Paddling at the Drop of a Hat
Be ready for any paddling opportunity

by Mary McClintock

Laurie's voice leapt out of the telephone one Friday night. Hey, Mary! Bruce and I are going out tomorrow evening for a short overnight - want to join us? We'll put in at Northfield at six, paddle up to the lean-to at Munn's Ferry, and camp there, then paddle back on Sunday morning. We'll be back at the cars before noon. We don't have the whole weekend free for a trip, but we're itching to get out on the water.
As she spoke, I did a quick mental review of my weekend schedule. No problem fitting in this short trip. I remembered that the morning forecast had been for a cool, cloudy weekend, but there were no big storms coming in. What about gear? It was March, the off-season in Massachusetts, and I hadn't been out much over the winter, but all my gear was accessible and ready to go.