Day 5

25May2008

Packed up and left Kelly's Point and paddled up the rest of Long Lake. What a change from yesterday - dead calm during the paddle this morning. Rejoined the Raquette River at the Northern end and paddled to a portage at some falls. We made excellent time as we were both paddling and being born on by the current - it seemed so fast!

1 mile portage around a series of 3 falls put us down at the other end where we got some local info about weather and the trail ahead from a Ranger stationed there. The portage was absolutely mobbed with people - still in the crush of Memorial Day trippers. It is strange to see so many folks...and all trying to use the same narrow portage trail! We were happy to set out again.

More easy paddling downstream brought us to the junction with Stony Creek - here we traveled upstream along a narrow, shallow waterway. Got to use the setting pole that we made (about 11 feet long and made from spruce) to push ourselves up against the current. It worked exceedingly well and saves the arms a bit of paddling. Plus, standing up in the stern allowed me a better view of what was coming around the bend.

After working our way over a mucky beaver dam, we paddled out into Stony Creek Ponds. At the end of which lay Indian Carry - about a mile, 1/2 carry, 1/2 cart. This brought us to the Upper Saranac Lake where we paddled out to the closest camp site and promptly passed out.

All told, we did about 20 miles today - LAKE - RIVER - CREEK - POND - LAKE - what a day!

Weather: sunshine and warmth - hooray!

Wildlife: Red salamander, fish (Bean was very excited about them...), 3 loons, mergansers, red-winged blackbirds, grackles, geese with little fluffy geese

"Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing as simply messing around in boats (said the water rat solemnly). Simply messing, he went on dreamily: messing-about-in boats; messing...about in boats-or with boats...In or out of 'em, it doesn't matter. Nothing seems to really matter, that's the charm of it. Whether you get away, or whether you don't; whether you arrive at your destination or whether you reach somehwere else, or whether you never get anywhere at all, you're always busy, and you never do anything in particular; and when you've done it there's always something else to do..." ~ Kenneth Grahame