Looking In, Looking Out

I put in just down from the only bridge that crosses this stretch of the Housatonic. My plan for the day was to get in some distance by heading upriver to Lover's Leap, a narrow opening between hundred foot high cliffs. It is under 60F and overcast and while the forecast was for light wind shifting from SE to NE during the day, it felt windier than that at the put-in. 

Almost all of my trips are out-and-back day trips, and I am in the habit of paddling into the wind or against the current on my way out. There isn't any current in this stretch, but my plan, if the wind held, would require a long headwind return. So, today seemed more like a good day to go down to the Shephaug Dam instead. It's just a tad shorter. 

Looking in

As expected at this time of the year, I am alone except for a few bass boats. I follow the shore closely, the overhanging forest and steep valley sides making the water feel smaller than it actually is. And, once I'm in the water and about a 1/4 mile from the put-in, the wind dies down to something not worth mentioning - go figure. 

Looking out

The sun comes out as I pass the halfway point.

Northern Copperhead

It is a very pleasant trip. There's not much for birds, which is expected - this is water where big forest meets open water, so other than what I can see in back in the forest, it's a place for birds of prey, vultures and Ducks. I a single Osprey and one vulture. But, as I am paddling close to shore, I spot what looks like a snake skin in an low overhanging branch. No, it is the whole snake, no doubt sunning itself. Better yet, it is a Northern Copperhead, one of our two venomous snakes. It is quite inert, and I give it a gentle poke just to verify that it is alive. After rounding the point to head back, I spot a mink scurrying along the shoreline, obviously upset by my presence. After fifty yards, it tucks into a hiding hole in some boulders.

Neither the mink or Osprey cooperate, so the Copperhead is the only wildlife photo.

I finish up with about 11 miles of paddling, and maybe 10-1/2 miles of meditation.