Upriver on the Clyde, a Surprise Bushwhack

June 26, 2024

Mile 263.4-271.9 (Char-Bo Campground)

(5.8 miles of portaging)

Housekeeping woke us up knocking at 7:50 am and I could have melted them with my laserbeam eyeballs through the door. Thankfully we were able to fall back asleep for an hour and then headed to the Brown Cow for a delicious diner breakfast.

I ate biscuits and gravy and a huge chocolate chip pancake and wasn’t hungry again until 3 pm. Headed back to the room to pack up and move out before walking down to the river put in. I sat with the canoe, leaned against a rock in the shade of the bridge and read my kindle while Henry walked into town to grab a few final things from the store.

When he returned we began our portage to Clyde Pond, put in and had a nice, short easy paddle to the other side. The river started out ok but conditions quickly deteriorated. We’re going upstream again and went back and forth between Henry pulling the canoe while I bushwhacked on shore until he could go no further.

We pulled our heavy packs out of the canoe and carried it on shore around fallen trees and strainers. We only had 0.6 left to get to the next official portage when we decided to try to bushwhack from there as the water got deeper and faster and more impossible to navigate.

We started with just our gear to make sure we could even find a route through the trees and ended up having to cross a barbed wire fence four times. Our bushwhack ended with a climb over a boulder field under the interstate and then scaling up the side of a slippery, muddy mountain up to the portage path.

We collapsed on the ground beside the path panting hard, ate a snack and then made the trek back to the canoe for our second trip.

Carrying the canoe even when it’s mostly empty hurts my hands and wrists so bad and I was dreading having to carry it for so far. Luckily Henry decided to just pull it over the moss and ferns and I only had to help pivot through trees or maneuver over the fences. We reached the boulder field and I felt exhausted but knew I could do it. I could feel my period coming soon and willed it away. Do not come right now I could not possibly handle it.

Henry was really encouraging telling me what a good job I was doing so that helped a lot. We would pick the canoe up, scramble our way over one or two boulders and then set it back down to readjust or regain our balance. The cracks between rocks were deep and one wrong step would more than likely mean a broken leg. We finally. Finally. Made it to the Yaledale Shelter and sat at the picnic table snacking and congratulating ourselves on what has been the hardest portage so far.

It had taken us almost 2.5 hours to make 0.6 miles of river progress. A new low. Our portage continued down a country road with some really beautiful houses. Two kids on dirt bikes flew by us doing tricks and entertained us for a good piece of our walk. We changed our plan for the day and decided to stop at Char-Bo campground because we were losing daylight and why not?

The campsite is really nice but it was $43 which I feel is a little steep for a tent spot… and then an extra $5 for using the bathhouse.

We set up camp and decided to shower off the sweat, grime, and bugspray of the day before cooking dinner. It was 9pm by this time and night was falling. I went in the women’s room and stopped short when I saw a sign that read “6 quarters for 6 minutes”. I had 0 quarters. I stalked out to Henry and he followed me back in to assess. He opens a shower stall and there on the seat were 6 quarters. Our mouths dropped. We both cram into a shower stall in the mens room to split our 6 minutes. 30 seconds in when we’re both wet and covered in Dr Bronners the shower shuts off and never turns back on. I am close to losing it. I stalk back into the women’s room naked and flip on every shower, begging the bath gods to give me just one minute of water. They listen and the last shower turns on with no quarters involved. I let out an evil cackle and yell for Henry. The water stays on for as long as I want. What a rollercoaster.

Back at camp it started to sprinkle so we crawled in the tent to eat our mac n cheese dinner. My poor bony hips miss my inflatable pad.