LONG LAKE paddling
Apr 30, 2016 - Long Lake canoe camping. Lousy weather forecast - rain & temps 40-45F - so more camping than canoeing. Left the boat launch in Long Lake Village in a light rain - felt comfortable & dry inside in an aquashell wetsuit, semi-dry top & pants plus neoprene gloves & mukluks. Did not care for the leantos at Catlin Bay (too much civilization in view) & Hidden Cove so pushed on to Kelly Point. 5.7 miles in 2.1 hours. Lunched then hung out in camp the rest of the day. Did not rain most of the afternoon & when it did I kept the fire going by building a roof over it. A mouse showed itself early so kept a watchful eye on the food. Kelly Point, a scenic spot, has 2 leantos just 100' from each other. Saw 3 motorboats go by all day; one towed a canoe. Barred owls & loons called out at night. Dry in the morning so got an early start out. Poked up Big Brook 0.8 miles to foot of rocky rapids - white-throated sparrows called out. Started to rain lightly. Raining harder back at the launch. 6.5 miles in 2.3 hours. Saw loons, turkey vultures, kingfishers, common mergansers & red-necked grebe.
Aug 1, 2004 - LONG LAKE kayaking. Put-in at the state launch just north of the village. From here it is 9 miles to the NE end of the lake - the farther you go the more scenic it gets. Moderate motorboat traffic didn't detract greatly from the wonderful mountain scenery. At 4.2 mi. stopped at Kelly Point for lunch & swim on beach. Bald eagle flew overhead en route. No-one camping in leantos. Found wild raspberries & blueberries. Continued on thru Camp Islands to Slim Point where there is an extensive sandy beach - this area is private but the Cold River Chapter of ADK was having its annual meeting here & we had permission to land. Kempshall Mt. dominates the E shore rising 1,700' above the lake - the Sewards & Santanonis in the distance to the NE - smaller mountains to the W. 15 miles, 6.5 hrs. Swift Saranac 14 , a 14' composite touring kayak - very good tracking, turning, primary /secondary stability, comfort, speed (had no problem hanging with the 16-17 footers), virtually unaffected by wind (10-15mph with higher gusts) in any direction (didn't drop the skeg) - this is one well-behaved kayak! Anyone taller than 5'9" may want to wait for the Saranac 14.5 - I had the footbraces on the last setting.
Aug. 6, 2000 - Long Lake. Northwest Kayaks Synergy sea kayak. Put in at state launch near Long Lake Village. Headed to northern end of lake with high peak views (Sewards & Santanonis). Took about 3 hours to get to beach just west of the Raquette River. After lunch (& some wild blueberries) headed down the river past the Lost Channel leanto & turned around. Upstream definitely more work. Stopped at same small beach on east shore for a break going out & on return. Northville-Placid Trail parallels the lake if you would like to stretch your legs. A little rain for the last hour but who cares? Took short swim at end - lake water was warmer than the rain. Well over 20 miles on the day. The Synergy (I have the HV high volume version - reg. version would probably be ok for me at over 200 lbs. & give me yet a little more speed & tighter fit) performed superbly - above avg. speed, great acceleration, tracking in wind, turning on edge, useful compass mounted on front hatch cover - seat felt a little uncomforable at first but actually got better throughout the day - love this boat! Less motor boat traffic than expected - no PWCs - must have been at least 6 groups of 10-12 people heading out in canoes looking for campsites up the lake.
Aug. 4/5, 2001 - Long Lake/Raquette River canoe/camping. Put-in at the state boat launch in Long Lake Village after spotting cars at the state fishing access site on Rt.3 east of Tupper Lake. Headed north on Long Lake. A few motorboats passed us along the way. Stopped at a beach about half way up the lake near the old trail to Kempshall Mt. & went for a swim in the warm water. The Seward Range dominated the view to the north & the Santanonis to the east. At the north end of the lake (9.5 mi. from start) is a large (& popular) beach backed by red pines & blueberry bushes which made for a nice lunchstop. A light current helped us along the 6 mi. of Raquette River to the 1.25 mi. carry around Raquette Falls. Doubled the carry; one trip with most gear & paddles strapped to a Sealline Propack & a second trip carrying the canoe (please remind to add a yoke pad). A couple of touring kayaks were in our group & both showed up with Paddleboy carts that go over the end of the kayaks requiring one to lift most of the weight of the kayak over somewhat rough terrain (especially the early uphill secftion.) The small hard rubber wheels do not travel well over trails & I only recommend this cart for rolling your kayak over pavement or very smooth dirt surfaces. I had brought my Roleez Canoe/Kayak Cart which I did not use on my canoe because I found it relatively easy to do a regular overhead carry. The Roleez's fat pneumatic tires + the fact that it centers under the load made it easier to bring the kayaks thru the carry (for 4WD, put the Roleez in the middle & the Paddleboy over the rear end!) A bunch of kids were in the leanto near the end of the carry but there are many nice piney campsites in the area. A ranger station is near & the affable Ben Woodard stopped by the campsite to say Hi in the evening. Years ago, Ben had taught a 2.5 day wilderness 1st aid course which I had participated in. Took a short walk along a side trail along the river to the scenic Lower Falls. The main drop is about 8' but side channels add to the visual interest. Waited somewhat impatiently for the full moon to rise over our crackling campfire. Converted my Thermarest into a very comfortable (+ compact & light) Easy Chair (backpacker's combo of sleeping pad, easy rest, stuff sack & repair kit can be had for under $100 at APnP - call (518)346-3180 to order, only $5.95 shipping.) Last one to bed & first to rise, Nehasane takes a walk to the beach area near the end of the carry trail. Sit on a rock & sip my coffee as mist rises over the river. An osprey takes off from a tree across the river. A bald eagle (possibly 2) lands on a tree a bit downstream. We take our time breaking camp & then paddle about 6 mi. to the beach landing just before the Stoney Creek. Kingfishers & sandpipers are often seen. The white-toed, long-legged flycatcher was everpresent (Hombrua's dog.) Shoreline along most of the river is mostly silver maples with a tall grass understory. Red cardinal flower, purple pickerelweed & white water lilies added color to the show. Low water level reveals sandy banks. Leantos dot the whole route along Long Lake & the Raquette. Short distance past Stoney Creek we pass Axton Landing, a popular put-in site, & then it is about 7 mi. to our take-out. As we travel closer to our endpoint, more motorboats are evidenced & only detract slightly from the trip. Shoreline varies a bit (occasionaly steeper & more pines) & some choice campsites are passed. Care has to be taken to stay in proper channel but red & green navigation buoys help (but I wouldn't mind if they were removed.) Did most of the trip in the stern of the Bell Northwind which glided along wonderfully & turned easily thru the many bends in the river. Near the end switched places with Hombrua & I paddled his Bell Merlin II rediscovering the pleasures of paddling solo in a great canoe. Mostly sunny, light breeze, perhaps a bit too hot. Some deerflies bothered others more than me; surprised at the lack of mosquitoes. Over 30 mi. of paddling; min. of 1.25 mi. of carry (I walked at least 4 mi.)
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