June 6, 1999
Ryan Kitchen: Junior

Let me tell you, I thought the wind was blowing hard yesterday afternoon, but today it was incredible. We set out from Carry Bay Campground at nine forty five, after being interviewed by news channel 5 WPTZ.  
(Sally Olson is interviewed by Tom Hallock of WPTZ)
The paddle across Carry Bay was directly across a twenty five mile per hour southwestern wind. The paddling was arduous and slow. As I sat in the back of the canoe I watched curling white capped breakers randomly slosh over the side of our canoe. However, upon turning the noses of our canoes north and east up the Alberg channel, we found this raging wind was suddenly blowing at our backs. Instead of battling the wind we were now being propelled by it. With packed canoes steadily bobbing in the two to four foot seas, a good push on your paddle could literally send you surfing on a wave surging ahead rapidly for up to thirty seconds. In these incredible conditions, we managed to travel some eight miles in less than two hours. We arrived just in time for lunch at North Hero state park, to meet WPTZ again, and set up our camp.

The state park is a breeding site, of the few in vermont, for the rare map turtle and the more rare spiny soft shell turtle. Upon our arrival we had the opportunity to actually see a map turtle, and although Nicole attempted to photograph him swimming in the water with her underwater camera, the most we got was a few shots from the rear. The group worked as a team to haul our seven canoes from the shore up onto a grassy area. Our campsite, at a quarter mile away, was by far and away the longest distance we had to carry all of our gear. We packed and loaded and lugged, somehow managing to get everything set up just in time to avoid being drenched by a thunder storm directly overhead. A rumbling sky rocked the island, energized cracks of lightning split the zenith above my tent. Turrential downpouring is upleasant for many reasons, but mainly because it instantly soaks everything exposed to it. Perhaps worse however is the after effect, such as wet flying insects who swarm out to dry their wings after the storm.

As the storm passed by our crew sat under a lean-to and cooked ziti. Being our last night, the adults were not allowed to touch cookware or dirty dishes. At the end of this, our handwrapped gifts were presented to Mr. Peterson and Mr. Hooker and we were left to do our night time routine to fend against the skeeters ourselves. Although it was camping, cleanliness was my one luxury I cared not to go without. The shower at North Hero State park is, by far, the nicest, warmest, most enjoyable one we experience. This shower actually had a DIAL (*to control the TEMPERATURE*) and it was nice and clean. It was FIBERGLASS. Certainly a long shot from a barely luke warm dribble in a concrete closet with no temp gauge. After all this and a quick look at some saw-whet owls, I am now in bed. My ground pad is full, and my sleeping bag is barely necessary due to the warmth. A friendly firefly is glowing inside my tent, thanks to my buddy Tom. The day has rolled by, and it is a good feeling knowing it didn't hail here today like it did in Saint Albans. It is a better feeling to know the WPTZ 5 crew donated two dozen donuts to our trip, that I have in my pack as a surprise for tomorrow's breakfast for the group. Tomorrow is our last day, and it should be great.