Chapter 16

Baker’s Acres to Plattsburgh

I was slow going this morning, despite nearly being 90 yesterday (which surprisingly didn’t slow me done much), I began to get a little chilly in my bag come dawn, and I slept in until almost 6 despite. I made oatmeal and joined the gang for some much appreciated coffee around the campfire. After I finished my oatmeal and had enough coffee, I took out my guide book, and said I needed to study. Ken said “if you don’t study you’ll flunk?”, to which I said “I don’t want to flunk this one”. I was reluctant to pack up and go as it was nice to chat and drink coffee and sit but eventually I got going. I said goodbye to all and they wished me well and bade me to be careful.

I was in the water around 9 and already it was getting warm again. The 7 miles from Baker’s Acres to Cadyville were easy sandy bottom with no bumps, but the flow was steady and I was making great time. I startled two deer drinking at the rivers edge as I silently passed them.

Before long I came to Cadyville Dam for a 2 mile portage. The first half was past some residential areas before going down what is now a service road for the power company. My guide book and map said to get to the closed bridge paddle under it and take out immediately only the other side to continue the portage. Well the bridge isn’t there anymore which left me a second guessing myself for a bit. The water was too low to take out where I imagined I was supposed to, and I will say this section is poorly marked. I scrambled through brush and stones past an old toiled and half a dozen dead dried out fish. Soon I was going down the road following this massive penstock pipe, it must be 8 feet in diameter. I realized down the hill that my spare paddle wasn’t in my boat. I left the canoe and cart and back tracked to find my paddle in the brush and then carried on. The end of the portage is a place for anglers, and there was a man fly fishing with his golden retriever wading and splashing in the water around him. I took a rest and used my stove to reconstitute some pasta and red sauce.

The next six miles were supposed to be class I and II rapids that may be unrunnable in low water. What’s more I had four more portages along the way. The water was just enough to make due but I was bumping and dragging quite a bit and had to get out a time or two. It was a frustrating hour or more going down but soon came the Treadwell Mills Dam and the river deepened above it. Just as I neared the portage an eagle dropped to the water and came up with a fish not 30 yards over my shoulder. As I got out more tadpoles than I’ve ever seen together were all in the shallows. They were big must be bullfrogs.

The Cadyville Portage is nearly a mile long, crossing a highway entering the dam’s gated area through a fence and following a gravel road a long a canal. Again the markings weren’t clear and I went too far (although they may have extended the trail) and back tracked to get in the water. The water was deeper here but had good rapids and I practiced my ferrying skills and had a lot of fun going down these.

Unfortunately my fun didn’t last. The next three portages were nearly back to back. It wasn’t 5 minutes that I came to the unmarked and breached Indian Falls dam. I bushwhacked around to an area where people fish, and drink, and don’t clean up after themselves. It was an unfortunate juxtaposition, I found the forest floor covered in white trilliums in numbers I’ve never seen before mingled with beer cans and at least one needle. What seemed like only 10 minutes I was at the next day and in sight of industrial areas of Plattsburgh. By now I was tired and sick of portages.

I made another at times bumpy ride into Plattsburgh. The river passes a SUNY campus which was unexpected sight as I fought with hydraulics more complicated than I bargained for. But at last I made it to the take to portage around the Remediation Work for the last mile around to Champlain.

I decided to get a hotel room as Plattsburgh is a city, and last I heard there was thunderstorms this evening/tonight into tomorrow and maybe the next day. Not ideal for crossing Champlain. I may end up laying low for a couple days to wait for more favorable weather, and laying low under my canoe in a thunderstorm did sound great. The hotel was 2 long miles from where I was and my hands are red (just one blister) and my feet are tired.

That’s that! It may be a few days before an update as I wait for better weather and as I said I am being frugal with my phone battery. Cheers!