Steve Fagin: Birds and planes take flight over the Connecticut River
Apr. 25—You'd think that spotting a bald eagle, observing ospreys' courting rituals and hiking up to a historic castle would have made for a great kayak/hiking excursion the other day, but ducking under a trio of small airplanes that practiced takeoffs and landings wound up stealing the show.
"Wow! This is the highlight of the trip!" Andy Lynn exclaimed, as he and I paddled on the Connecticut River beneath planes that were performing touch-and-go maneuvers at Goodspeed Airport in East Haddam.
It was like the harrowing scene in "North by Northwest" — except the planes that we saw weren't really trying to run us down. Still, they came in so low I felt I could have clipped their wings by raising my paddle vertically.
This close-up viewing experience took place at the end of a combined kayaking-hiking escapade that began and ended at Eagle Landing State Park in Haddam, on the west side of the river, just below the East Haddam Swing Bridge.
After we launched, I had counted on a powerful current — swollen by recent heavy rains, and carrying logs, branches and other debris — to propel us downriver, but a gusty, headwind from the south scuttled that hope. The breeze off chilly water also made us wish we wore something warmer than thin, nylon jackets.
Spring had yet to fully blossom along the riverbanks — the only green we saw were the leaves of multiflora rose, an invasive shrub that was imported to the United States from Asia in the 1800s as an ornamental plant and later used widely for erosion control. Loaded with stickers, multiflora rose today has spread everywhere, becoming the bane of hikers and others who wander the woods.
The absence of other foliage did allow us, though, to witness a pair of ospreys, perched in the upper branches of a tall oak tree, doing what comes naturally this time of year. With luck, chicks will hatch next month.
Fighting the wind, it took us more than an hour to paddle three miles to a small beach on the east bank, just upriver of a landing for the Chester-Hadlyme Ferry. Normally, the ferry would be making regular trips, back and forth across the river, but flooding has delayed the start of service this year. Except for a lone powerboat, we had the river to ourselves.
After climbing out of our kayaks, we began the second leg of our jaunt, a hike up to Gillette Castle State Park, following a trail that begins at a small park next to the river. The path gains about 200 feet of elevation on a short walk to the stunning, 14,000-square-foot stone structure that was designed and built between 1914 and 1919 by stage actor William Gillette, celebrated for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes.
Gillette died in 1937, and his will decreed that that the property should never be owned by any "blithering sap-head who has no conception of where he is or with what surrounded."
Six years later, the state of Connecticut bought the castle and surrounding acreage from his estate for $29,000, and converted the property to a park that attracts some 350,000 visitors annually.
We encountered a handful of people while roaming trails that had been converted from railbeds originally built for the three-mile-long narrow-gauge railroad that used to carry guests around Gillette's property. Notable passengers reportedly included Albert Einstein and Charlie Chaplin.
After following these paths for half an hour or so, we retraced our steps down to the river, hopped into our kayaks and began paddling back to the parking lot at Eagle Landing State Park. Fittingly, we passed a bald eagle perched atop a tall oak along the riverbank.
Kayaking north, we got a small boost from a tailwind, but had to push against the current. Hoping to escape the strongest flow, we hugged the east bank, which luckily put us directly beneath the flight path of the three small planes.
Sometimes, things all work out for the best.
