My emotions are up and down today. I started today with the despair of knowing I have some very tough portages that need a kayak yoke, which I do not have. Then, I met a woman who runs an outfitter in Long Lake who helped me figure out a good way to portage my kayak. Later, I went through the experience of dodging thunderstorms on Long Lake and standing under a rock and then later under a tree while it rained and hailed.
The thunderstorms were actually really beautiful. There is kind of a low mist that develops on the lake, and I like the sound of rolling thunder. The rolling thunder seems to be caused by lightning inside clouds rather than from lightening striking the ground.
I paddled about 4.5 miles into the town of Long Lake this morning. I thought that my watch said it was 9:30 AM when I woke. There were thunderstorms during the night. I decided to sleep in until they passed. I must have started early than i realized because I was in Long Lake by about 9:30 AM. There was an outfitter near the beach where I parked my kayak.
Stacie ran the outfitter. She was the first outfitter who knew anything about portaging. She just opened three days earlier and was still putting away this year's merchandise. She told me about a portage yoke made for kayaks. It was in a box, but she offered to put it together so I can try it out. She told me to do what I needed in town, and to come back in an hour.
I had breakfast at the local diner. It was fun wandering around town like I did on the AT. I love this part of travel. You meet people and see things you would never see if you were traveling by car.
When I went back to the outfitter, Stacie had the portage yoke assembled and ready to try. It was supposed to fasten onto the cockpit rim, but nothing we did made it stay on. We even tried to put it on after I had the kayak on my shoulders. It would not stay, and it was not able to fit near the kayak balance point. Then I realized that if I turn the kayak around, the cockpit was perfectly shaped as a portage yoke. It was also perfectly balanced. Stacie gave me some foam blocks to slip onto the cockpit to soften the load on my shoulders.
Several thunderstorms came up while I was out on Long Lake. I hid out on a island with no trespassing signs while the first thunderstorm passed. I hid under a very large rock. However, the wind blew the rain into the crevasse where I hid.
I tried to make it to a NFCT lean-to shown on the map before the next thunderstorm arrived. I could see it where it was shown on the map. I kept looking until the thunderstorm was getting close. Then I hid out in the woods for about a half hour as the thunderstorm passed. There was lightning and hail. I did not put my rain jacket hood up when it first started raining. When I did put it up, it was filled with rain so I got soaked in spite of the rain gear. After the thunderstorm passed, I moved on down the lake.
The headwaters of Raquette River was a maze. It was very pretty. Another thunderstorm came through while I was looking for the next lean-to. There were so many channel, and the NFCT map is a large scale map that doesn't show enough detain to pin point your location. I never found this lean-to. However, there was plenty of cover under the trees that covered the channel. I was not the high point and felt less danger than I did on the open lake. I followed the current downstream through the maze of channels. I understand that "Raquette" is French for Racket. They are pronounces the same. The river is named because this maze of channels resembles a tennis racket.
Most of the thunder at this time was rolling thunder that seemed to be limited to the clouds.
I stopped briefly at Deep Hole Lean-to for lunch.
It took two hours to portage the Raquette Falls portage. This is a 1.1 mile portage. The terrain was rough in places. There was also a broken canoe as a warning not to attempt these rapids.
I portaged the kayak on my shoulders part of the way. I carried everything else, and then went back for the kayak. I was able to wheel the kayak slowly. The wheels are kind of loose and wobbly. I think this is the design. I could keep the kayak from tipping only if I held the bow under my arm and kept wrestling it upright. This is very difficult!
I met a NY State DNR guy at the end of the portage trail. We talked about what's to come. The good camping apparently comes to an end soon. He told me a former thru paddler was camping a few miles downstream, and this guy told him the rest of the NFCT sucked. I don't know what that means except maybe it has little camping in places. We talked about portage systems.
I think I did about 21 miles today, which isn't bad with all of the t-storm hiding out I did, and also my stop in Long Lake. I have my tent set up under a lean-to to help dry everything out from last night.
I can't write anymore because my head lamp is going out.
http://www.findmespot.com/mylocation/?id=82zwq/43.97435N/74.42349W
Town of Long Lake
http://www.findmespot.com/mylocation/?id=83CkX/44.10271N/74.32068W
I think this is my camp site
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