Kayaking Middle Saranac Lake and Weller Pond

Major announcement: IT DID NOT RAIN TODAY. And there was no wind; a big added bonus. So we put into South Creek again and headed for Middle Saranac Lake. But this time, after stopping by Ship Island to see the eagle, we went to Weller Pond. We stopped at campsite #85 on the far side of the pond, which is the site of the cure camp of Martha Rebentisch.The following is from http://www.masterpieces.com/trivia.htm. She "arrived in Saranac Lake in the late 1920's to take the cure for tuberculosis. Bedridden and uncured by 1931, Martha responded to an ad by a local woodsman, Fred Rice of Saranac Lake, to participate in a study he wished to conduct. He wanted to take a patient by boat to Weller Pond, to test his theory that the best cure was the open air. Rice, about 55 at the time and a guideboat builder, did not expect a woman barely 20, but Martha responded quickly to his care and was liberated from her disease. She kept a journal and eventually published several books under the name Martha Ruben, including "The Healing Woods" in 1952 and "The Way of the Wilderness" in 1955."

We found this neat snake at the campsite - note the spooky blue eyes.After leaving Weller Pond we paddled to Bartlett Carry. We walked the carry (about 1/2 mile each way) which is very steep at the Middle Saranac end and then follows the road to Upper Saranac Lake. Then we reluctantly headed back to the car for a total paddle of 8 1/2 miles. The stillness meant beautiful reflections in the water.