Chapter 5

Long Lake to Stoney Brook

Wow what day! I was so wiped yesterday and this morning so I intended to take it easy on myself so I didn’t burn out. And I did! But I still made it to Stoney Creek my intended goal!

After writing and posting my previous post. I dragged myself out of bed and lugged my gear down to the public beach. I ran into Elise and Trisha reading in the hotel, and said goodbye to them again. I then set out to Another Paradise Cove Cafe, a kayak rental/coffee shop I spotted on my trust NFCT map.

I wasn’t sure that they were open but the door was ajar and there was a dog sitting on the porch. So I went in and met Stacey the proprietor. She wasn’t exactly open yet but was kind enough to get me a coffee anyway. I told her about my paddling and how the previous stretch took it out of me hence my late start. She assured me that Long Lake and Raquette River were easy going and beautiful and that the weather was looking good. She threw in a couple peanut butter and chocolate cookies to energize me. And I also bought a spork which I found out Sunday night was missing from the mess kit I grabbed ( I could have sworn I double checked!).

A little aside: I, as you can imagine, have a lot of alone time to think on this trip. And today I was thinking about gratefulness. Do it, be grateful for something! If you’ve ever done a trip like this or maybe run marathon, something that pushes you and is uncomfortable, then you know how it is to have something little like peanut butter cookies suddenly be like the Holy Grail. I don’t want to say everyone needs to go on a wilderness excursion to find that perspective, that theme has been done to death and it frankly isn’t for everybody and that’s OK. But try to find something to be grateful for in your everyday life we don’t do it enough. I was going to wait for the end of my trip to do this but it became too poignant today to wait: thanks Stacey for your awesome cookies it really gave me a boost physically and mentally. Thanks to my buddy Cody, who’s my “ride or die” as they say nowadays, who drove 7 hours out with me and 7 hours back alone for nothing in return really. Thanks to my cousin Sara’s friend, Allie, for making a bunch of freeze dried meals that are totally delicious! Thanks to my friend Alana’s dad, Mark, who was already on my list for offering to be on standby in case any thing went sideways for me but met me at Stoney Brook today (more on that later). Thanks to my parents for running last minute errands for me while I was working to make sure I had all my gear and I know would do anything for me. And thanks to my aunt, Stella, for taking care of my animals and offering to pick me up at the end and also would do anything for me. Thanks so much!

Ok you came here for my trip not my pontificating: after Stacey and her transfixing cookies, and encouragement, I set out on the upper half of Long Lake. It was sort of overcast but I knew it was going to clear up and wasn’t supposed to rain. I for once had a tailwind that really pushed me along. Sometimes it was a little choppy and some strange crosswinds from different bays but mostly smooth sailing and good speed (4.9 mph at one point!). Stacey informed me the islands made mileage easy to count, the first island was 3 miles, the second pair was 6, and then the end of the lake is nine. I had my first cookie once I reach 3 miles and my second at 6.

At the end of the lake you enter the Raquette River. The start of which was marshy with winding paths that could be deceiving (I seemed to pick all the right routes but I can see going up the wrong channel). It smelled what I can only describe as marshy, or like a beach with dunes, maybe less salty tang. It was all marsh grass and stunted oaks and some plant that reminds me of high-bush blueberries but I don’t know it’s name. This went on a ways before cedars joined the oaks which were becoming less stunted and more sprawling, and soon pines and hemlock and spruce crowded out the oaks.

As Stacey told me, this went on for six miles before I saw the first warning sign on a boulder about the rapids, followed by the second seen above. To emphasize the point, the sign is adorned with the broken remains of an aluminum boat. The carry was about 1.3 miles and some of it fairly steep. I was all and all feeling good, 15 miles without needing to carry! But in the spirit of taking it easy I decided to make 2 trips to be safe (my foot was feeling much better). I noticed drag marks in the sand and some wet foot prints on the stone steps going up the trail, and knew I was closing in on the NatGeo group. I started with my bags up the path. As I crested the first uphill, I heard a high pitched squeal like noise, followed by a lower guttural like noise. Now I think it was the groaning of some trees in the wind, but my mind immediately though of a cub and a mother bear. It froze to listen and assess, clapped my hands to make sure everything was aware I was there and skidaddled before we had a row. I started singing and continued on. And it was an emotional moment for me, like Luthien singing in the depths of Angband, bringing light and levity into the unknown (yes Tolkien reference). I don’t know where all this sentimentality is coming from, just being dog tired and some cookies I guess.

The trail was lined with moss with flowers growing out of it. Bluettes I think they are called and some star shaped white flower that reminds me of edelweiss but definitely isn’t. At the end of the trail I caught the group! They were just putting in as I dropped off my bag. We chatted some as time allowed and they told me to join them at camp. I knew I probably wouldn’t manage it tonight as I had to walk back and then carry the trail, and I was trying to go easy on my self.

After carrying the canoe I had intended to sit down and eat some tuna, but I was feeling good and it was about 5 o’clock and I wanted to get to one of the campsites further down from the falls. It was beautiful. The sun was out but lower than the trees so it wasn’t baking me over head but still sunny and warm. I came around a bend and peepers started chirping setting the musical background. I came around another bend with a high bank and some birches when an eagle flew out going down river. I followed him to the next bend where he took off again, and just below him was a beaver who angrily slapped his tail and disappeared at the sight of me. All witnessed by a merganser paddling near the beavers. Not far after that I caught the glimpse of a deer’s amber coat before her bushy white tail disappeared into the brush.

It wasn’t long after this that on the right shore I saw what looked to be a person. My eyesight isn’t the best though so I couldn’t quite tell if it was or it wasn’t at first. As I saw it was not only a person but looked like Mark. I waved like a normal person instead of leering at him to try and see, and he waved back and said “Josh?”, and I knew it was him! I was totally stoked because my day had been so great and it was awesome to see a familiar face. He told me I was at Stoney Creek and the lean to was open, score! He met me down at the beach and showed me up to the lean to. We chatted for at least hour or so as I was making dinner and setting up shop. He’s going on his own adventure next year into Alaska driving out from New York up north maybe Yukon territory and British Columbia, visit his sister in Denver, maybe we have another blog to follow soon! What beats all was Mark bought and brought some portage wheels and offered them to me! He said he has been wanting to get them anyway so this was an excuse, but I think he was down playing his hospitality. I think he said he had been waiting for a couple hours to catch me but the conversation moved before I could ask him again. So generous!

That was day 3! This was what I signed up for! Really great day. Ok I am behind on posts thanks to lack of connectivity for 2 days, and boy I’m long winded! Next couple posts I’m going to try and keep shorter. Tomorrow I’ll get day 4 posted in the morning so we’re not inundated all at once.