home > news_and_events > news_articles >

In Ledyard's Wake

A canoe ride on the Connecticut River can put you in touch with your inner adventurer

John Ledyard
In 1773 a freshman at Dartmouth College / on this spot felled a giant pine /
from which he made a canoe / and in it descended the river to Hartford, Connecticut. / 
He was a traveller among the Indians 
 / an associate of John Paul Jones / 
an officer under Captain Cook / 
traversing all oceans and penetrating remote lands. / He foresaw and foretold the riches 
 / of the Pacific Coast and the advantages 
of commerce with the far east. / 
When about to cross Africa he died in Egypt / 
at the age of 37. / He too heard the voice crying in the wilderness.
HIS WAS THE DARTMOUTH SPIRIT

—bronze plaque near the Ledyard Canoe Club


Given the efforts to preserve Pine Park and the waterfront generally, the College these days would likely look askance at a student felling a mighty pine along the banks of the Connecticut River and hewing a canoe from it. And these days the trip to Hartford (and on to the mouth of the river at Long Island Sound, where Ledyard subsequently went) is more easily accomplished on Interstate 91. Still, the legacy—and wanderlust—of that spirited member of the Class of 1776 is alive and well on campus, perhaps best exemplified in the Ledyard Canoe Club's annual Trip to the Sea, a 200-mile canoe voyage from Hanover, New Hampshire, to Old Saybrook, Connecticut.

To pay proper homage to Ledyard, and spend a pleasant hour or two while you're at it, follow West Wheelock Street as it descends gently toward the Connecticut River. At the foot of the hill lies the Ledyard Bridge with its enormous, flanking concrete spheres. Just before the bridge, turn right into the Ledyard parking lot, proceed past the Friends of Dartmouth Rowing Boathouse, and look for the closest parking space at lot's end. There, a more or less (depending on the weather) serviceable footpath will take you to the Ledyard Canoe Club.

The club, run by students, is open when the river's temperature is at least fifty degrees, generally from mid-May to October. Of all the College's venues, it most closely approximates the simple, unadorned campus facilities John Ledyard, who arrived at Dartmouth when it was just three years old, would have known. The atmosphere is casual, indeed, rustic. Visitors are invited to “learn the thrills of whitewater, train for marathon canoeing or sprint kayaking, or just sit in the hammock and watch the river slip by.”

Cruising the slow-moving Connecticut is an appropriate middle ground. Canoes and kayaks are available for $10 per hour during the week; $20 per hour on weekends. The river's current will carry you under the Ledyard Bridge. A loop around the small island a half mile downstream will briefly take you out of sight of human activity, permitting a pleasant frisson while pondering John Ledyard's grand adventure of 235 years ago.

You'll have a slightly less pleasant experience on the return trip: paddling up-current. But take heart. Back at the club the hammock awaits.

The Ledyard Canoe Club is open to all. To learn more about hours, fees, and memberships, visit their website: http://www.dartmouth.edu/~lcc/