CRANBERRY LAKE paddling & camping
Sep. 1-3 - Cranberry Lake kayak camping. Cranberry is the 3rd largest lake in the Adirondacks, ~10 sq. mi. with 75% of shoreline state land, lots of bays & inlets. Northwest Kayaks Synergy ($1,799 used).
Sep. 1 - Paddle 8 mi. from state boat launch at north end of lake & into the SW arm, Dead Creek Flow. After some searching around we settle for an island site near the NW shore. In evening paddle to the end of the flow & watch sun set on the return. Back at camp, we watch the almost full moon rise over the hills across the flow. Loons & owls serenade us from time to time. Possibly the looniest bunch of people I've paddled/camped with this year! Chilly night reminds us that fall is not far off. Some maples already starting to turn red. Most campsites have campfires & we assume fire ban is off. Many campsites occupied by motorboaters, few kayaks & canoes seen. Also heard chainsaw from one nearby site. Otherwise pretty quiet before 9am & after 6pm.
Sep. 2 - Lots of mist on lake early. Paddle to Janacks Landing near end of flow. Hike 2.5 mi. past picturesque Glasby Pond (cute small snakes & frogs) to Cat Mtn. climbing about 800' from the lake. Views to the S & W. of much of the 5 Ponds Wilderness. Could detect cliffs on Grass Pond Mtn. next to Lows Lake (not visible) & Blue Mtn. in the distance. Late afternoon we paddle N & W into Inlet Flow/Oswegatchie River to the edge of Wanakena passing by the NYS Ranger School. Some motorboats here. Area has fair amount of old growth trees. Full moon & loon tunes on our return. Warmer night. Bugeetah names point to our N, Fecal Point, as many in the group leave our island to do their duty.
Sep. 3, 2001 - South Bay & Six Mile Creek falls. Forecast called for 15-20 mph winds, so we plan an appropriate route to avoid the biggest waves (i.e. stay away from the middle & NE side of the lake). NE up Dead Creek Flow & waves getting larger (SW winds, fetch getting longer). All of a sudden my right footbrace pulled away from rudder cable. Felt much less in control of kayak without footbraces. Landed & made repairs with multi-tool's Phillips screwdriver (a screw had come loose). Beginning to dislike rudders & favoring skegs (less moving parts). Also a reminder to those who always use their rudders for steering - would you be able to control your kayak without the rudder? It is best to paddle most of the time without the use of the rudder so that you become a better paddler. Rudders also create drag & make you work harder in calm conditions. Paddled around N side of Joe Indian Island with its many campsites & then around Buck Isl. into a protected bay S of Barber Isl. Stopped at S end of unnamed island for lunch. Around Chair Rock Point & into South Flow to its end where we admired a waterfall as Six Mile Creek enters the lake - nice spot. Bugeetah complains water is seeping into his kayak & pulls to shore. Find that 1 screw on footbraces is very loose & the other 3 are somewhat loose - moral of the story: periodically, check & tighten all screws on your kayak, always carry a multitool such as a Leatherman, duct tape & some wire wouldn't hurt either. Across South Bay, we paddle past Coles, Deremo & Witchhopple Points. Windy as we pass Shanty Rock Flow & we use Kimball Isl. to block the wind. We cross over to the NW shore, wind & waves greater but manageable, & paddle with the wind at our backs the rest of way, small rolling waves keep the paddling interesting. ~15 mi., 6.5 hrs.
More thoughts: camping out of a kayak is a bigger pain than camping out of a canoe, have to pack more carefully. Simplicity of a canoe with no moving parts is attractive. Often have to get feet wet getting in & out of kayak. Prefer to be out on big lakes in wind & waves in a kayak, tho (although Bell canoes can handle 2' waves pretty well.) I paddled a high volume Synergy which is a bit of a station wagon at 17'8" - good for camping out of, lots of primary stability from its hard-chined hull but not too playfull, especially fully loaded.
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