Kayaking on Grout Pond

We had plans to go canoe and kayak camping this weekend with friends. But somehow, two days of rain and thunderstorms didn’t sound like a whole lot of fun. We opted instead to try to rescue the nicer part of Friday (while it lasted) with a kayak outing at a closer pond. It turned out to be just three of us and when we arrived, Grout Pond looked inviting. The sun was out and warm, but the light breeze was cool. The tops of some of the trees were beginning to turn; the pond looked deserted. And in the middle, near where we put in was a solitary loon.

After the short course on kayak operation (basically how to get in and out without a bath) we set out. It was a beautiful pond with a beaver dam in a small cove and a swampier end full of submerged stumps that we didn’t explore. There was a kingfisher staking out his territory there and a kestrel type bird perched high in an evergreen by the shore. By the time we reached the far end, the sun had been overtaken by clouds and the wind had picked up to a good clip. The edge of the water was lined with rocks and not very conducive to disembarking. But we finally found a place to stop and eat our PB&J lunch at one of the day use sites. It was chilly eating lunch and the wind made for an interesting paddle back to the beach. We noticed several camping sites that were occupied and when we were finished, there were two canoes going out to spend the night. I felt a little wimpy after that, but this morning, I’m very glad we opted out of the camping part.