MAIN BRANCH ST. REGIS RIVER paddling
July 15/16, 2000 - Main Branch St. Regis River (see below for directions.) Back for an overnighter; brought the Dagger Reflection 16 for its all-aroundedness - not too heavy (60lbs.), good primary (160lb. son of N. can stand up in the bow) & secondary stability, good combination of tracking & turning ability, durable for some whitewater, reasonably fast boat. Wheeled canoe into Indian Rocks put-in; spotted cars downstream 4.2 miles west on dirt road. Paddled to campsite & set up tents & tarps. After lunch paddled upstream past put-in & were soon into private land on both shores. Started to rain lightly but didn't really bother us much. Shores varied from grassy marsh to boreal forest (white pine, tamarack, cedar, spruce). After about 2.5 hrs. going at 2.37 mph (thanks to GPS companion), with views of St. Regis Mtn. to the east, river widened & became pond-like; saw 1 loon here, nice hilly tall pine shores. Downstream return only took 1.5 hrs. Some drizzle in the eve. but we had a nice fire anyway. Fireflies danced in the marsh. Sunday a.m. explored Quebec Brook maybe 1.5 mi. upstream til steep woods were at shoreline & trees blocked the way - lots of winding thru alders, occasional minor beaver dams. Packed up camp & headed down the river; occasional 5 or 10 min. shower, some sun, comfortable temp. Just before 1st. carry have to run a small drop (maybe class 1+); worst is you may get hung up on a rock at the start. See more deciduous trees on surrounding hills - you can tell things are about to change. 0.3 mi. carry on right past class 1, 2 & 3 rapids. Nehasane & son ran easier rapids between the 2 class 3 drops after carrying our gear to end of carry. 2 others in the "Road Crew" ran everything successfully after carefully scouting from shore. Short flat stretch before second 0.3 mi. carry on right. Carry is much rougher than 1st with some muddy spots despite recent trailwork. 4' Cedar Falls at start of rapids then a long stretch of boney class 2 which 3 of us ran, Nehasane soloing the R16. Due to a lot of rain this year water level is higher than might be expected in most summers which would mean the 2 sets of rapids may usually only be runnable in spring. Short stretch of flatwater (Azure Mtn now looking pretty close)comes to easy short rapid (so easy in fact that 1 of our party ran it backwards but you'd have to ask him if it was intentional or not) which can be run with full gear - if not, then there is a 100-yard carry on the left. Soon after final 0.1 mi. carry out to parking area is on the right. Great trip. Stopped at Tail O' the Pup in Ray Brook on the way home for dinner. Saw a black bear around back near dumpster helping itself to some leftovers - guess we can say we saw a bear on this trip!
July 9, 2000 - Main Branch St. Regis River. Scouting new state land (used to be owned by Champion Int'l) - you can get info by calling DEC at (518)897-1200 & asking for info on Santa Clara Tract. From Paul Smiths take Keese Mills Rd. west which turns into Blue Mountain Rd., after becomes dirt road go 4.1 miles to Indian Rocks parking area. Used the Primex Canoe Cart over the 0.7-mile carry, a grassy dirt road, took a little over 15 min (saw bear tracks - ranger saw bear swim across river a few days ago). Paddled downstream enjoying some morning sun. River here is wide with grassy shores, views of Azure Mtn. (worth the steep mile hike) to the NW. Lots of ducks with chicks, liked to dive underwater to get away from me. Saw muskrat trying to hide on shore. Checked out 3 designated campsites (2 are real nice - 1 stinks - can't tell you which - would hate it if you beat me to one of the good ones!) & took a peek at Quebec Brook. Campsites have metal fire rings buried in ground with grill to cook on - pretty handy! Turned around after 2 hours, started raining in the early afternoon & had to paddle harder against the current, nevertheless a great half-day paddle. Further downstream there is a carry back to the road of 0.1 mile (not 1.0 mile as stated in the state's flyer). More on this river soon. Blackflies & mosquitoes pretty bad in parking lot & on carry trail.
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