[Paddlewise] Trip report. Pawtuckaway Lake June 3

It was a dark and stormy night. :-)
   The morning that followed was gray and dismal.  Low clouds blocked the
sun.  A light rain was falling and fog shrouded the countryside.  The
temperature was in the mid fifties Fahrenheit.  All in all a most
excellent morning for a paddle on Pawtuckaway Lake.  Mark arrived at my
house at about eight thirty.  We loaded up the kayaks and headed out.
   The Fundy Cove launch ramp for Pawtuckaway Lake is not easy to find if
you have not been there before.  The ramp is at the end of an unmarked
dirt road off of Deerfield Rd in Nottingham.  Recent improvements have
made the launch point itself quite nice.  There is plenty of parking
space as long as there isn't a fishing derby going on.  A two-stall
outhouse with large handicapped accessible rooms was put in last year and
makes a good changing area if you can stomach the smell.  The door of the
outhouse has no lock (at least on the men's side, I didn't check the
distaff side of the outhouse) you may want to have someone post a guard
if the ramp is busy.
   By the time we were in the water the rain had stopped.  The wind was
light and variable with occasional gusts as high as about ten knots.  The
wind was raising one-inch ripples on the water.  Aside from that the lake
was calm as we headed to the southernmost point in Fundy Cove.  We were
looking for a way into the Burnham's marshes.  The Burnham's marshes
separate Big Island form the mainland.  We discovered that the island is
barely an island at all.  The technicality of a culvert under a dirt road
provided the only connection to the marsh.  Not wanting to portage at
this time we decided to head out the channel into the main body of the
lake.
   Skirting the shoreline of Big Island (real original name) we headed
past two unnamed islands that mark the entrance to the west end of the
channel.  Most of the length of Fundy cove and the channel are a no wake
zone.  Most of the boaters on this lake obey the spirit of the rule, not
just the letter of the law.  The result is that a kayaker can keep pace
with most of the boats in Fundy Cove.  This feels a bit odd at first, but
it is much safer all around.
   On the south side of the channel there is a small side cove, about a
hundred yards across.  As Mark and I were nearing this cove we saw a
large bird rising up from water level.  An osprey had just caught a
fish.  All paddling stopped as we watched this majestic bird fly across
the channel and behind the trees.  Soon after that another osprey
appeared coming out of the trees.  There hadn't been enough time for the
first bird to eat the fish so I am positive that it was not the same
bird.  I would say that a pair of osprey are raising chicks back there. 
The nest is not visible from the water, so I can't be sure.  It is nice
to see these birds, so rare around here until recently, making a
comeback.
   We came into the main body of the lake just south of Log Cabin
Island.  I could see no structure on the island, so I assume that the
cabin the island is named for has long since collapsed.  The island is
now owned by Pawtuckaway State Park, so there are no longer any residents
on the island.  I do not know if the park allows camping on this island,
I will have to check into this.  Pawtuckaway State Park does run a
campground but it is in the southern end of the lake.  As with most of
the state run campgrounds Pawtuckaway is much less crowded than a
commercial campground would be in the same area.
   Following the western shoreline we headed south away from Log Cabin
Island.  The area just south of Log Cabin Island on the western shore is
quite shallow.  We were over a hundred yards from shore and in only two
feet of water.  During dry summers this flat becomes impassible by even
canoes and kayaks.  If you want to pass this way you will have to get out
of your boat and drag it.
   Once past the flat we picked up our pace a bit, staying at a
comfortable cruising pace.  The overcast had lightened a bit, creating a
nice silver sheen on the almost smooth surface of the lake.  This made
seeing submerged objects difficult until you were literally right on top
of them.  Sure enough I soon heard that grinding scrape that every owner
of a fiberglass kayak learns to hate.  Looking quickly to my right I saw
the bow of Mark's kayak rise about two inches.  It was a classic
grounding scenario straight from the movies.  Mark had found a cluster of
rocks.
   We continued southward, passing between an unnamed island and shore. 
I began to notice that Mark was showing increasing signs of
Graniteophobia, an extreme fear of rocks.  This is a common affliction
for fiberglass boat owners.  Pawtuckaway Lake is not a good place for
people suffering from Graniteophobia.  Paddling anywhere on the lake
where the water is less than twenty feet deep (other than the flats for
some reason) reminds you why New Hampshire is called "The Granite
State."  The rocks range in size from as small as an orange to as large
as a small bus.  The larger ones tend to hide in the deeper water where
they can loom up unexpectedly on the unwary.  This does amazing things to
the mental state of anyone suffering from Graniteophobia.
   Picking our way carefully along the shore we passed under the bridge
between Big Island and Horse Island.  Part of the campground is on Horse
Island.  Pawtuckaway Lake is sprinkled with islands large and small. 
There is a great opportunity for exploring here.  One of the things that
sets this lake apart from most others is that there are no cabins on any
of the islands.  The state park has some campsites on Horse Island and a
couple of the small islands that are near shore but there are no
buildings other than outhouses.  The eastern and southern shores are
heavily populated, though.
   Coming around the point near the picnic area I listened as yet another
rock launched a sneak attack on Mark's kayak.  We crossed over the floats
that marked off the swimming area.  We knew that this place, at least,
was free of rocks.  The beach was almost deserted when we arrived.  One
walker and two geese witnessed our arrival.  Since none of the three
seemed to want to converse with us we moved on.  We went around another
point into Neals Cove.  Neals Cove has the feeling of an inlet stream,
which is reasonable because it is.  The sides of the cove close in
quickly and the cove bends to the left following the drowned streambed. 
When you get to the end of the cove the stream coming in is hardly
noticeable, at least at the flow rate when we were there.
   Coming out of Neals Cove we realized that it was getting close to
lunchtime.  This trip was planned as a morning excursion so we didn't
bring any food with us.  So we retraced our steps back to Fundy Cove,
staying in deeper water this time.  Our trip distance was just over eight
miles and we had covered only the western shoreline.  The Eastern shore
is possibly twice as long owing to a couple large coves and is for a
future trip. 
   With more islands, more wildlife, and less boat traffic Pawtuckaway
Lake is more varied and interesting than Massabesic Lake.  Add to that
the fact that swimming is allowed and I find that I have a decision to
make.  Pawtuckaway may have just become my new "home lake."
  

Mike

-- 
    Paddling along through fog so thick that only one's thoughts are 
visible, your reverie is abruptly shattered by the ancient cry of a great
blue heron as she lifts uncertainly from the brilliant blue of a 
mussel-shell beach witnessed only by the brooding, wet spruce....your
passage home seems as much back through time as it does through space.
Mark H Hunt

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