Was thinking of trying to paddle Browns Tract Inlet during spring break week mid April. Not sure if it would be navigable then or not. Has anyone ever done it, have any interest in doing it?
Brown's Tract is my favorite section of the 90-mile canoe race. I usually paddle it first in the season in June while on the Cannonball-90. There will be plenty of water flow in April, but you can expect several beaver dams to block your way that early before many other paddlers have had a chance to go through. At least a couple of the dams may require a difficult and cold water wet carry-over.
"Now I see the secret of making the best person, it is to grow in the open air and to eat and sleep with the earth." -Walt Whitman
I'm trying to get bits and pieces of the NFCT done and that is just one of them..
Some of us do the Cannonball in June, best time is around the Solstice for maximum daylight. Doing that will complete 90% of the NY portion of the NFCT for you.
"Now I see the secret of making the best person, it is to grow in the open air and to eat and sleep with the earth." -Walt Whitman
The Cannonball-90 is quite unofficial - no timers, no race officials, no awards other than personal completion, sometimes with optional pit crew support (usually not necessary). It follows the original traditional route from Old Forge to Saranac Lake village, the beginning and end of the official Adirondack Classic 90-mile race held in September.
Every June, usually begining on the Friday night closest to June 21, a few boats will begin on their own time sometime during the dark of night. I prefer to begin exactly at the stroke of midnight, to paddle the entire 90 mile route to Saranac Lake, making the trip all in the same calendar day. Sunrise occurs over Blue Mountain upon just reaching Raquette Lake after early dusk in Brown's Tract. The Long Lake bridge is exactly half way. Usually finish around just before sunset at the cedar tree in SL (at the official finish line for the 90 miler).
Holy cow! That is some epic day of paddling... What kind of boat do you use?
I've paddled the Cannonball 9 times so far (twice in the same year two different times) in a variety of boats, including a C1 Placidboat Rapidfire, a C2 Wenonah MinnII, a C4 Savage River, and a C6 custom woodstrip voyageur. Its all good team training just prior to the Yukon River Quest and the Yukon 1000 mile races.
That is awesome! I'm fascinated by this but realize I most likely couldn't do it in 24 hours. Also I don't have a boat I would consider best for this as well.
Was thinking of trying to paddle Browns Tract Inlet during spring break week mid April. Not sure if it would be navigable then or not. Has anyone ever done it, have any interest in doing it?
Thanks
Joe
me and a couple friends paddled the inlet a few years back in September, nice paddle! we started from lower pond where we were camping, and almost made it to the lake, but ran out time and beer. the water depth was good, the worse part was a couple low bridges that you might hafta portage around. i would definitely do it again, but w/ a shuttle vehicle at the lake...
Thanks for the tip on the low bridges. I was thinking when I did it I would carry my canoe back to my car. Working on a rig for my Hornbeck to mount on my steel frame backpack.
Thanks for the tip on the low bridges. I was thinking when I did it I would carry my canoe back to my car. Working on a rig for my Hornbeck to mount on my steel frame backpack.
I don't understand the low bridges comment. After the entry from the boardwalk, there may be several beaver dams in the next 2.5 miles of twisty paddling, but there is just a single bridge, at the very end of BT, just as it enters Raquette lake. True that the water in April could be high enough to cause you to have to duck under the girders, but that alone should not be any problem. (There is a large beaver dam just after the bridge that can raise the water level in BT before flowing into RL.) MoodyBlues must be talking about some other place with bridges, not any place on the NFCT.
Working on a rig for my Hornbeck to mount on my steel frame backpack.
Here's how I carry my Hornbeck. Rigid mount requires no hands. Hands are free for other tasks (navigating). This how I carried and paddled 185 miles from Boonville to Plattsburgh on ( and beyond) the NFCT
"Now I see the secret of making the best person, it is to grow in the open air and to eat and sleep with the earth." -Walt Whitman
I don't understand the low bridges comment. After the entry from the boardwalk, there may be several beaver dams in the next 2.5 miles of twisty paddling, but there is just a single bridge, at the very end of BT, just as it enters Raquette lake. True that the water in April could be high enough to cause you to have to duck under the girders, but that alone should not be any problem. (There is a large beaver dam just after the bridge that can raise the water level in BT before flowing into RL.) MoodyBlues must be talking about some other place with bridges, not any place on the NFCT.
well, we started from lower pond, NOT the boardwalk, which is quite ways down from the pond. there is a low bridge that is the BT road, and then another farther down, maybe 3/4 mile, that is even lower. i think the 2nd one is an old RR bridge.
as far as up and back from Raquette Lake, i don't know. certainly would be worth a try, tho.
the paddle between lower and upper ponds was very nice too, tho there were some beaver dams and a wooden foot bridge...
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