RAQUETTE LAKE paddling
Sep 27, 2017 - RAQUETTE LAKE afternoon paddle from North Point Rd. Put-in on W side of bridge, downstream side. Started paddling in summer, finished in fall! Mix of private & state land. 1.5 miles to 1st lean-to. 2.5 miles to Boucher Point lean-tos - these have been pushed back back from the water & refurbished - not sure if I missed 1 but only saw 2 - houses right next door. 4 jetskis passed, light moboat traffic. Passed Beecher Island, around Bluff Pt & into Boulder Bay. Went up Boulder Brook (grassy mouth, lots of pickerelweed, tamarack swamp to the S) a half mile, lifted over a beaver dam but turned around at the next. Blue Mtn in the distance. Wish I had started earlier, would have gone further up the brook. West Mtn to the W. Paddled a little S toward Tioga Point & took a break on sandy beach. Not much wildlife - a gull - then near the end on Outlet Bay some black ducks. No loons. Only 1 stable fly. 11.11 miles, 4.25 hours.
Sep 2 & 3 - RAQUETTE LAKE kayak camping. Had planned to do Lake Champlain but after looking at the marine forecast opted against it due to wind magnitude & direction. Still got waves up to 2'. From Rt.28 next to South Inlet. Raquette Lake has an irregular shoreline & shorelength is 32.8 miles. Most of bays have state land, most of the points are private with a variety of camps. There were many powerboats out Sunday but noticeably less on Monday (Labor Day). We went in & out of most of the bays excepting Outlet Bay + a ways down the Marion River. In the bays one often finds campsites/leantos (none occupied), sandy beaches, mountain views, loons & osprey. We camped at a little-used site in Eldon Lake. 15mph sustained W winds (gusts higher) produced waves over 1' whenever fetch was over 1 mile. 29 miles. Venture Skye, a 16'5" touring kayak with skeg.
Aug 23&24, 2009 - BROWN'S TRACT. Stayed at Brown Tract Pond State Campground. Paddled Lower & Upper Ponds which are connected by a shallow twisty stream, a short carry/drag to get around a trail bridge. Osprey, ducks. Heard thunder so returned quickly. Next day: pine-topped rocky island in Upper Pond, stopped & climbed a ladder for view from rock. Down the outlet & short carry across road into Brown's Tract Inlet which snakes its way to Raquette Lake Village. Very narrow at first but things open up as one travels downstream. Soon had to get past downed tree & barely make it under an old railroad bridge. Some beaver dams the rest of the way but we were able to paddle thru in both directions. Nice cliffs on Wolf Mt to the N. Stopped for lunch at beach in village - lots of motorboats on the lake - ice cream from the general store. Back the way we came. 5 hours. Mosquitoes: light; deerflies: moderate. Bell Northstar, a light 16.5' canoe.
May 17, 2009 - SOUTH INLET (of Raquette Lake). 2 miles to falls. Pitcher plants; flowering: bog rosemary. leatherleaf. Too cold (40s) & windy for blackflies.
May 3, 2004 - BROWNS TRACT INLET & PONDS canoeing. Put-in at a small beach next to the general store in Raquette Lake Village. 40F as we started out - wore Aquashell wet suit for thermal protection - by afternoon, warmed to the 50s with some sun. Go S a short distance past a couple of loons then turn W into Browns Tract Inlet. Cliffs of Fox Mt. seen to the N. Shores are bog & marsh with tamarack trees - see a northern harrier (marsh hawk). Expect a couple of beaver dams. 2.5 miles to Eighth Lake carry. Continued on past carry for about a mile to Lower Browns Tract Pond - stream narrows significantly & turns are tight - lots of 15" fish in this section. Carry across snowmobile bridge - Enjnir, in a Bell Bucktail, was able to go underneath. Carry across dirt Browns Tract Rd bridge then into the Lower Pond whose attractive piney shores are part of state campground. A large piney island with some large rocks at W end looks like a giant turtle when seen from N or S. Paddled the perimeter past some mallards, mergansers & a lone loon. A narrow stream connects to the Upper Pond - some beaver dams & a footbridge to go over. Upper Pond has a few camps on S shore. Return the way we came now with the current & a bit of a tailwind. Bell Merlin II , a 15' composite (Kevlar) solo canoe.
Apr 28, 2003 - SOUTH INLET of RAQUETTE LAKE canoeing & hiking. Put-in on E side of Rt.29 bridge. 15-25 mph winds. Battling a headwind as I paddled the 2 miles to the Cascades in about an hour. Placed my waterproof SealLine Boundary 35 Daypack in the bow of the canoe to make it slightly bow heavy & thus easier to keep pointed into the wind because the higher end of the canoe wants to go downwind. Hiked the trail on E shore past the Cascades & rapids - 1.5 mi. to Sagamore Rd, L on the road, L again & L again onto trail along S shore of Sagamore Lake - Camp Sagamore, an old Adirondack great camp, could be seen across the way. Soon reached top of a cliff 100' above the lake with nice views across to Wakely Mtn. L again at fork & followed old logging road marked with the occasional ribbon until reaching a "T". Other old logging roads criss-cross the area & I do not recommend venturing around this area without map & compass. A L here seemed to make the most sense (no markers) & I was soon back onto the Cascades trail. The paddle back took 40 minutes with very little effort. Spent a little time out on main part of lake but never far from shore (whitecaps out in the middle).
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