LOCALadk Magazine
Issue link: https://localadkmagazine.uberflip.com/i/1170390
Fall 2019 LOCALadk Magazine 25 LOCALadk ommend submersion in October. And when I say "natural," I mean that unlike the state campground beach, which is not open this late in the year anyway, it has no lifeguards, no bathhouses, no ropes, no anything except unabridged na- ture —you are on your own.) Be aware that Meacham Lake hosts motorboats. However, I have never encountered a driver who was disrespectful of canoeists or kayakers; they are mostly interested in fishing, so are in no hurr y and aren't piloting roaring cigarette boats or anything of the sort. On my outing last fall, a motorboater spied the eagles about the same time I did and shut down, drifting and admiring the great creatures just as I was. After your break, proceed parallel to the shoreline until you locate the Osgood River coming in on your right. Look for a white pine that leans out almost at right angles to the shore, like a tollgate. (At least it was there in October 2018; its attachment to land seemed precarious at best, and by the time you read this it may be floating, or absent altogether.) Head upstream; the current is not strong, and in fact at times you might wish it were more evident, so as to tell which chan- nel to aim for. No falls or rapids will impede your progress, but at a certain point, depending on water level and beaver activity, the route becomes impassable. Here you will execute an about-face while questioning whether "river" is a hyperbolic misnomer, and head back to- ward Meacham and your starting point. The narrow channel twists like a snake on steroids, ser ving up everchanging views of flaming colors in the mixed forests on the eskers that line the basin. You will gain much practice in J-strokes and other techniques for steering whatever you are paddling. Do not be embarrassed if you collide with the bank once or twice; obscured by dense alders, other resident flora, and beavers' engineering, it can sometimes be hard to see. As on the lake's outlet, wetlands alongside the river's winding course expand the color spectrum. If you can make your way upstream far enough to spy openings on the east side, you can beach your boat and climb a few yards over an esker to obser ve some lovely ponds ringed in screaming color. (This will likely be more successful, if less esthetically breathtaking, at higher water on the front end of summer.