Housatonic 2

Today, I was hoping for a short trip in the rain, and while the rain certainly came, and at times as a downpour, there was also an unbroken rumble of thunder right up to noon. Although there was no visible lightning, it was not good weather to be out in open water.

With a let-up in the afternoon, I headed out for a quick trip.  I went upriver above the first dam, where the river is enclosed in a forested valley that would give me a little cover in case another thunderstorm passed over.

I started at the Boy Scout put-in and headed upstream.  The water was down some and there was barely any current.  The small rapids a third of a mile below the dam are usually class I in summer conditions.  Today, they were more like class 0 and I only had to paddle hard at through one ten yard stretch.  Spotted one Eaglet on the nest below the dam and about 2 dozen young mallards.  I turned back from the portage trail.

About halfway back, I started to hear distant thunder behind me to the north.  The sky farther south was quite dark.  As on the way up, I hugged the shore, staying under the tall green leafy lightning rods. I started to get some scattered sprinkles and the thunder was closing as I finished.  Just as I shouldered the canoe, I saw the first sign of lightning, a dim flash on the ground under the canoe.