[Pictures]
Redhawk, Val, and I had been talking about doing this for about 2 months. Val and Redhawk had previously done this paddle (2005), and their report sparked my interest.
After a relaxing Saturday hanging out with Gary (wildernessphoto) and Bob (Cold River Bob) in Caroga, we got up early Sunday to eat, pack, and rush up to Redhawk's in Wells. Much thanks to Gary for coffee and pancakes!
It rained heavily that morning for several hours. I was hoping this would help water levels because of the beaver dams I heard littered this stretch of the river. Unfortunately it wasn't enough rain to make a difference and we still had to portage, push, or pull ourselves over several dams (I counted 8) in the 4.5 mile paddle.
It seemed we all had our own agendas. Mine was to stay as pain free as possible, the maiden voyage of the newly acquired Otters wasn't smooth sailing for me. 6' 3" is a bit tall for these 9.5' recreational yaks. In my spare time at home I'm going to experiment with some padding configurations. Those seats are waaay to hard for my delicate toosh and lower back!
Val was obsessed with flowers, and for good reason. There were a ton. I noticed them in the first minutes of paddling out and across the Sacandaga. Only color I don't remember seeing was orange, but most everything else was represented along the route. Val will hopefully have some pics to share soon. I have about 5 flowers in my photos. Most of them will need idenfication, none of us are botanists but we certain appreciate their simple beauty.
We saw some wildlife, mostly the occassional fish jumping or stirred duck. It went from cloudy to sunny to heavy rain by the end.
Not much else to post really. It's a fun 3+ hour paddle with a wonderful reward at the end (Elm Lake).
Redhawk, Val, and I had been talking about doing this for about 2 months. Val and Redhawk had previously done this paddle (2005), and their report sparked my interest.
After a relaxing Saturday hanging out with Gary (wildernessphoto) and Bob (Cold River Bob) in Caroga, we got up early Sunday to eat, pack, and rush up to Redhawk's in Wells. Much thanks to Gary for coffee and pancakes!
It rained heavily that morning for several hours. I was hoping this would help water levels because of the beaver dams I heard littered this stretch of the river. Unfortunately it wasn't enough rain to make a difference and we still had to portage, push, or pull ourselves over several dams (I counted 8) in the 4.5 mile paddle.
It seemed we all had our own agendas. Mine was to stay as pain free as possible, the maiden voyage of the newly acquired Otters wasn't smooth sailing for me. 6' 3" is a bit tall for these 9.5' recreational yaks. In my spare time at home I'm going to experiment with some padding configurations. Those seats are waaay to hard for my delicate toosh and lower back!
Val was obsessed with flowers, and for good reason. There were a ton. I noticed them in the first minutes of paddling out and across the Sacandaga. Only color I don't remember seeing was orange, but most everything else was represented along the route. Val will hopefully have some pics to share soon. I have about 5 flowers in my photos. Most of them will need idenfication, none of us are botanists but we certain appreciate their simple beauty.
We saw some wildlife, mostly the occassional fish jumping or stirred duck. It went from cloudy to sunny to heavy rain by the end.
Not much else to post really. It's a fun 3+ hour paddle with a wonderful reward at the end (Elm Lake).
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