No one bothered us about camping on the beach. In fact, the caretaker greeted us the next morning without issue. We walked the 2 miles into Swanton and tried to get breakfast at a diner, but service was slow and we left. We restocked on a few supplies at a gas station and put in on the Missisquoi for a few miles of upstream before the Highgate portage. Saw a few river otters.
As an intern, we had camped a lot at Highgate, so I remember it well. After that portage, it began raining. This was the norm for us. We took the road past some ledges of rapids instead of attempting to go up them (upstream) and put in only to have to line another section. It took us a while.
There was some flatwater, but then we carried and lined. I got very cold. Even with warm layers on, my feet were in cold water and the wet, damp air got to me. I felt frozen. We debated stopping to warm me up, but were so close to Sheldon Spring Hydro Electric that we kept going. We set up camp at a random clearing near the road of the hydro dam and I warmed up quickly in the tent. Calvin made us easy freeze dried food and we ate it in our tent, out of the rain, even though this was against our ‘tent rules’. No food in the tent.
Early to bed and early to rise.
