Paddling to Weller Pond

This morning a group of us dared the weather and paddled South Creek to Middle Saranac to Little Weller and Weller Ponds.

We were happy to see a pair of eagles on Ship Island; we never saw them last year and were afraid they were gone for good.  Also, the iris

and swamp laurel

are blooming.

We were lunching on Tic Island when the thunder started rumbling.  Some of us made a hasty retreat, worried as much about winds on Middle Saranac as the lightning.  The storm never hit us, but it had obviously rained buckets just before we got to Tupper Lake.  It has been very hot and humid so afternoon thunderstorms have become the norm.

Paddling the Raquette River from the Crusher to Moody

Today a group of us paddled the 8.5 miles from the Crusher put-in on the Raquette River to the state boat launch at Moody on Tupper Lake.  It was a fast downstream paddle so not nearly as strenuous as yesterday's paddle.  The weather was beautiful.

A New Paddle

The water is still very high, so today we tried a paddle we hadn't done before.  We drove just a few miles west on Route 3 and stopped at the parking area next to Dead Creek.  We put in there and went upstream.  We thought we would be stopped by beaver dams, but the few we encountered could be "skooched" over.  The water was very fast and the turns very tight.  So after paddling upstream for 3 miles, we called it quits due to fatigue instead of beavers.  We are paddling again tomorrow and didn't want to completely exhaust ourselves.

It is very hard to see on this map, but Route 3 is on the upper right and we paddled up the winding stream almost to the lower left.  It goes on and on from there.  Maybe we will go farther next time, though there are few places one can get out of the boat and I'm sure it can only be done during high water.  At least now we can say we explored at least part of Dead Creek.

Picnic

Today was the traditional picnic at the camp on the shore of the St. Lawrence River.  Good weather, great food, and great company.  This was earlier than previous years, so we didn't think swimming was an option.  But one of our friends went in, complete with wet suit.

Luna Moth

We went to the neighbors this morning to deliver the veggies from the farmers' market and found 2 luna moths on their steps.  They must have just come out of their cocoons.

Paddling the Floodwood-Rollins Loop

15 of us had a nice paddle today, starting at the put-in on Floodwood Road and going from Floodwood down Fish Creek to Copperas, Whey, Rollins, and back to Floodwood.  The water was very high, giving us good rides down the creeks.  The weather was overcast with pleasant temps and low winds - and no rain and few bugs.  We were surprised at how few loons we saw.  Usually they are in abundance on Floodwood.  After the paddle we went across to the boat launch on Upper Saranac to take advantage of the open area to share cake in honor of Marilyn's 70th.

Paddling the North Branch of the Saranac River

Five of us put in near the bridge between Rainbow and Kushaqua Lakes north of Onchiota and paddled up the North Branch of the Saranac River.  The water is still quite high.  We made it 3.25 miles before having to turn around, and only had to get out and pull over 2 beaver dams.  We had another day of good weather with few bugs.

Paddling Mountain Pond

We never completed the Paddle Pursuit we started several years ago.  So friends decided we should take the opportunity to paddle Mountain Pond today.  It is reached via the roads at the Hays Brook trail system north of Paul Smith's where we hiked among the lady slippers last week.  The weather was nice, there weren't many bugs, and the paddle was very pleasant.  So now we've done all the required large and small lakes.  Just a few rivers to go and we'll qualify for the patch.

Paddling South Creek to Second Pond

This morning we led a group of 13 on the one-way paddle from South Creek, through Middle Saranac Lake, up the river through the upper locks and into Lower Saranac Lake where we had lunch on Bluff Island then through First and Second Ponds to the takeout.  It was fairly windy so the waves were exciting on Middle Saranac, but fortunately the wind was behind us.

Lady Slipper Orchids

We walked with a group on the Hayes Brook trail system this morning to see the hundreds of lady slipper orchids that bloom there every year.