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