For Love of a River

I love to camp and for the past 8 years my favorite place by far is on the Saco River. Yes, I know most people who know it think of it as a party river where people drink and play loud music and throw beer cans in the water. And sadly, that is true. But there are also quiet, wild places too, and I’ve seen eagles, spotted pipers (or butt bobblers as we have dubbed them), mergansers, hummingbirds, various ducks, beavers, turtles with shells between 2-3 feet long, and others. Last fall we decided to follow the river all the way to the ocean—by car. The hand built wooden Dreamboat and the paddlers don’t enjoy rapids or portaging around the many dams from the Maine/NH border to Saco, ME.

This spring on a recent camping trip we decided to head upstream to the source, which is in Crawford Notch in the White Mountains. It was a fairly straightforward drive upstream with several put ins along the way. Although the high water from the spring melt and nonstop rain for the past year, made putting in more of an aspirational goal or maybe even a good daydream.

Before long we arrived at Saco Lake. Small for lake standards, but beautiful and tucked into the scenic Presidential Range at the foot of Mt. Washington.

And here is where the water leaves the lake, goes under a footbridge and flows on to the Atlantic Ocean.

I guess I’m a river nerd, because I think that’s pretty cool.

And here is one of the stops upriver from our camp site with a snow capped Mt. Washington in the background.

As a teen and young adult I traveled to the White Mountains many times to hike the Presidential Range and stay in the huts. I had been beside the Saco many times without ever knowing its name. I’m sure I also saw the lake, but my focus was on the mountains, hiking, and hoping my backpack wasn’t too heavy.

Sorry, I missed you Saco way back then. But I’m glad to know you now, and will keep trying to be a respectful, awestruck camper on your sandy shores.