3 nights on Lower Saranac lake and some 90-miler time

[themadindian]

My daughter and I went out with the Hackensack river Canoe and kayak club for the annual Saranac lakes trip and had a great time as usual, this year it coincided with the Adirondack canoe classic. My daughter has been trying to decide on what her first canoe will be instead of borrowing dad's and she enjoyed the Rapidfire so I told her to rent it for a trip last month and she did the Rollins loop with it and loved it. She decided to rent it again for this trip to see how it did loaded with camping gear. After picking it up from St Regis Outfitters we soon found ourselves in some 18" rollers in very windy conditions. I personally can't get over how well that Rapidfire performed, I'm still reviewing video but I should have some to post from the way in.

Our launch from 2nd pond




I didn't take any pics on the way in but there's video from her camera and mine I'm sure. We just got into camp with just enough light to not be setting up in the dark and enjoyed dinner and a nice fire

Woke up to 42F, needless to say my kid was cold as usual

We were up on the hill in our hammocks with our canoes below us


Our main camp



We had a plan to go out to Weller pond, saw a Heron on the way up the river


The wind and waves were strong on Middle Saranac so we had lunch on the beach in between the Saranac river and Middle Saranac lake


While we were there we see a big group coming and I hear "I know that guy!" as I take the pic, I realized these are my friends from the camper's group. One couple travels with their cat and dog. I couldn't believe the cat when I first saw it 5yrs ago but it's a good "camp cat" lol. We spent a good 20 mins chatting before we all headed on our separate ways, as our group leader also knew them and had just paddled the Mullica river with them earlier this year.



Another beautiful morning


I decided I didn't have 18 miles in me to paddle out with some of the group to Lake Flower and back so I stayed in camp and made the mistake of paddling a friend's Bell Wildfire. They all thought I'd have issues in the wind with a single blade but unfortunately I took right to it. When I got in they said I looked good in it and it was boring watching me, I feel like I'm now in trouble

Relaxed with the first signs of fall and a great view



Sunday was the 90-miler and I had planned on getting out ahead of it even if I had waited out the rain in the morning but I was off by 7 miles and so an hour in my calculation and as we were loading the canoes I discovered my mistake as the first paddlers arrived on Lower Saranac lake


Three of us decided to paddle out and do our best to stay out of their way. Needless to say it was quite the experience. I wish I had all the conversations we were having with the participants. I even got a compliment on my J stroke a couple times. My daughter on the other hand wants to buy a Rapidfire and enter the race next year. I told her if she's serious I'd pit for her. Here's a video of our paddle out, a couple times I caught her taking off and keeping up with 4 man canoes, one team even commented how she was keeping pace with them, with her solo and loaded with camping gear

 

[yknpdlr]

My granddaughter, now 25 years old, last paddled with me on a 12 mile out and back race from Old Forge when she was just 8 years old. We won the family class and she was so excited. Living for several years overseas in the military with her family, then in TX and now in southern CA, and not having had any other canoeing experience, she asked me many questions about the 90 miler, which I have raced each year since 1997. Last winter she told me "Grandpa, I am committed to race in the 90 miler this year with you".

I usually have in recent years paddled in a C4 with two other constant regular co-paddlers; we usually have to recruit our 4th from fit co-workers or other people we know. . One of my constant partners is a 68 year old woman who has paddled all except one of the 43 90 miler race events so far, when she was a combat medic deployed to Iraq. Perfect for my granddaughter to fit in as #4. Usually on the carries, Mike and young man #4 normally heft the upright C4 on their shoulders and take off down the trail on a run. I fully expected to fill-in to do the same this time, but at a much slower pace than Mike and the other guy.

At each carry my granddaughter rushed right up to the bow and lifted the canoe on her shoulder and she and mike took off, even on the roughest carry of all, the legendary awful rocky boulder muddy uphill Raquette Falls carry. She carried it that way for the entire 1.2-mile miserable trail length. I could barely keep up as I kept asking her if I could take the canoe for a while, but she wouldn’t let me. In the end we finished second in our class. Once again she, and I both were equally excited about her performance.

At the end of Brown's Tract