of work, I transferred most of this list from my suitcase living post. I imagine everything would have to be waterproof or be put in waterproof containers...a.k.a trashbags ( I do have my two waterproof panniers though!) I also have access to canoes & backpacking/camping equipment from my college's outing club, so this adventure does not have to be expensive thankfully.

---------------------------------------------------------------

The Challenges:

1. Dealing with loneliness
2. Will the trip be too short
3. Will it be too cold
4. How to do laundry
5. Keeping things dry
6. Keeping things on the canoe if it capsizes
7. Would I have to Portage? If so, would I have to carry my stuff, THEN the canoe?
8. How to Keep my stuff safe if I have to leave it while portaging--locks?
9. Is it possible to canoe the 100 miles upriver back to Amherst? What are other ways to get back?

[henrik]

Some initial thoughts:
- don't wear jeans to a canoe trip, they are heavy and uncomfortable when wet:)
- a month to go 100 miles? I have done 100 km in 14 hours three times (two people, not alone)...
- if the canoe is built right (it should be balanced and have a yoke), you should be able to to balance it on your shoulders for carrying alone
- plastic water barrels with a wide mouth and a screw top are great for holding stuff on a canoe trip - it can stand in the middle (fixed to the yoke with a strap!) and you can access everything easily without having to unpack many protective layers

[slimicy]

Yeah, 100 miles shouldn't take anywhere near a month. We do about 36 miles on the Saco river (NH into ME) every summer, and that takes 3 days (2 nights). And that's with 80% of the time in the canoe spent drinking, fishing, napping or otherwise not paddling.

[TopHatFox]

oo, fishing! That could be a useful way to get some fresh food...

Maybe canoeing the way back might be a way to extend the trip to a week or so. I also have plans for some bike touring with a few people I've met through Meet Ups, so I could intersperse that with the canoe trip throughout the month!

[reepicheep]

You're going to canoe back up the river?

Have you thought about walking? 100 km by foot in 2-3 weeks is doable and definitely more of an achievement than via canoe.

[TopHatFox]

You're going to canoe back up the river?

Have you thought about walking? 100 km by foot in 2-3 weeks is doable and definitely more of an achievement than via canoe.

I have, but I'm not sure what I'd do with the canoe once I get down river; how would I get it back up river if I'm walking?

I guess one option is to get someone to drive it up for me.

[jacob]

Or sell it.

[Matty]

Sounds great!

I have a river trip on my 'adventure to do list'. In particular to kayak the length of the Murray River which is about 2,500kms and 3 months. I'm hoping to do some smaller weeklong trips as a trial run.

I would definitely aim to catch a lot of fish!

[Gilberto de Piento]

Waterproof panniers won't work. A friend of mine tried to use Ortliebs on the river and the water came right in. What you want are dry bags: http://www.rei.com/product/883361/sea-t ... -65-liters for at least your clothes and sleeping bag. I've heard you can substitute garbage bags within backpacks or similar but haven't tried it. Your school should have dry bags or you can rent them at REI.

Be sure to bring good rain gear. Paddling a canoe in the rain without gear is miserable and dangerous.

Have you considered a kayak? They are easier to handle solo and you are less exposed to the elements.

I'm sure someone has the power to paddle upriver but in my experience it's not realistic. On even a gentle river you'll be fighting to not get pushed downriver by the current.

Boring but necessary warning: it doesn't sound like you have paddled before. You need to be very careful. Solo paddling, even on flat water, is especially dangerous since there is no one there to help you if you overturn. If you go in you can drown even with a life jacket on or you can get hypothermia if you get wet and can't get dry. Wear your life jacket and focus on saving yourself, not the canoe or gear, if you flip.

[enigmaT120]

Which Ortleibs did he have, Gilberto? My front packers certainly can't be submerged (and not leak), but I thought the rollers type basically were dry bags that fit on a bike rack.

[Gilberto de Piento]

Both he and I have Ortlieb Back Roller Classics, the ones that are similar to dry bags: http://www.ortliebusa.com/prodInfo.asp?pid=31&cid=2 The canoe flipped, the bags floated but were soaked inside.

The difference that I see is that my Ortliebs have a stiff plastic piece at the edge of the bag where the roll begins where a true dry bag has a piece of rubber. You could try removing that plastic piece and gluing a piece of bike tube there. It would be easy to test in the bathtub. Dry bags are cheap though and in a situation where I really need to have dry clothes and sleeping bag available I would rather spend the money.

[reepicheep]

Ghetto version: heavy duty plastic bag, inside backpack. Before you close the backpack all the way, take the top of the bag--you should have several extra inches--and twist it many times. Use rubber bands around the twist to hold it in place. Fold the twist top down and tuck it inside the backpack. For extra security, use two bags.

This is the NOLS approved method of keeping stuff dry even if one should trip and fall and become fully submerged in a river and lose ones bag and be forced to hike 500 meters downstream to retrieve it after its gotten lodged in some rocks.

It is highly effective.

[henrik]

Did this ever happen?

[TopHatFox]

Sadly not, but I did end up hiking 50 miles against a pipeline, living in a tent for a month, and sailing 2000 nm atop a tall ship (:

Working on more ~microadventures