Editor’s Note: Though this trip took place on August 15, 2016, and the post is time stamped to reflect this date, the actual writing of this post happened on August 23.
Recently, we acquired a pair of new canoes. After much research, pondering, head-scratching, and consultations, we decided to splurge on two Swift canoes. Baylah got a 12-foot Adirondack Pack Canoe and, being somewhat larger, I settled on a 14-foot Keewaydin Pack Canoe. Admittedly, these aren't the cheapest canoes you can get. However, they are super lightweight, which is really helpful in a number of contexts. For one, it's much easier to carry these boats around and put them on the top of our car for hauling. Also, you can equip them with "yokes" and carry them on our backs, if we choose to take them out on a backpacking trip in the future.
Outside of Craftsbury, Vermont we found a great spot for an evening canoe to break in the Swifts. Little Hosmer Pond is a serene spot. On the evening we were there, we didn't see a single other person anywhere on the lake. There is a convenient boat ramp for easy entry and parking.
The pond was still as glass and a joy to paddle on. Though Baylah found rumors online of a loon population, we must have missed them. Still, it was a great evening. We had packed sandwiches (from Craftsbury General Store and were excellent!), but we found no place to beach so we ate in our boats. The pond is surrounded, as far as we could tell, with private land, much of it marked "No Trespassing!" The boat ramp area has a bench where you can sit for a minute and was the only public place we saw. It was a serene experience!
There is also Great Hosmer Pond, which is much narrower than Little Hosmer but also much longer. We will have to come back and give that pond a ride!
