Sprite Creek 2011

Hey, I'm throwing this up quick so please forgive the grammar, spelling and inaccuracies...

Sprite Creek runs during the draw down of Canada Lake and other assorted times when it rains and water spills over the dam at Stewart's Landing. (Not to be confused with Stewart's Bridge Dam on the Lower Sacandaga River.)
Water is let down each year beginning on Nov. 15th until the water is so low the top tanner gate is wide open. After that it's a free flowing creek once again. The exception is Leap Years when the lake is dropped about four feet starting on Oct. 15th. Then on Nov 15 the water is dropped to winter levels. This is for any dock repairs that shore owners need to make.
Locals: This is NOT boater country. My friends are hunters, four wheelers, snowmobilers, ATV's and loggers. I have managed to turn a couple to the dark side.  But, if you all have a problem with diversity in the great outdoors... well we just don't want to hear about it. While I hunt, I still believe in the right to arm bears and while I'll hug a tree, I do have the "Earth First, We'll Log the Rest of the Planets Later" T-shirt. (Cotton T-shirt).
No body thinks banjo jokes are funny any more.
The Creek:
The get in is where the fish bump their heads.... DAM! (ok I'm tired, coming off a 24 hr shift...)
Once the Tanner Gate is open it has been known to provide a thrill ride to Sprite Creek. Highly advisable to scout this before committing. It also helps to know you can clear the gate as it is GRADUALLY raised over the week.
The creek I split into two sections: above the RT 119 bridge and below the RT 119 bridge.
Upper section is tight technical and blind in spots but can be boat scouted the whole way with the right skills. If you need to land scout every blind corner than you are going to be awhile. BIG caution <WOOD> collects on this creek like a bad metaphor on a blog.  Beware, I carry a saw, and sometimes I cut wood with it.

Thanks Brabunit

Before you get to the lower section you'll have to pass under the RT 119 bridge. Three hazards: the drop immediately above the tunnels, the bridge support that splits the channels and the hole at the other end.  At high water the hole at the other end is a stopped and a recirc'er... beware.
Below here the river character changes to more pool drop. A little harder to boat scout and at least two drops need to be scouted from shore. Wood still collects in many inconvenient spots. There are two water falls that have fun technical lead ins to... the rocks have been moving around on many drops and at the base of the second falls.

Thanks Brabunit.

I guess I can start measuring my boating career geologically.
There are names to the drops... some like Crack Whore are more specific to events at a particular drop... I personally retired Wild Child and now just call the whole thing the "Bridge Drop"....
The upper section I grade... eh, get the guide book... I never was good at grades.
The following videos are for entertainment only and are not a substitute for river running or creeking skills.  Watching them may make you feel superior...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UOnbIRv1yM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWyaCjJnXgI

Eastern Mountain Sports Insulated Fence Mender Pants

Let's cut to the chase: These are the best pants since they started putting legs on shorts.

They're lined with a thin and LIGHT primaloft insulation. Not too much bulk, excellent movement, non restricting and I've actually mended fences while wearing them...  I've also worked in the woods, built MTB trails, went canoeing (but stayed in the canoe), but they really excel at sitting around the campfire on a cold fall night.

The EMS pose.

Pockets... The pockets are lined with puppy dogs' ears. Soft.  It would be nice to have one zippered pocket.  The hammer loop is made from a tough nylon material that's rolled for easy access. The two aft belt loops are also made from nylon but I don't know why.  The inner waist band is also reinforced with nylon and the stitching and rivets go all the way through including the lining.

There is one negative review on the EMS Website.  http://www.ems.com/product/index.jsp?productId=10919680&cp=3707807.12194889
I don't know what this guy was thinking. He bought them... then discovered they aren't nylon???

Yep, the pockets are this soft!

If you're looking for a pair of outdoor, bang around, working trousers than buy these... not mine. I've been wearing them since I got'em.

Deep In the Drainage ELF

It rained in the drainage. Hard. Flash Flood warnings. The rain pelted the roof all night. I could barely sleep. Eagerly anticipating the next day. Creeking in August on free flowing streams.

I got up and looked out at the river. I could see rocks. Not a good sign. I checked the 24hr cumulative on the radar. It showed yellow all throughout the watershed. I checked the USGS gauges online. They were shooting straight up but not to the point that provided any confidence.

Puttering around the house I was skeptical that any local creeking was going to happen, at least in a hard shell boat.

Plan B: Load up the ducky, mountain bike and fly rod. I figured it was a safe bet that I would be able to mix all three into an adventure for the day, maybe into the evening.  So I ran off to load everything up and search for a few vital components. As I was leaving I thought better of my plan B and ran back into the house to leave a note.  

I headed north up into the drainage- some of the smaller creekers looked promising but as I started to pick off the favorites it became clear that nothing was going on this side of the drainage. I gassed up in Sparkle City- ripped of by gas prices a good 20 cents a gallon higher than down in the valley and bought an over priced sub that turned out to be pretty good.

Next valley over, things were looking good so I dropped off my boat and fishin gear and drove the truck down to the take-out. Here the water looked low but still paddlable. It was a short, 3mile bike ride back up.

I felt better about leaving the note as I wound up at the last resort destination on my list of possibilities and there is not any DEC sign in boxes where I was going.

 

The paddle in on the flatwater section showed renewed beaver activity and one did startle me as it slapped its tail right along side my boat.

 

The clouds looked like it may produce the forecasted thunderstorms.

 

The water level is quite a bit lower than I thought it would be. This is ELF boating (Extremely Low Flow) good times.

 

I did not get any interest from the local brook trout population throwing out a nymph with some attractor colors, but the dry flies sure piqued their interest.

Paddling with an Old Friend, In Old Boats, On an Old Favorite River

Hey, they're not making 'old' friends like they use to, at least as the older I get. So when I got a phone call, not a text or an email, an actual phone call, to go paddle the Sacandaga River, I jumped at the chance.
This old friend showed up one late night on my door step decades ago. Back when we lived in a trailer next to the river.  He had paddled by and from the river saw our kayaks loaded on the roof of our van. By the time he got to his car and drove back to where he thought we lived it had gotten pretty dark. Persistent he is, and after driving some back roads he finally stumbled upon our home and knocked on the door. Now not too many people ever come out our way unannounced so we thought someone was in trouble. But our future old friend explained it was his first day out with his Dancer and he was looking for someone to paddle with or take him paddling. We agreed to take Dancer out and show him some local rivers and give him a couple pointers. But we really thought he would be like most beginners and get tired of swimming or get too busy with life and eventually quit. But Dancer kept with it and developed into a competent, independent and safe boater with class V skills.
Life gets in the way but fortunately the river was still there waiting.

Seldom Seen Places in the Drainage

Granted there is some flat water to paddle.  But, it’s not like the upper Otter Creek with the largest logjam east of the Mississippi River, I tried to explain to Burn. “Come on man”, I protested, “I’m taking you where few boaters have traveled. “

There isn’t even a fishermen trail, there are no campsites, or old fire rings. Can’t paddle here in the spring because the road is seasonal, and when the spring thaw goes out the road is impassable due to mud. By the time the road is passable the bugs are out in force, black flies, mosquitos, deer flies, noseeums. They can make the paddle into the whitewater seem much longer than it is.

How long is this long flat-water approach? I don’t know and I really don’t mind the paddle. One hot summer day we searched for a short cut. Dennis, Rio and I hiked in from the road where it was closest to the creek. After bushwacking around for most of the day, without map or compass or water, we staggered through the swamp that separates creek from road. Rio kept cool by wallowing through the mud, Dennis and Mike kept cool by… well, wallowing in the mud. 

Looking back upstream at Real Drop #3

Walking away from Countyline Creek

Anticipations were off the scale as rain had been coming down in the drainage for a few days. As chance would have it I was able to squeeze in some time for an assault on Countyline Creek.  However, time was tight, 10AM to 2PM. This is more than enough time for a casual paddle but gets tight when you have travel constraints. Last minute plans included my friends Burn and Nomad to meet mid morning. On my way home I got a call from another friend M243. The four of us were to converge at the get in/ take out at 10.

When I arrived I immediately walked over and peered through the dense foliage and across the East Branch of the Sacandaga River and spied the last falls. It looked ideal, with a sheet of water splashing over the mid-stream portion of the falls.

Eventually the late arrivals made their way and started suiting up. M243 and Pure hiked down and paddled over to the bottom of CLC to wait. A short walk up to the bottom falls and I was surprised to see much more water coming down than what I had thought. M243 and Nomad are not familiar with this creek so I pointed out some of the nuances of the last drop. Even at high water there is a piton rock on the right that continues to be in play and the river left chute drops into a sticky hole.

We regrouped and started hiking up stream and as soon as I saw the next drop I knew that this was not going to be good. This is the widest drop on the river and it was completely covered. Everything from here on up is narrower and steeper. The higher flow would push one gorge into another. I knew this from experience. This drop we were looking at had cost me a boat and a friendship. I really miss that boat.

So, I called it. “This isn’t the day”, I said. M243 was gracious, Nomad and Burn looked relieved. The crux was the time and group size. Burn and I had paddled this at about this level and I had even paddled it solo and survived. However, there was the potential for the group to get too spread out with the less familiar getting left behind as the more experienced got flushed downstream. There would be no way to boat scout and give verbal descriptions before dropping into the many gorges. Then people would be forced to get out and scout from shore and this takes time that I didn’t have to spare.

We hiked back down the short ways and paddled out and back across. Regrouping, we hopped on the East Branch of the Sacandaga and had a great, and relaxed, paddle/surf session.

Cheers.

Pick Two

Pick Two

Expense, Weight, Durability

How much money do you want to spend? This will greatly influence weight and durability. Rotomolded plastic is the cheapest yet most durable option. Sure you could find a chopper’d sprayed in vinylester/fiberglass boat cheaper BUT, it would not be more durable and would be much heavier. 

There is a relatively ‘new’ process called by different proprietary names, but they’re generally referred to as ‘Thermo-formed’.  These boats take plastic to the next level: they’re slightly lighter, maybe a tad less durable than roto-molded and more expensive.

On the other end of the continuums we have composite boats. They’re much lighter using vacuum bagging techniques, exotic materials such as Kevlar, carbon fiber, and/or honeycomb foam cores with epoxy resins. Options such as keel strips add significant durability and still more expense. Materials aside, hand made boats are time intensive and much more expensive.

Therefore, you can have a high performance boat that is light and durable but you will pay thousands of dollars or euros.  You can have a boat that is cheap and durable, but it will weigh significantly more.

This brings me to two boats that I would like to own. 

Rockpool Taran and the Wilderness Systems Zephyr

Rockpool Taran

I’ve never paddled one but this boat just screams at me. Long, composite, and wicked cool graphics. I have no idea what it would cost because I can’t find one in the U.S. It’s just not a long and fast boat that tracks straight. Supposedly it also surfs and turns without the aid of a rudder (although it comes with a rudder/skeg system).  Love at first sight… I can smell the resin…

Wilderness Systems Zephyr

OK, so here is a boat I could afford and really like to paddle. On the shorter side at 16 feet (the boat also comes in a 15.5 foot model but it’s a little tight on my legs) this boat has a ton of rocker which means it will turn and surf. (And it comes in Orange)

Technically, rocker is the shape of the hull when looking from the side. A flat-rocker’d boat will track straight and be slightly faster because of the long waterline. A rocker’d boat will be upturned at the end (think of a banana with the ends turned up) and will turn easier, but be a tad slower due to the shorter wetted waterline. 

If you have a cool picture of the Zephyr, send it.

Great Sacandaga is a Resevoir but it's called a Lake

Great Sacandaga Lake, collection point for water in the drainage, is really a reservoir. A reservoir built, ehhhh, around 1930 to hold back the water and prevent flooding on the Hudson River. I think also to augment commercial shipping and keep the salt water below Poughkeepsie during the summer when the flow of the Hudson is at its lowest. The name change to the Great Sacandaga Lake is most likely for aesthetics and to attract tourist. 

Where outcast pirates go.

June 8^th, near record high temp forecasted to 93F (ok, for some not that hot but humid) a group of us launched from the Northville DEC Boat ramp and paddled south towards the flooded Northampton Campground. The lake is relatively narrow in this stretch but within a few miles it opens up to an area that is six miles across. Here the winds from the west have more to work with and the fetch can create some large waves and whitecaps.

We paddled around a few islands, into and out of the wind, and then headed back north. There were a couple Bald Eagles riding the thermals and the mountains to the west were hazy with pollen. 

Change in weather, pace picks up.

Half way back the western clouds started to build and darken with a distant rumble of thunder. The forecast, while hot, did not predict any thunderstorms. However, we were not surprised by the change. The ‘nowcast’ was obviously more accurate. The paced picked up noticeably as we nonchalantly developed alternative plans should the front close us off. Even though I planned the trip the group was comfortable with sharing decisions, see Common Adventure Model in Outdoor Leadership.

Ominous Sky

We stuck to plan B and bypassed the lakeside Pub continuing back to our vehicles. The storm pretty much passed to our south with just a brief down pour to hasten securing boats.

The Blame Game

Ahhh… the Kunjamuck River, when you mention paddling the Kunjamuck River most paddlers think of paddling a canoe or recreational kayak up a narrow meandering deepwater vly.  Maybe only as far as the first beaver dam or until you’re fed up carrying over the next one or the next one, etc.  Getting out of your boat to carry over the multitude of beaver dams can be a daunting task. Although the dams are sturdy, the tops are a mesh of sharp sticks and limbs that are unstable to stand on and pull your boat up and over. In a 17foot sea kayak it can be difficult to wedge the boat in parallel with the dam. Especially in the narrower parts of the Kunjamuck and where there are over hanging brush and dead falls. At lower water levels the dams can be quite high as well, approaching four feet. But during the spring the water level floods the dams and it is possible to paddle over them. The Kunjamuck is a twisting maze of turns and backwater pools. Some of the turns are tight enough and linked together that maneuvering a 17foot sea kayak is a challenge and a great place to work on strokes. As it flows out of Elm Lake the river is wider.  Leaving the sounds of route 30 behind it quickly adds a wilderness feel even after passing under two logging bridges.

One little push...

On May 13^th, Friday the 13^th, Pete and I paddled across the Sacandaga River to Kunjamuck Bay and up through Elm Lake to the first large beaver dam. Pete was the only taker I could tempt into a paddle. Pete is from the other side of the Great Sacandaga Lake and an old seadog and veteran Blackburn Challenge finisher. Blackburn Challenge Link(He is not a quitter!) Although as I led us up the second dead end backwater he shouted at me, “you can’t blame me!” If not, then who? 

Upper Kunjamuck

Paddle strokes utilized included: the low and high angle forward strokes, backstroke, sculling and hanging draw, forward sweep off side sliding edge turns, low brace recovery, low brace, bow rudder, cross bow rudder, carved inside edge turns, stern draws, and rudder strokes. Fortunately we did not have to use any high braces, rolling or rescue maneuvers. 

Elm Lake

Wildlife encountered included geese, mergansers, mallards, red winged black birds, hawks, a dead pickerel and the ubiquitous Adirondack beavers. On the way out there was a May Fly hatch. But no rises indicating any fish were taking note of the hatch. There were a few plastic grocery bags snagged in the brush that we picked them up along the way. 

Great Range?

The black flies were just starting to emerge and were not a nuisance. The next phase of the black flies will be the swarms. They won’t be biting, but they will swarm around your face and be in your eyes, ears and even up the nose. After a week of the non-biting swarm phase and just when it becomes, intolerable they will begin to get hungry and start to bite. Welcome to the Adirondacks, they’re waiting.

"Work is the curse of the drinking classes."   Oscar Wilde

CountyLine Creek from a Different Perspective

Two days paddling Countyline Creek. It had rained all day Wednesday and the rivers rebounded quickly after the prior week of rain.  That evening we hiked into CLC and one thing for sure the water was rising not falling. We hopped on at a nice medium level. There were not many rocks exposed yet the water was not that pushy. It was a quick run out and there wasn’t time to take video or pictures.

The next morning (Happy Cinco De Mayo!) my plan was to get out early. The rivers had crested during the night and the levels were dropping fast. The trees had started budding and they were sucking up water. I got a late call from a friend who wanted to paddle and that delayed getting to the put in a couple hours. On the hike in we could see a water line and confirmed the creek was on the way down.  Instead of trying to capture still shots or video I mounted the Go-Pro aft facing and just started paddling. Although the level had dropped four to six inches overnight it was still a decent level. 

Video Here:  CountyLine Creek

Boondoggle to East Canada Creek

East Canada Creek is in my neighbor’s drainage and is a favorite paddle destination next valley to the west. We took the long way around to get to there, which included setting a shuttle for a completely different creek and paddling across a lake only to find the creek we intended to paddle way too low. So, we paddled all the way back across the lake and regrouped for plan B.

Our local choices were either seriously epic high water class V, the kind where when you launch everyone knows they most likely will be fending for themselves should something bad happen, or class III mediocrity.  Half the group was not keen to hike into any creeks. Besides, the beta was not forthcoming and the backup to the backup could result in more driving. Another option we considered was taken off the table due to road washouts from the recent flooding. So after a quick check of the USGS river levels we were no surer of the levels and where to proceed.  A quick call to a friend in Stratford and we had a first hand account of the level on East Canada Creek: “low side of medium and dropping.” Giddy up, we were going to East Canada Creek.

Due to the late nature of our start and the waterline on the rocks at the lower put-in we opted to start at Oregon Bridge. There was enough water to start further up but the road is seasonal and is not yet open. Plus we were anxious to get on the water.

We boogied on down to the first drop. Cable Car drop is the crux of the rapid but there is a fun lead in down the river right side. There is a sneak down the left for boaters not interested in running the main drop that ends in an eddy for a short carry. We all paddled down the right and scouted. There was a new log in the drop that Derek and John removed and we all had fairly clean lines. 

 Its more boogie water and a couple ledgey type rapids before the next big rapid: Triple Drop. There are three progressively larger ledge drops culminating in an eight-foot waterfall. The crux is the second drop, which is the narrowest and has ledges on both sides. This creates a nasty hole with a boil line more than a boat length downstream.  Like most times we boat scouted the first drop and got out to scout the second on the right. Sally was a little too far left coming off the first drop and the current was taking here backwards into the second drop when John and I grabbed her boat and pulled her back into the eddy.

We all had straightforward runs of the second drop but there were a couple of us that stalled out and had to paddle with a little more gusto to clear the backwash.

The third drop was at a nice level for a straight shot off the lip. We regrouped at the large eddy and finished out the rapid at the bottom.

There are multiple rapids and ledges to paddle all the way down to Mosey Dam. Good solid class III and easy IV at this level.  East Canada Creek is a great paddle and especially a good teaching platform for introductory Creeking. A left to right boof seems to dominate on many rapids. There are different routes through most rapids, which allows for easy to more difficult lines. From Mosey Dam down to Stratford is continuous class II with a couple III’s. This is a great section for novice boaters to practice on, although the first rapid after Mosey Dam is a solid class III. 

Link to video:
East Canada Creek Video  <Video Link

Rock – Cedar – Hudson (with a walk up to the gate on the Indian River)

The original plan was for an overnight trip. We were planning on starting at Lake Durant, paddling into the Rock River, into Rock Lake, Rock Lake outlet back into the Rock River and down to the Essex Chain of Lakes outlet. We were to camp here and hike up into the Essex Chain. 

The next day we would continue down to the Cedar River and then down to the Hudson River and paddle the Hudson River Gorge back to North River.  During the planning phase Rick and I could not come up with two coinciding days to make it happen. Rick had EMS meetings and I had trees to plant later in the week. 

Then the rain started. It rained hard and the rivers, already bank full, quickly elevated to flood status.  We decided on a day trip and planned on taking out at the confluence with the Hudson and Indian Rivers and hike back up to the truck at the gate. The road had washed out, so we were not able to drive all the way to the gate. But we figured: close enough. 

As we drove out past the Lake Abanakee dam the Forest Rangers were preparing their airboat to retrieve a series of docks that had broken loose and were hung up in the cable above the dam. With the water level continuing to rise there was a very real risk of the docks floating into the sluiceway. We stopped and they asked that we call to let them know when we would get off the river.

The road was flooded and we carefully drove out through the water wondering if it would be passable when we were through at the end of the day. As we drove north on RT30 the Cedar River was out of the riverbank and the golf course was flooded. Water looked to be a few feet up the nets. 

Photo by: Rick Morse

When we reached the get in at Lake Durant the water was spilling through the two culverts in torrents. 

Not far downstream we came to a steel bridge. The water was just a foot below the bottom beam so we hopped out real quick to scurry around the obstacle. It was not the last obstacle. As we reached Rock Lake we saw to our dismay that it was still mostly iced in, but the floodwaters provided a path to the outlet. We had not counted on ice. Later, when I spoke with the Ranger he admitted that he hadn’t thought of the ice. The major concern was not the ice in the lake but the ice breaking up and flowing out the Rock River! There were some very large pieces and the smaller pieces congested the current. We had to time our passage with breaks in the ice flow. Around the next corner there was a steel cable too low to paddle under, yet the water was not high enough to go over it. We found a sneak channel river left backed up by strainers, which were easily navigated. 

The ice proved to not be a factor as the multitude of rapids and bends pulverized and filtered the ice. Many rapids blended together with few eddys to catch. There were constant horizon lines where we would drift up. Look for a clear channel or an eddy to catch and then drop in. There were two horizons that had, what we considered, unrunable drops. Actually the first looked like it would go but this far back in the woods no one was going to probe. So we walked this one and another drop on the Rock River.

Photo by: Rick Morse

Our original plan was to hike up the Essex Chain of Lakes Outlet. However, even now our time was limited and we were further behind schedule than anticipated. We still had to reach the Cedar and deal with a river that was already flooded without the added flow from the Rock River. When we reached the Essex Chain outlet I was amazed at the water dumping off a 70 feet cascade. The confluence was larger than Rock Lake and all the surrounding woods were flooded well past any high water mark. We stayed long enough to snap a few pictures then peeled out in the roiling current.

Soon we were at the confluence with the Cedar and where the rivers merged were large boils as the currents collided. We paddled across as occasional trees, logs and what looked like 16 feet of guardrail floated by. 

The Cedar was explosive as we boat scouted our way downstream. We did not want to enter any drop without an escape route into a safe eddy, but this was not always feasible. We carried around what is normally an island and re-launched downstream. 

We new the Cedar narrows up considerably where it joins the Hudson. When we got there what we saw was an Eastern version of the right side of Lava Falls. Two of us managed to eddy out on river right above while the third person was swept into the maelstrom. I fully expected a swim as I watched him disappear from sight engulfed into a tractor-trailer size hole. There was a flash of a paddle blade and then he was washed free and paddled to river right below the hole. My friend in the eddy with me shook his head negative and said he was walking down from where we were. I peeled out into the current and drove hard left hitting a crashing diagonal wave that pushed me back right towards the hole. A brace stroke at this time would have meant a ride in the hole, but I kept hammering out forward strokes and slid deep into the wave next to the hole. Again, I kept hitting forward strokes and I rode up and off the peak of the wave. I now had to spin right and paddle to the right shore eddy. There was a smaller yet more retentive hole downstream and large irregular waves as the volume of water was pushed in every direction. 

Photo by: Rick Morse

I skitterd across the boil line into the eddy and we waited for our third person to hike down. It didn’t take long and we paddled back and swung into the Hudson River. Here the Hudson is wide but there were still very large waves and hydraulics. We floated and paddled down to the Indian River where we took out to hike up to the truck. 

The hike up to the truck was longer than anticipated as we added about a half-mile due to the road washed out. After loading up the truck we continued up the road. There was quite a bit of mud as the warm temperatures had thawed the dirt. The lake level had continued to rise but we were able to get across and finished retrieving the other vehicle. 

When I got home I called the Forest Ranger to let him know we were safely off the river. After a brief chat he asked, "did you see the bridge from the Cedar River golf course?" I told him I saw something that looked like a guardrail float by a couple miles above the Hudson River... He said," yep.. I told them they'd never see that bridge again!"

It was a great day to go exploring and paddle some high water. We all agreed that it could have become ‘interesting’ if any of us had taken a swim. About 14 miles of wilderness paddling.

Boat Hiking in the Drainage

Here is a day of hiking in the Adirondacks with my kayak...

CountyLine creek is on the Warren/Hamilton County line... hence the name.  It's about a two mile hike in to the lower falls. From here it's a pretty continuous whitewater paddle back out to the East Branch of the Sacandaga River. There are multiple mini-gorges and a few places that must be avoided. The first is easy to recognize as there is a pinning slot river right of the first drop.

Further downstream there is a very nasty sieve and the current will take you into it if you are not paddling to stay on line. I found this the hard way a few years ago while paddling my Thrillseeker (Ducky). Fortunately being in the ducky I was able to scramble up onto a large boulder and pull the boat out.

There is always the potential for wood to collect and poses the threat for snags and strainers. This day was like many, and I spent about two hours cutting out strainers and moving some logs.

This year I have been wearing a pair of NRS Boundary Boots and they have worked out great.  Two days of hiking into creeks through mud and snow and no leaks, warm feet at the get-in.  I would like to see a better adjustment at the top of the boot. They run about a half size small.
Link> NRS Boundary Boots

I have been a loyal fan of Seals Spraydecks for decades (well before they were Seals, Hydroponics, JAG Manufacturing). I have been using the Surf 1.4 shock cord deck.  It goes on easy and stays on. It's important to me for the spraydeck to go on easy because many times I'm getting in my boat in difficult spots. Cold weather makes it that much more challenging.

Rain is predicted for tonight and the drainage could use a little bit more water.  SYOTR!

youtube link>CountyLine Creek

Ice In the Drainage

The ice went out a few weeks ago but the shelves remain as a reminder.  We have yet to have any significant rain to clean off the shorelines. Brian and I hopped on the West Branch of the Sacandaga River from Jimmy Creek down to Hope. The Hope Gauge was at 8K CFS and rising.  Pretty much a mellow Class III float with a creek boat surf here and there. Still a good day and happy for what I have.
Peace

Brian at the Put-In

Just above Black Bridge

Looking UP...

Porcupynecopia

I went searching for whitewater... this one was too low... this one had too much ice...
So I broke out the trusty Pintail, set up a rope to make sure I could get out and then slid across the snow and ice into the water. 

I paddled upstream, attained into another flow via a short class I rapid and found himself in a porcupynecopia of wildlife. Gaggles of geese trumpeted my arrival, running across the ice, flapping their massive wings and taking flight, mergansers buzzed the surface while mallards flushed from the frozen brush and grass. Four heron's flew upstream and would be flushed again and again.

Whitetail deer bounded from the marshland while others stood there ground as I coasted past. On the return trip from the frozen big lake I watched some otters playing in the water and running across the ice floes. One otter took off for the river left shore and disappeared. The second otter dove under my boat and climbed up on shore. I was able to get some video of him on shore.  Further downstream another otter was sliding on the ice and diving through a hole, a few seconds later he would pop back up and get a running start, slide and dive back in the water.
When I reached the launch site I used the rope I had rigged to pull myself up out of the water and off the ice shelf into the snow.

 

 

Upscale Beaver Lodge with Indoor Plumbing

My End to the Ski Season 4/3/2011

My time to look for falling water.  With winter arriving late... like a month and a half late.... and our first significant snowfall not until January 15th, we still had a great ski season.  Total Snowfall for In The Drainage: 154"

With a bright and early start to the day at Gore Mountain Ski Area, we spent the best part of the day at the top with a couple runs on the dark side and a dash in the trees.

Top of Lies

Open Pit

Open Pit

Thank you.