Kayaking the St Regis Lakes

Today we went on a tour and paddle sponsored by the Adirondack Museum and the Wildcenter. We drove to Paul Smith's and took a tour of St. John's-in-the-Wilderness Episcopal Church. It has been a part of the life of the St. Regis community since the 1870's. Since sailboat races have long been a big part of that community, that is reflected in the center of this stained glass window in the church.Dr. Edward Livingston Trudeau and some of his descendants are buried in the church graveyard. Trudeau was a pioneer in the wilderness cure of tuberculosis.After leaving the church, we went to Paul Smith's College and saw the location of the old Smith's Hotel and of some of the cottages built for guests. Then we had lunch in the Paul Smith's cafeteria prior to launching our boats on Lower St. Regis Lake. We paddled into Spitfire Lake

and pulled up next to Rabbit Island where we saw this plaque.

It reads: "On this island in 1886 Dr. Edward Livingston Trudeau conducted his historic experiment to determine the effect of environment on the incidence and progress of tuberculosis in a colony of rabbits. This plaque was placed by Trudeau Institute, Inc. in commemoration of this pioneering study in experimental epidemiology."
Then we continued into Upper St. Regis and turned west and headed for the esker that encloses Spectacle Ponds. We climbed the esker where the naturalist described its formation by a glacier.
Then we went back along the Upper St. Regis shoreline toward the take-out at the Upper St. Regis boat ramp, for a total paddle of 6 miles, carefully avoiding the course of the sailboat race in progress. The boats were very picturesque, but it was pouring rain by that time so I did not get a photo.