May 24, 1999
T. J. Hooker: Senior

This weekend was very hectic, on Saturday, after our last lacrosse game (I scored!) I got ready for the prom. I went, danced all night and had a great time. At eight o’clock on Sunday morning, after only one or two hours sleep, I was on the road to Burlington for my sister's graduation. Needless to say I slept well Sunday night. Monday morning came and I was ready to go. We drove to Waybridge and put in under a large dam. The first challenge of the day was right at the start. What seemed to be a good place to put in was changed within seconds to a patch of white water as the gates to the dam opened slightly. Though the task looked daunting we passed it with relative ease, and a lot of crossed fingers. As we paddled down the Creek we were told that towards the end of the day we would be doing another portage, and we would have to be very careful not to go over a waterfall in Vergennes. Most of the day passed quickly and we arrived in Vergennes. We hugged the right shore to be safe where we saw some Cecropia moths as well as a large dead catfish. The portage was tough(.3 miles!) but we did it, we lugged some of our gear over the bridge and down Canal street, then set to work on the canoes.

There is no easy way to portage seven boats full of gear, so eight of us grabbed one, seven grabbed another and we carried the boats down the street. We must have looked very funny dressed in our rain gear covered in mud and walking down main street Vergennes. After the boats were across we re-packed and paddled around the corner to our camp for the night.

In camp we learned about the history of Vergennes, how during the War of 1812 the spot where we camped was the sight of a bustling shipyard. The ships built there saved the North East from being cut off from the rest of the United States by the British and kept us out from going back under British rule. We also did some science, testing for pH, CO2, dissolved oxygen and water hardness. All were found to be satisfactory. As I sat fishing during some down time I also saw a beaver. All in all, the days in Vergennes were an educational and fun part of the trip.