Chapman Pond

When I got there, I found that an army of kayakers had set out from the Lieutenant River, so I headed up to Lords Cove, but the put-in was being resurfaced, so I went to Hamburg Cove, but it just didn't feel right, so I ended up under Gillette Castle at the Haddam Ferry, where a small army of kayakers were just setting out. They were heading, almost for sure, downstream to Selden. I put in and headed the opposite direction.

It has been a couple years since I did this stretch and I was overdue to check in. I follow closely the cliffs of the Gillette property (now a state park). Gillette was a 19th century stage actor famous for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes. The deer-stalker hat and pipe were his ideas. Besides the weird grotto castle, he had a miniature train that took visitors all over the property. Following the cliffs, I can see remnants of trestles that were built on the cliffs. Some of those remains are in the water.

Exiting Chapman Pond

The cliffs give way, dropping some in height and moving back from the river to be replaced by an extensive swamp. Osprey are numerous enough that if you don't see one, you only have to wait a minute and one will show up. I spot a mature Bald Eagle, which takes wing and crosses the river.

I head up through Chapman Pond. The lower entrance is the original natural channel. It meanders in through swampland. The banks have some wild rice and a good amount of wapato. Then, I paddle about 1/2 of the way up the pond before taking a man-made channel back to the river. This channel was supposedly dug by some 19th century shad fishermen who were upset by a landowner who wouldn't give them access to the pond.

Northern Harrier

Swing Bridge and the Goodspeed Opera House

Exiting the pond, I flush a large mature Bald Eagle, then turn up the shoreline up towards the Haddam swing bridge. An Osprey and a medium sized Hawk are perched on the end of an island just off the exit channel. The Hawk appears to be a Harrier. I usually see them in bigger open marshes. Spot a Green Heron and a Great Blue Heron as I go. At the bridge, I cross the river and follow the west shoreline back. 

Wild Rice

I cross the river again, just downstream of the ferry route, and head into Whalebone Cove. The road that led to my put-in runs along the side of the cove, and I noticed right away that most of the cove is full of wild rice. Apparently, I have only paddled here in the off seasons. I headed in to the cove to check on the crop. The plants are unusually tall, as this is a tidal freshwater marsh, and right now, the water is down more than a foot below mean. The grains aren't ready for harvest, but this would be a good spot to come during a high tide if one were inclined to do the work necessary to process wild rice.

Exiting Whalebone Cove