Focused on making progress, we were on the water just after 7 a.m. Seven miles and three hours to the Raquette River…a contented paddle with Dad leading and me lagging behind for photos…of Adirondack camps and loons, including one with a funny curled up tail that I thought was a chick until I had carefully drifted close!
About one and a half miles down the picturesque, but fast moving, river, we encountered two canoes from a group we had met the day before. They were students from Brooklyn with two of their teachers, being guided by local camp staff. One boat had capsized and was underwater, caught in a strainer by the powerful force of the flooded river.
Now Dad loves nothing better than coming to the rescue. We knew better than to pull into the same situation, so we paddled back upstream to the downstream side of a mostly stable old log. I was to end up squatting on that log for 2 hours, meanwhile acquiring some new friends from Brooklyn.
Dad thought of using a nearby tree and a rope, which we supplied, along with company for some of the boys. Quiet at first, we were soon laughing and connecting. I guess sharing Snickers and bug spray on a rolling log is a bonding experience.
From my tent window I could see hemlocks reaching out over the water, sun shimmering through, with the sparkle of water behind. Our cooking has gone from steak with potatoes and fruit to beans and franks to just franks rolled in tortillas. It still tastes good! Heard a group of coyotes right across the river at dusk, powerful and eerie.
TOTAL MILES: 62.4
Laurie Apgar Chandler 