Summer 2006 |
|
If the weather gods are at all reasonable, we are planning on finishing our circumnavigation of Lake Champlain's shoreline this week ( July 31-August 6, 2006). Trip Countdown (07/31/06) - Woods Island
( 10 or 6 miles) |
|
(08/04/06) Woods Island - NEW - see below |
|
(05/08/06) South Bay - We had been told by several people to visit South Bay in the spring or early summer when the water was high. It was our first trip of the season. Ironically the water is higher now than it was then. I was opting for a shorter warm up paddle but Margy thought we should go for it since the weather was good. It is about a 9 mile paddle if one follows the shoreline closely which despite the milfoil, we did. We put in at a very nice New York boat access on the other side of Whitehall off Route 22 and for no special reason headed north first along the west shore. We were immediately taken by the number of turtles we saw basking in the sun on almost every log that was surrounded by water. Each new log brought a "Wow, that is the biggest turtle yet that we have seen on Lake Champlain." Some logs had as many as 7 turtles. We couldn't resist seeing how close we could get to them before they popped into the water.They were pretty laid back turtles which made for some good picture taking. We scooted under the railroad bridge just to make an appearance on the main lake and too reminise about our trip from Whitehall to Benson's Landing last summer and then headed south along the east shore which is also in New York. The southern half of the bay is beautiful as well with mountains and cliffs rising sharply from the shore. The entire southern end is conserved by the Nature Conservancy. We are pretty sure we saw an eagle in the area. If flew by us several times but new alighted on a tree top close enough for Margy to confirm with her binnoculars. The entire bay is shallow except for a narrow channel of about 18-20 feet in the middle and there is limited road access so the number of camps along the shore is limited. We saw little boat traffic other than fisherman but it was a weekday in early May so that may not have been indicative of a normal summer day. South Bay is a beautiful , reasonably lengthened paddle in a somewhat protected area with lots of wildlife and undeveloped shoreline. It's only drawback, which it shares with the rest of the lake south of Chimney Point, is that the water quality is not inviting to swimmers. |
|
(06/21/06) Port Henry to Westport- First day back on the water after our mini monsoon season and it feels good. This is our last trip that requires two cars and for that we are grateful. We left a car at a state boat access north of Westport and drove down to Port Henry. This stretch of shoreline is another spectacular section, just a bit less dramatic than the next section north from Westport ot Essex.. We passed some beautiful redish copper colored iron filled rock. For about 3 miles, the land rises sharply from the water and then levels off with several brooks (Beaver Brook and Stacey Brook) feeding into the lake. Thanks to the unusually high lake level, we paddled amongst the trees and around a large beaver dam at the mouth of Stacey Brook. It was a strange world of lowland turned temporary lake. There are so many shoreline trees still underwater for this time of year that already we are seeing some maples start to turn color from the stress of their wet feet. And while the high water provides new places to paddle it has left few stretches of beach or low rocks for landing where we can stop and stretch our legs. Cole Island, a small conserved island off the south shore of Camp Dudley, and 7 miles into our trip, provided the first good place to stop and get out of our kayaks. It is a wonderful little island where we would have loved to linger and explore but the day was marching on. Camp Dudley, a boy's camp established in 1885, has an incredible amount of well maintained and diverse shoreline. I can only imagine how valuable it must be and how little it probably cost at the time it was last purchased more than 120 years ago. Further north, the Westport shore is dotted with old and extremely well maintained Adirondack type camps. Many are literally right on the water, something that would probably never be allowed today. A few projected over the water. One had two cedar trees growing through its overhanging porch. |
|
| (07/06/06) Carry Bay - NEW We had actually paddled most of Carry Bay in our comings and goings for other trips but there were some holes in our coverage so we decided to circumnavigate the entire bay which lies to the west of "The Carry" between the northern and southern halves of North Hero Island. We put in at Pelots Point Marina had headed in a counterclockwise direction. We paddled under the old railway bridge just to take a peak at the broad lake, then scooted back into the Bay ducking our heads to avoid all the spider webs under the bridge. We passed a line of camps on Point of Tongue and then turned east, across the Alburgh Passage remembering well the stiff 20-25 mph south wind we had encountered several years ago when we paddled down that passage at the end of a long day. The east side of the bay is mixture of camps and wetlands. We looked for the culvert that runs under the road to the Inland Sea, hoping we might be able to paddle through it as others have told us they have done, but alas, the water level was so high we almost did not see the opening at all. Only about 4 inches of the top of the culvert was visible. Clearly fish were the only creatures that were going to pass through that opening that day. The last part of the bay, the southwestern part is actually called Pelots Bay. It is rather large, larger than we had expected. There is an interesting wetland at the southern end where Margy noted some ball shaped sacks of eggs of some sort attached under the water to cat tail roots. We have yet to learn what they were. I think the high water made this particular trip more interesting than it might otherwise have been. | |
| (07/07/06) Chipman Point - Benson Landing Loop- The lake is quite narrow at Chipman Point and the shoreline rises fairly steeply on both sides making it a beautiful location. There is a small Fish and Wildlife boat access as well as a marina. We headed south along the somewhat convoluted Vermont shore happily noting that the way back along the New York side would be much more direct. There are several areas where the land rises steeply along the east side making for some spectacular cliffs. We paddled by one where "Posted" signs were attached about a third of the way up the cliff. I was amused at their positioning wondering both how they got there and what boater could possibly trespass on such a sharply rising wall until I realized that the high water level hid what was probably a narrow pebbly beach that one would probably land on when the water level was lower. We passed what appeared to be a very old and abandon stone building just north of Benson's Landing. We were hoping to stop for lunch at the boat access at Benson's Landing but found it very busy with a house boat taking on bags of concrete and a water weed harvesting machine so we crossed the lake and found a rocking but not too steep location where we carefully defied the slippery rocks and, pulled our kayaks up and had a leisurely lunch while we watched the houseboat take on a few too many bags of concrete. It took off, listed quite strongly forward, returned to shore and re-balance its load. We later passed the houseboat just north of Mill Bay in New York, where there are several camps that have no road access so that Benson's Landing via boat is their most direct way in. At that point they were unloading the bags of concrete that appeared to be the makings of the foundation posts for a new deck. The trip back to Chipman Point was uneventful except for the fish that were jumping everywhere. We then paddled north beyond Chipman Point to cover a small section that would make our next trip to the north a little shorter. | |
(07/13/06) Schuyler Island - NEW - It felt good to get back to the broad lake today. It was sunny, hot and mostly calm as we put in at the small boat launch just south of the Port Kent Ferry dock about 1:30 pm. How different it looked from the last time we had launched here, during the rainy summer of 2004, with threatening skies and a lake level a good 2 feet lower than it is now. We paddled south along the New york shore remembering the two beautiful camps that are fortunate enough to sit on Trembleau Point with spectacular views to the east, north and south. Schuyler Island sits about half a mile off shore. It is part of the Adirondack Park and has a number of primitive camp sites as well as lots of poison ivy. We stopped on the east side at a nice pebbly beach and took a swim. The view east to Colchester and Burlington and north to South Hero is wonderful. We enjoyed it while standing waist deep in the water. We then continued around the island in a clockwise direction. When we got to the south shore Margy discovered she had left her spry skirt back at the beach and so we back tracked to retrieve it. Meanwhile a professional bass tournament had started on the lake that day and a steady stream of loud, fast moving bass boats were racing up the lake one after another. We probably saw 30 of them in an hour's time. It does seem rather strange to race around the lake at break neck speed only to arrive at a desired fishing location, stop and expect the fish to be quietly waiting for you. Meanwhile an older man on a jet ski passed us twice, each time slowing slightly from his reasonable speed, as he went by. Jet skis on the water usually put me into full alert mode, as they fly by at warp speed, making sharp spry raising turns, with the driver usually looking back at his great curve, making me wonder if he will ever see my kayak should he continue in his path toward me. Truth be known, I would love to try a jet ski but not at warp speed. I have decided that jets skis would not be such a life threatening thing if only all males under the age of 50 were prohibited from operating them. There is another great pebbly beach on the west side of Schuyler although we did not stop. Margy noticed 3 cormorants perched high on the limb of a dead poplar and wondered if they were thinking about colonizing the island. I hope not. There are so many large healthy deciduous trees on the island I would hate to see them destroyed. All in all, a paddle around Schuyler Island, leaving from and returning to Port Kent, about 7 miles in length, is a great paddle on a nice day. |
 Beach on the east side of Schuyler Island
|
(07/19/06) South Lake, Watch Point to Chipman and back - NEW - Eagles and Osprey, an historic fort, a cable ferry, two historic mountains, significant wetlands and fish jumping everywhere, this trip had me wondering what to focus on next. We were blown away by its diversity and beauty. We put in at a VT Fish and Wildlife boat access just south of Larabees Point on Rt. 73. We had our usual debate as to which way to go. Margy finally decided to head us north into a 7 mph wind reasoning that the history lay to the south which we should see when we were both willing to slow down and stop frequently and before I turned into an end of day horse heading for the barn. As we started there was a kayaker just finish a paddle. He wondered where Fort Ticonderoga was as he had headed north and not seen it. Ironically it is not visible from the boat access but lies to the south around the bend. It was not that far away but he had just chosen the wrong direction. TO the north, I was surprised to see that the cable ferry runs continuously during the day just stopping at each side long enough to load whatever cars are waiting. Right after we passed Larabees Point we spotted our first eagle flying by and there was little doubt in either of our minds that it was an eagle. They are big birds and this one was close enough that we could feel the size. I had never seen an eagle so close before. About 3 minutes later another flew by and then another, an adolescent. We were impressed. All the while we were paddling in milfoil, and water chestnut filled water. This was to be typical of both the New York and Vermont shoreline the entire day. At Watch Point we turned west and paddled across the lake, remembering the last time we had crossed here, headed east the water had been a lot rougher. The behemoth Ticonderoga Paper mill was just to the north and spewing out a constant stream of smoke. Even I noticed an irritation in my nose and throat without Margy suggesting it. Once across we headed south. We stopped long enough to watch the ferry come and go, fascinated by how the cable system works. Although there is a boat access at the New York ferry dock there did not appear to be any shade so we decided to have a floating lunch where of course there was no shade either but at least the now light north wind was moving us in the direction we wanted to go while we did nothing but eat. Shortly after that we spotted another adolescent eagle. When it flew by the first time I lost it as it alighted on a tree but shortly after that it flew directly over my head about 15 yards up. WOW!!! I was too awe struck to even take a picture. They are BIG birds. Shortly after that we rounded the bend and got our first glimpse of Fort Ticonderoga. Out timing was such that the drums began to roll and the bugles sound just as we got a full view of the fort, as if they had started to play just for us. . We lingered taking for a few moments, it all in. A little further south but still enjoying the music, we explored the opening to La Chute, an historic passage requiring a portage which leads to Lake George. Mount De finance loomed high to the west. The remainder of the trip south was hot as our breeze has died and we were sorely tempted to cut some shoreline corners, the packed milfoil and water chestnut giving us a good excuse but we kept each other mostly honest, each one of us at different times having our moments for diminished resolve. The water is not inviting to swimmers so jumping in was not a cooling off option we were anxious to take advantage of. The almost non existent breeze freshened as we turned north and we had an uneventful but somewhat cooler trip up the Vermont side. As we passed the opening to East Creek, home to a stop on the Paddlers' Trail as well as lots of wildlife, we decided exploration if it would have to wait for another day. We landed back at the boat access hot and tired but once again overwhelmed by the beauty, diversity and history of Lake Champlain. We wondered how we could have lived on the Lake this long and never visited this place. |
|
(07/30/06) Four Brothers Islands - Four Brothers Islands sit almost in the middle of the broad lake, just a little closer to the New York side. We knew this would be our most exposed trip and we wanted near calm winds and flat water for the trip. There is a long fetch to both the north and south so waves can build up easily even with a moderate wind. But we got inpatient as our lists of "to do" trips dwindled to two, and as it occurred to us that summer was marching on with lots of conflicts on our August calendars. So we set out on a beautiful crystal clear Sunday afternoon with a 5-10 mph north wind producing minor waves and no whitecaps on the northern part of the lake. This was our first trip on a boat busy weekend day. In fact we waited until mid afternoon to allow the wind to die down a little. Ha! We had forgotten what a difference 20 miles can make. We started from Indian Bay Marina on the western side of Willisboro Point and headed north. Despite a mild headwind, all was well until we rounded the point and came into full exposure of the northeast wind blowing down the lake. The smallest waves were a good two feet and around the point they were higher. Add to that the wake from the many cigarette boats that came speeding by, oblivious to our presence, and the chop was intimidating. "There are a significant number of whitecaps out there." said Margy. Wanting to wish them away I said I thought it was because we were at the point of land and there were many boats going by creating wakes. Certainly this was not the calm northern lake we had crossed on the ferry. We debated turning back but neither of us was willing to be the person to make the turn around call. As we sat there bobbing like corks, I finally I said "Let's give it a try and make a decision when we get to the red can." And of course by then we were committed. It was a rough ride, a watch every wave and pull your hat down tight sort of paddle. Once away from the opening to Willsboro Bay the cigarette boats left us alone thank goodness. If ever there is a menace to the lake they surely are it. Never once have I seen one slow down when it was in my presence. The waves they create are huge and the only way to survive them in a kayak is to turn directly into them. You can't record their registration number because they race by too fast. They make so much noise you cannot yell at them although I have done so on many occasions for my own satisfaction. I must confess to offering an appropriate hand signal from time to time but today it was not possible to even free a hand from the paddle for a few seconds. As we approached the islands we tried to figure out the best way to go around them and get in the lee as quickly as possible. There is a significant shallow shelf around each island and so the waves, racing down the lake, built up even higher the closer they got to the islands. So we stayed well off shore as we crossed to the north. We had a wild almost out of control run before the wind as we rounded the easterly most island and headed south and them cut into the lee for respite from the waves. Even the lee shore was wavy as evidence by my almost total failure to get one picture where the horizon was in fact horizontal! Two things struck us about the islands, aside from the wild paddle out and back; 1. There were spectacular views in all directions. Juniper and Shelburne Point looked close enough to touch. In fact both of us thought perhaps we should have just paddled across the lake. The 2nd thing that impressed us was the bizarre nature of this world of nesting birds. For all the destruction to the vegetation that the large population of cormorants has done to the islands, it was strangely beautiful. Besides cormorants there were terns, a white egret of some sort, black crown night herons and a variety of gulls. The westerly island is the only one with trees still standing and those are almost all dead but each branch of each tree has a resident cormorant. While I tried to take some pictures Margy observed what was going on through her binoculars. She saw two terns fly up into the air and a great black backed gull swoop down and grab a tern chick and eat it. Not nice but the way of the natural world. Meanwhile gulls and cormorants were flying overhead in large numbers each squawking in their own language. It was an amazing environment. But alas we eventually had to leave the protected lee of the islands and head back to Willsboro. We were both a little apprehensive, knowing we were lucky to have gotten out to the islands without one of us being overwhelmed by a wave. Much to our dismay, the wind had unfortunately had picked up and so the trip back was even more challenging that the trip out. We stayed as close together as was save and kept a close eye on each other. At one point Margy yelled at me and I turned around half expecting to see her in the water. (It was way too noisy to understand what she head yelled) only to see she was alerting me to 3 cigarette boats coming from behind us, headed into Willsboro Bay. They gave us no slack nor did they reduce their speed and we quickly turned so we would take their wakes straight on. I yelled at them "SLOW DOWN YOU ...........," just to make me feel better and to let off a little tension. We made it back to the opening of Willsboro Bay in good time but were delayed in turning south into the bay as several more boats sped by but eventually we found ourselves back in the somewhat sheltered waters of the bay. We figured at least if we capsized here we would be blown to shore in short order. Out in the broad lake I think our first hope for shore would have been Split Rock. We undid our spray skirts, to stretch our legs. Everything we had with us and on was wet to the chore. Once again, and for the first time this year, we had been humbled by the whims and power of Lake Champlain and we felt, first of all, thankful to have made the trip without capsizing or being run over by a speeding boat, and then pretty good about having met the challenge we inadvertently had presented to ourselves. Once back at the Indian Bay Marina the smell of french fries coming from the restaurant was more than we could stand. We are both usually very discriminating about the healthfulness of the food we eat but Margy looked at me and said "I'm having a grease attack". Within minutes we were sharing an order of potato skins and onion rings. I can't tell you how good they tasted. And now we have but one trip left to complete our circumnavigation of Lake Champlain's shoreline but we have both vowed to go back to Four Brothers on a calmer day to spend more time experiencing this strange environment and observing the bird life and the view. |
|
(08/04/06) Woods Island - There was an excitement about this day I had not expected. This was our final official trip in completing the circumnavigation of Lake Champlain's shoreline. The weather was perfect and we got an unexpected early start. We put in at Hero's Welcome and headed east planning on going between Knight and Butler Islands. Margy noticed turtles on a large rock that sits off Dameus Island so we paddled over only to have all 7 turtles disappear into the water before we got within good camera range. We proceeded on to Wood's Island which is really quite close to the St. Albans shore, and just north of Burton Island. The entire island is conserved and part of the state park system. It has primitive camp sites only. We noticed campers at 4 of the sites. None had anything less than a spectacular view of the Inland Sea. After circling the island we headed back to the rock near Dameus and this time managed to get closer to what appeared to be a family of turtles, seven in all. We circled Dameous and then paddled back to Hero's Welcome. We could not help but think back to the first day we had paddled in City Bay about 4 years ago when, because of threatening storms we turned around and headed south along the shore back to our car hoping to get there before a storm caught up to us. That day we made it as far as Shore Acres before we had to beach our kayaks and run for shelter before a wild storm struck. This was indeed a different kind of day. Finishing was almost anticlimactic except that Peter Espanshade, the Executive Director of the Lake Champlain Land Trust, and two interns met us to help celebrate the moment. His support and encouragement and that of the Land Trust has been invaluable to us throughout this endeavor and we are truly appreciative. Later in the day, together with our husbands, we celebrate with a bottle of champagne! Of course we are not going to stop kayaking. There are places we need to return to immediately that we paddled long before we knew were were on this journey, shorelines where we took no notes or pictures. And then there are all the streams and rivers that feed into Lake Champlain. For sure we are not going to stop paddling. |
|
