What: 10th Annual Ledyard Canoe Club Riverfest and second Explorers Symposium, a seroes of programs and events celebrating paddling and natural water activities in the Dartmouth region.
When: April 20-22.
Where: Various locations in Hanover, Lebanon and Wells River.
More Info: https://www.ledyardcanoeclub.org/schedule.html, https://www.facebook.com/LCCRiverfest, 603-643-6709, Ledyard.Canoe.Club@dartmouth.edu
Hanover
The life and adventures of John Ledyard — a would-be 1776 Dartmouth College graduate who departed campus via makeshift canoe during his freshman year and went on to become a renowned world explorer — will be discussed in a talk by Jim Zug, a 1991 Dartmouth graduate and author of American Traveler: The Life & Adventures of John Ledyard. Scheduled for 6-7 p.m. on April 20 in room 101 of the Collis Center, Zug’s talk will kick off the Ledyard Canoe Club’s 10th annual Riverfest Weekend.
Motivated in part by an inability to pay tuition, but fueled primarily by an adventurous spirit, Ledyard carved a canoe out of a felled pine tree, it is believed, and set out on the Connecticut River, not disembarking until he reached Hartford, Conn., where he’d attended high school. Ledyard was later credited with becoming the first U.S. citizen to explore Alaska, Hawaii and the U.S. west coast, while accompanying British explorer Captain James Cook.
Having befriended Thomas Jefferson in Paris, Ledyard also is believed to have inspired the Lewis & Clark expedition, and Ledyard himself was a celebrated figure in his day.
“At the time, the places he went were akin to Neil Armstrong walking on the moon,” Zug said in a phone interview. “Today his adventures are considered footnotes to the stories of Captain Cook and Lewis & Clark, but Ledyard was a celebrity in his time. He was Dartmouth’s most famous alum for a long time.”
Historical artifacts and documents regarding Ledyard Canoe Club, founded in 1920, will be on display throughout the weekend in room 101 of the Collis Center, near the southwest corner of Dartmouth Green, as well as an exhibit in Rauner Library (next to Baker-Berry Library, on North Main Street), featuring Ledyard’s handwritten journal from 1787, among other items.
“The club is celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2020, so we want to get some momentum going for that,” Dartmouth senior and LCC member Jesse Feldman-Stein said. “We want to get a lot of alumni engagement going over the next two years, so a great Riverfest will help get that in motion.”
Political, cultural and energy-themed issues surrounding rivers will be featured at several events, beginning with a premiere screening of The River and the Wall on April 20 at 7:30 p.m. The creation of filmmaker Ben Masters, it chronicles the adventures of five people embarking on a 1,200-mile mountain bike, horse, and canoe journey down the Rio Grande River and explores how the construction of a physical wall on the U.S.-Mexico border might impact water access and other issues.
Festivities on April 21 begin with the 56th Mascoma Slalom, billed as the longest consecutively running whitewater slalom competition in the U.S. The race takes place on the Mascoma River in Lebanon, near Baker’s Crossing Conservation Area and the Packard Hill Bridge.
“That’s an awesome event because of its history and the fact that it draws so many slalom racers from all over,” Feldman-Stein said. “We’re definitely looking forward to that.”
Afternoon activities will be centered around the Dartmouth Explorers’ Symposium, a three-hour event featuring talks by various college alum whose paddling experiences helped enrich their lives.
Olympians from the 1972 Munich Games, which helped introduce the world to white water racing, and several who embarked on National Geographic expeditions in Japan and Korea will be on hand, among others.
“The spirit of adventure and exploration, discovering new things and new places, carries with it a lot of elements that benefit the rest of your life,” Feldman-Stein said. “It teaches you about leadership skills and self reliance, and how to be safe (in perilous conditions).”
The symposium will also feature a panel discussion addressing the pros and cons of hydropower, called “Climate Solution and Conservation Challenge,” led by Dartmouth geography professor Frank Magilligan and guests from a river protection advocacy group as well as the National Hydropower Association.
A symposium reception and dinner is to follow, as well as an evening party at in the DOC House.
Riverfest activities on April 22 begin with the Wells River Rumble, a race on Class IV rapids on the Wells River in Vermont.
“It’s a lot different from the Mascoma Slalom, because in the Mascoma Slalom, you have to go paddle back upstream (to get through required gates) and it’s more of an athletic event,” Feldman-Stein said. “The Wells River is really fast and has something like 12 waterfalls, a bunch of slides and other features. Both are a lot of fun, but they’re a lot different.”
The weekend concludes with a tour of Dartmouth’s Olympic boat shed.
All events are open to everyone, and organizers hope those otherwise unaffiliated with Dartmouth will take in some of the festivities.
“Paddling is a big part of the history in this area,” Feldman-Stein said. “We want everyone to come celebrate.”
Jared Pendak can be reached at jpendak@vnews.com or 603-727-3225.