Packrafting Simmons Pond

PHOTO: Discovering new to us out of the way places is really fun when we bring along our packrafts. New Hampshire is home to more than a thousand ponds and lakes. Public waters in New Hampshire are waterbodies of 10 acres or more in size. In our backpacks we carry lightweight boats that we inflate using a battery operated fan-a-box that fits in the palm of our hand. We found the 22 acre Simmons Pond by using the maps on the New Hampshire Fish & Game’s website, Wildlife.state.nh.us/maps.

by Amy Patenaude
Outdoor/Ski Writer

Becca is good at picking out places to packraft. This morning’s adventure brought us to Warner, NH. Simmons Pond hides near where the townlines of Warner, Sutton and Bradford meet. It isn’t an easy place to find and most people have never given a thought to finding it.
The New Hampshire Fish & Game’s website has a treasure of maps with the locations of public access to Ponds, Rivers and Lakes. Wildlife.state.nh.us/maps or just Google NH Fish & Game Maps and the links pop right up.
On the NH Fish and Game website I checked out the Bathymetry Maps (depth maps) for select NH Lakes and Ponds and clicked on Simmons Pond as Becca instructed me to do. I am familiar with the area and after looking at the map I knew how to get there. The 22 acre pond has a max depth of 30 feet and it must be spring feed since there were no signs of any good size brooks feeding into it.
The gravel parking area has a big sign that announces: Simmons Pond, Remote Cartop Access, Warner, New Hampshire Fish & Game Department. Stapled to it were also signs telling Anglers not to use lead sinkers and that it is unlawful to litter public or private property or any waters and that you need to take responsibility for your lakes and wildlife. What wasn’t there was a map or a trailhead sign.

But it was easy to find the path because there, in the corner of the lot, were more signs telling us this was a carry-in/carry-out facility and No Littering! The parking lot was free of litter so the signs must be working. There was one more sign stating that this was a Sport Fish Restoration, access made possible by a Federal and State partnership.
We grabbed our packs and headed down the path. I turned on my tracker to measure the distance to the pond. The yellow blazes led us down an old woods road. The path’s soft footbed felt good to walk upon. Ahead were No Trespassing signs where the woods road continued and then the path took a hard right following along a straight stone wall. We tossed a lot of branches off the lightly used path.
When we came to a steep downhill we wondered how anyone could carry a car-top boat down this path or, worse, carry it back up. Our pack rafts only weigh five pounds, and our paddles and gear add up to a few more pounds so it is easy to carry in our backpacks. But dragging a kayak or a canoe would be difficult.

At the water’s edge was a decaying Jon Boat: a flat bottom aluminum fishing boat. It looked like it had been a long time since it was seaworthy. I remembered to check my tracker and it told me we had walked just one half mile.
We used our battery operated “fan in a box” to blow up our rafts. Becca reminded me that I am glad she talked me into buying it. She is right. Earlier this summer we even took a lesson on the Pemi River below the big dam in Bristol to bounce on some white water. But mostly we walk into remote ponds.
The path led to a good place to launch. It wasn’t too muddy and there were a few rocks to step on before stepping into the raft.
We paddled clockwise around the pond and past old beaver lodges surrounded by Pickerel Weed that still had a few purple flowers blooming. There were a few Lilly Pads with white and yellow flowers but not many.
A frog nestled in mud with just its head sticking out was a funny sight. Little minnows swam in small groups and sometimes jumped out of the water in front of our boats. Another frog sat on a rock in the water and as we paddled by. It stayed perfectly still.
The majority of the land around the pond is privately owned. The only development on the pond was one small camp with a small pontoon boat tied to their dock.

On the far side of the pond we spied a swimming beaver. The beaver gave us a look and darted beneath the water. We held still for three or four minutes and the beaver popped up again and he wasn’t happy to see us. Slap! With a loud slap of his tail his body came up out of the water like a dolphin and head first dove back in the water not to be seen by us again. We’ve seen a good number of beavers but never a performance like this one.
And again we passed by an old abandoned fishing boat. People must have been able to drive into this pond a long time ago. We counted five decaying boats and one was locked with a rusty lock and chain to a dead tree.
It was a pleasant couple of hours exploring the pond. The sun had warmed the cool morning into a nice day. It didn’t take us but a few minutes to pack our rafts back into our backpacks.

On our way back up the path we noticed an old rotten fiberglass canoe covered, hiding under young spruce trees and dried leaves. How did so many people lose their boats?
We walked more slowly back up the path and paid more attention to the stone walls and also noticed an old foundation and the remains of a cast iron wood stove.
Enjoy the warm weather! By the calendar there is only one more week of Summer left.
Let’s hope for a warm and sunny Fall!
Have Fun.