VERMONT BIKE & PADDLE
2024 RECAP
Last Sunday, a group of six adventurers left Waitsfield by bike heading North. We spent our first night at the Living Tree Alliance in Moretown. At the Living Tree, we received a warm welcome, helped on a farm, and learned about families living side-by-side in a co-housing, sharing resources and caring for the land.
On Monday morning, rain woke us up early, so we packed and drove to the trailhead in Morrisville and headed North on the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail. It was a hot day, and we welcomed the refreshing swim in the Lamoille River, yummy refreshments at the bakery in Johnson, and welcoming shade at the Lamoille Valley Bike Tours. At the end of the day, we had to bike four long uphill miles to the Brewster River Campground in Cambridge. The last mile to the campground was on the single track through the woods complete with the river ford to our campsite. We ended the day with a soak in the cold and clear Brewster River and chocolate chip cookies baked on the fire. We biked 18 miles. While we slept, it rained over an inch, but our great tents kept us dry!
On Tuesday we had an early start on Brewster River Trail. It was a challenging single track with a steep walk-a-bike hill and several river fords. We emerged in Jeffersonville and rejoined the LVRT, traversing from Lamoille to the Missisquoi watershed. All around the landscape was saturated with water, resembling the Florida Everglades; mosquitoes were very happy! This was a long and hot day and when we finally reached the river at the Sheldon Springs Dam, swimming was long overdue! It started to rain, and the river looked big. After scouting a ten-mile stretch of rapids below the dam and studying a forecast, we decided to bypass the rapids and bike another 8 miles to start our river trip below Highgate Falls Dam. While Misha and David shuttled canoes and gear, students and Anna navigated with a topo map to the transition site. We reached the portage trail at the dam at 7 PM. By now everyone was soaked and tired, yet we unloaded canoes, loaded bikes, and carried our gear ¼ mile to the Northern Forest Canoe Trail Campsite. Our Fire manager, River, started the fire in the pouring rain, and pasta dinner was served at 10 PM. We biked 37 miles.
Overnight, the rain stopped and the West wind blew. We woke up tired, hung everything to dry, and got ready for the river trip. This day we paddled six miles to just above Swanton village. Halfway through the trip, we ran into another torrential downpour, which we waited out under a giant willow tree while snacking on wet PB&J wraps; we got thoroughly soaked! We set our camp amidst a mature floodplain forest, marveling at its primeval beauty, while the mosquitoes, rejoiced at having so many humans to feed on and it was not until we had lit a smoky fire, that we had some peace and rest. That night we made a stone soup and sang many songs by the fire. The rain stopped and the North wind brought with it welcoming cool and clear weather.
After a good night’s sleep, we woke up to a brilliant day, loaded our canoes and headed downstream. After portaging over the Swanton falls we entered the Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge and glided through majestic riparian forests and marshes filled with turtles, ospreys, eagles, and waterfowl. By early afternoon, we reached Lake Champlain, tightened up our life jackets, and began the crossing to our final campsite, a few hundred feet South of the Canadian Border. It was a difficult crossing, with big side waves and everyone gave their all, to keep the canoes on course and stay together. We found a beautiful camp under the limestone cliffs, but the landing was difficult, amidst the crashing waves. Our kitchen was set by the lake, and we had to climb up a rope to a level tent spot on a bluff. We had lots of time in the afternoon, playing games, braiding rope, and enjoying the gorgeous sunset over the lake. We paddled 9 miles.
On Friday, the stable, dry weather continued. We paddled the calm lake to the take-out by the mouth of Rock River, where we were met by David. Our trip ended with creamies, reflections, and a singing performance for parents.
We express our gratitude to David Hodgson for supporting our expedition with shuttles and resupplies!