Fourth Connecticut Lake is the source of the Connecticut River
Recently I hiked into the source of the Connecticut River, something I hadn’t done in many years. Any idea where the source is? The Connecticut, the longest river in New England, begins in a beaver pond high on a mountainside in northern New Hampshire right on the Canada line. The pond is know as Fourth Connecticut Lake. Wild country, my friend.
Two hundred years ago when explorers trekked through New England, they had a tendency to call any body of water a lake, regardless of size. Fourth Connecticut Lake is a case in point. At roughly 2 acres, it’s a pond at best. The Nature Conservancy owns it and the surrounding land; they call it Fourth Connecticut Lake Preserve. No motorized stuff, no canoes, no kayaks, no fishing, and no hunting allowed. No dogs either. Just folks on foot.
Deer Mountain Camp
Later I pitched my tent down the road a piece at Deer Mountain Camp. It’s a primitive site – no electricity, pit toilets, no phone coverage of any kind. Behind my tent the Connecticut gurgled along, not 8 feet away, and not 6 feet wide. Barred owls hooting all night. Hey, Live Free or Die!
