Ledyard hosts kayak festival in honor of DOC centennial
Geoff Holman / The Dartmouth Those who aren't familiar with the Ledyard clubhouse might imagine it as just a great place to take a date, rent a canoe, float slowly and undisturbed out on the water, and soak in the sun as you work on your tan. Now imagine sitting in a piece of plastic, being tossed around in ice-cold, churning whitewater, and trying to stay ahead of 29 other maniacal rowers splashing angrily on your trail as you float uncontrollably towards a nine-foot waterfall where nothing more than a few feet of water separates you and your one-man boat from a rocky riverbed below. This weekend, the 89-year-old organization and Dartmouth Outing Club affiliate hosted the first annual Ledyard River Festival, which stands to become one of the premiere paddling event in the Northeast. While Ledyard has historically been involved with promoting the region's paddling culture, no comparable event had ever been held in the Northeast, although such events take place frequently and annually in other parts of the country. "Ledyard is a club that supports the paddling community at Dartmouth -- so whitewater and flatwater kayaking and canoeing," Alice Bradley '11 said.
