Category Archives: MacArthur Fellows

How to wrap a canoe around a tree…

Shared by Jonathan on the Huntington Front Porch Forum…

Last evening my dog Monty and I decided to float down the Huntington River in our canoe, starting at Shaker Mountain Road. Not very far down river, just past the town buildings in the center, there is a large land slide that has left a few large trees down across the river.

After some inspection (not enough) I made the poor choice of trying to paddle the small rapid and make it under a large maple tree. Bad idea.

A large branch was just under the surface of the water and only became visible after it was too late. We were not going to make it under the tree without getting hung up so me and the dog bailed into the water and managed to swim to the shoreline.

I watched in disbelief as my canoe filled with water and bent itself in half around the branch. That was the end of that canoe’s paddling days. Oh well. Monty and I were fine.

I had two paddles on board, one of which miraculously stayed in the boat and I was able to to retrieve it. The other one, however, was no where to be found. It has my last name, Tomb, engraved on the wide part of the paddle and if anyone happens to come across it I would be thrilled to have it back.

And if you’re planning on paddling the river, maybe consider portaging around that section of river.

My boat is still in the river. I will try to retrieve it as soon as the water level goes down enough.

Happy Summer!