Paddling The Days Away

I have been living in Tupper Lake for a month now but had yet to explore the Raquette River, and this past Sunday I had a day off and the need to go. I serendipitously met a friend wandering the trails by the river, and we decided to go explore.

We launched one of the hunter green Wenonahs and took a spin around the oxbow so I could practice my budding naturalist skills (meadowsweet is a natural bug repellent, folks). In the bog we drifted right up to a family of ducklings and their mom browsing along the pickerel weed and waterlilies. Canoes are one of those wonderfully silent vessels that can slip along unnoticed by most wildlife, and so we got very close to the little yellow puffballs. It is a unique and thrilling feeling to travel silently; the world opens up around you and reveals the little things you always hope to see.



We paddled on, no particular plan or goal in mind, exploring this small watery part of the world. When we were hungry we pulled into a bog to eat and drift about, when we were tired we lay back in the canoe and drifted in the shade. Summer is in full swing up here and when it finally got too hot to bear we ran with the current back to the dock for a late afternoon swim. Absolute paradise, I highly suggest you join me next time.

This past weekend also marked the beginning of my season as a canoe guide for the Wild Center, so I will be happily paddling away on the Raquette for the rest of the summer. Interspersed with some other adventures, of course.