YouTube Shorts: Nine Mile Swamp

November 6, 2022November 6, 2022 / adkjoe / 3 Comments

October is one of my favorite months to paddle especially here in New York. Recently myself and friend Marty set off on an afternoon adventure to paddle the Sangerfield River (Nine Mile Swamp) in Hubbardsville, NY. I’ve been wanting to do this now for a few years but always forget it is there. If you’ve followed my posts or just know me you’d see that I’m pretty obsessed with the Adirondacks.

This 7 mile round trip adventure has some neat landscapes. As the river twisted and turned slowly making our way to a point where it would narrow so much that we had to stop and back out as we weren’t able to turn our boats around.

Autumn in New York is beautiful!

Canoes:

Hemlock Canoe Works: Eaglet

Northstar Canoes: Phoenix

Time Lapse

November 12, 2021November 12, 2021 / adkjoe / 1 Comment

In October 2020 my wife and I along with some family and friends were in Lake Placid, NY for a long weekend enjoying some beautiful mid October weather. In October of this year 2021 I was in Lake Placid with a friend spending time canoeing and just taking in the amazing weather and fall color we were treated to.

Below are two images of the same location taken 361 days apart. I’m fascinated by the difference a year makes!

View of the 4,867′ Whiteface mountain from Connery Pond Lake Placid, NY October 17th 2020 @JoeGeronimo

View of the 4,867′ Whiteface mountain from Connery Pond Lake Placid, NY October 13th 2021 @JoeGeronimo

Adirondack Fall Frolic #2

November 3, 2021November 3, 2021 / adkjoe / 1 Comment

October 14th 2021: 11.86 miles of paddling

My Adirondack Fall Frolic would continue as I met my friend Kim who lives in Saranac Lake, NY at the “South Creek” boat launch off of route 3 several miles out of town this morning. Here Kim & I would put our canoes in and paddle across the relatively calm Middle Saranac lake into Weller and Little Weller Ponds. We did notice a few people camping and only one other paddler entering Weller Pond as we were leaving it for Middle Saranac lake. Although the weather was overcast it was still a stellar day on the water, the colors were fabulous and the views amazing!

After returning Kim had to get home so headed over to the Second Pond boat launch and paddled down to the “Lower Locks” between the Saranac Chain and Oseetah Lake. Getting out an exploring the locks was fun! I also came upon a few other paddlers there as well. I had wanted to explore Cold Brook a little but I noticed several people in a boat hunting so I stayed away. I’ll save that for another time possibly?

Later I would wind the day down over at Lake Placid Brewing for dinner and enjoy the last rays of light while sitting on the patio over looking beautiful Mirror Lake before settling in for the night. I could not get over that on October 14th it was just about 70 degrees out.

October 15th: No Miles Recorded

Today would be my day of departure from the Adirondacks. I began the morning at my happy place, a small pond outside of Lake Placid. I had hoped to capture a brilliant sunrise but Mother Nature had other plans. The day was a bit overcast but still utterly peaceful and amazing. As I paddled around sunlight struggled to pierce the thick clouds. But when it did, autumns canvas would briefly come alive.

It is late morning now, packed up a ready to slowly make my way home. As I load my car it starts to rain. I hit a coffee shop in town and do a final drive through to document the construction that is happening in preparation for what I believe is the 2023 Collegiate Games that are coming to the area. As I depart town and head over route 73 the rain has stopped and the sun once again makes a few brief appearances.

These past four days were fun traveling New York’s Adirondacks paddling in the Saranac Lake & Lake Placid areas. I enjoyed catching up with friends, canoeing, beer, brilliant fall color and just being in a place that I love. I feel very fortunate to have these opportunities.

October in the Adirondacks is just amazing, Cheers!

Canoes: Northstar Canoes: Northwind Solo, Hornbeck Boats: New Tricks 14, Placid Boat Works: Oseetah

Cameras: DJI Osmo Action, Canon EOS 7D

Adirondack Fall Frolic

October 24, 2021 / adkjoe / 1 Comment

**Taking a break at a campsite on Kiwassa Lake near Saranac Lake, NY.**

October 12th 2021: 10.5 miles of paddling

I would meet my friend Jerry who lives in the Hudson Valley along I-87 at the Clifton Park rest area before continuing onto the Village of Saranac Lake, NY. The weather was stellar as we launched that afternoon on Lake Flower in Saranac Lake making our way through Oseetah Lake and into Kiwassa Lake. We would take a break and have a snack at the campsite on Kiwassa before returning. We also checked out the lean-to site which was recently rebuilt. Afterwards we stopped in at Blue Line Brewing for a few cold ones and some amazing food. My favorite brew of theirs is the “Leaning Pine IPA”. Food there is excellent as well and I love their wings smothered in the Gilly sauce “Sweet & Tangy BBQ” and the pizza is great too!

October 13th: 7.85 miles of paddling

We began our morning outside of Lake Placid, NY capturing a few fall sunrise images before the clouds rolled in for the day. Afterwards we drove to Follensby Clear Pond where we launched our canoes exploring most of the pond along with the island lean-to site. We then would make our way through Spider Creek into the Fish Creek Ponds and Upper Saranac Lake, taking the reverse route returning back to the launch on Follensby Clear Pond. Due to the cloud cover we couldn’t see but there was no mistaking the fighter jets roaring overhead while on Upper Saranac Lake. Once back into Lake Placid we had an early dinner and drinks at the Lake Placid Pub & Brewery before Jerry would have to make the long drive home. After Jerry took off it was just about sunset and I found myself taking my 3 mile run through Placid and around Mirror Lake before settling in for the night. Our adventures were fun and it gave us time to catch up since we haven’t seen each other in a few years.

I look forward to returning next October!

Canoes: Northstar Canoes: Northwind Solo – Hornbeck Boats: New Tricks 14

Cameras: DJI Osmo Action – Canon EOS 7D – Canon EOS 60D

Here you’ll find a fun video of our adventures!

Final days of summer

October 10, 2021 / adkjoe / 1 Comment

As autumn approaches summer takes its final breaths. I find peace and reflection in a morning paddle on a small lake close to home. There is just something soothing about sipping a hot cup of coffee out in nature.

My newest addition to the fleet is a Northstar Canoes ” Northwind Solo”. This boat is in the starlite layup weighing 27#’s at 15′ 6″.

Enjoy the video!

Bum Rushing a Beaver Dam in my new Canoe!

September 18, 2021September 17, 2021 / adkjoe / 3 Comments

I recently spent 5 days in the Adirondacks, canoeing, camping and beer drinking. I also picked up another new canoe from Raquette River Outfitters in Tupper Lake, NY. Back in June I ordered a Northstar Canoes “Northwind Solo” in their “Starlite” layup. This boat is 15′ 6″ long and weighs 27#’s and is an absolute joy to paddle. I love the how it just glides effortlessly through the water and it turns gracefully.

While in Lake Placid one afternoon my friend Gary and I paddled a few miles on the Chubb River as I was anxious to try out my new ride. About a mile down river we came to our first beaver dam. Instead of getting out in some deep water to drag our boats over we both decided to try and run it.

We were both successful and I managed to put the first scratches on this kevlar beauty!

Below I’ve included a link to a short video of my attempt, hope you like it.

Paddling the Chubb River in my new Northstar Canoes “Northwind Solo” Lake Placid, NY September 9th 2021.

My new Nortstar Canoes “Northwind Solo” Lake Placid, NY September 9th 2021

Adirondack Canoe Adventures

August 19, 2021August 19, 2021 / adkjoe / 1 Comment

All set for my 3 mile hike into Middle Settlement Lake.

Recently I carried my canoe 3 miles into Middle Settlement Lake in the west central Adirondacks outside of Old Forge, NY. I’ve been eyeing this adventure for a while now. This is one of the reasons I originally purchased light weight carbon/kevlar canoes in order to explore ponds and lakes further into the wilderness.

Middle Settlement Lake is located in the 26,600 acre Ha-de-ron-dah Wilderness in the western foothills of the Adirondacks, there is a lean to located on the lake as well. Almost immediately after signing the trailhead register you are treated with 2/10 of a mile steep climb. From here the trail descends and becomes relatively rolling all the way to the lake. However there are some muddy sections and at one point I thought I was going to literally loose my shoes.

Once we reached the 46 acre lake we discovered a large group currently at the lean-to. We were disappointed but found a nearby vacant campsite to take a break and have lunch. I enjoyed paddling this lake and the adventure of getting there and back. I will say by time I got back to my car I was done. It was so humid on the trail and my clothes were completely soaked through. In the end I was happy that I did it!

Life has been hectic for me this year as I have barely gotten out on the water. Below you will find a video link to this adventure and two other recent outings in the Adirondacks.

Cheers!

The C🍪🍪kie Lady

December 31, 2020December 31, 2020 / adkjoe / Leave a comment

On a warm Spring day in 2001 my engineer (Henry Greenblatt) and I were patiently waiting in Hillcrest, NY for permission to enter the yard from the Canadian Pacific yardmaster. All of a sudden we heard a docile voice from below the cab window of our locomotive calling to us. It was a slender woman, a straw hat atop of her head and a great big smile. She wanted to know what we were doing sitting there. Henry’s good natured response was “Come on up!” As she entered the locomotive cab you could see the excitement on her face, she introduced herself as Marly DeDio. From that day on a friendship was born between Marly and most of the train service employees. As we would head north or south we could count on a friendly wave from Marly. Or even better yet with advanced notice of our passing, a fresh baked gift of cookies could be hooped up.

Marly was a passionate gardener, she even inspired my love/hate relationship with it. Also Marly started my love of birds. Sometimes I would visit her and we’d sit on her back porch sipping tea and eating scones.

My friendship with Marly had become invaluable, she had become part of our family. My boys adored her as she did them. Marly even spent several Christmas holidays with us over the years. During the past year I had dropped out of touch with her and on this Christmas morning I stepped out to the mailbox to check for mail from the previous day. In there I found a letter from a mutual friend informing me that Marly had passed away recently. Our family is heartbroken! Apparently Marly had developed Parkinson’s disease and fallen breaking her neck.

Marly was a wonderful human being and our lives are that much richer for knowing her, Rest In Peace my friend. 😢

Marley DeDio in cab of NYS&W #3618 Spring 2001

Marly DeDio in cab of NYS&W #3618 Spring 2001

St. Regis Canoe Area

October 23, 2020October 23, 2020 / adkjoe / 7 Comments

In early September myself and two other friends went on a canoe camping trip in the St. Regis Canoe Area of New York’s Adirondack Park. The weather would be perfect with nights dipping into the low 30’s. I loved this adventure and hope you enjoy some of the images from it.

September 8th I left my home in the Southern Tier of New York arriving in Lake Placid, NY 4.5 hours later. Here I would meet my friend Gary with Placid being our home for the night. We would do some paddling in the area, also hitting a few of the local breweries as well.

Early the next morning Gary & I would meet our friend Scott at our starting point “Little Clear Pond” for our adventure. Our canoes loaded and I mean loaded we were off for 4 days/3 nights of adventure.

Once across Little Clear Pond we would have a 1/2 mile canoe carry to St. Regis Pond. Each of us wound up doing a “Double Carry” due to our packs being so heavy. Our goal for this trip would be to hopefully snag the only lean-to on St. Regis Pond. Our hopes would be dashed as it was already occupied. No worries we scouted a great primitive campsite not too far away. We unloaded our gear, setup our site and we were off for a great little pond hopping adventure for the rest of the day.

We would paddle across the 400 acre St. Regis Pond to the 116 meter canoe carry into Green Pond, followed by a 255 meter carry to Little Long Pond, followed by a 315 meter carry to Bear Pond and lastly a 121 meter carry to Bog Pond. I’ve paddled most of these ponds mentioned here before. I love these little ponds, especially Little Long Pond. We would make it back to camp around 5:30 in order to get dinner cooking and the campfire going for the evening. Later that evening we would crack a few beers, peer through the tree canopy as millions of stars shined in the night sky.

Morning came and our first order of business was coffee! Our plan for the day was another pond hopping adventure with one of the carries being 1.4 miles. The day would contrast in many ways. I mean we had periods of sun and light mist. We also battled a little mud especially at the aptly named “Mud Pond” where I sank down to my waist. As my cohorts were laughing I was able to free myself rather quickly.

My favorite from the day was “Fish Pond”. This pond is remote and takes some getting into. It does have two lean to’s on it and we decided to sit out some of the passing weather at one of them enjoying a hot fire and some lunch.

After spending most of the day paddling and carrying we found ourselves back at camp around 5PM. This seemed like a perfect time to get things in order, cook dinner and relax and watch the day fade into night.

We were still exhausted the next day from our prior adventure and decided a camp day was just what we needed. We sat around and told tall tales, sipped some whiskey, paddled and even took a nap. We knew this coming night would be cold as overnight temperatures would dip to just around freezing. The night sky was clear and in the distance we could hear the thunder of Vermont’s Air National Guard and their F16’s doing some night training. The Adirondacks see’s a lot of that my guess is because of the low volume of air traffic but I’ve been wrong once or twice in my life.

With silence restored Gary and I sat and watched the Milky Way begin to appear as Scott snored away in his tent. Later we would be awakened by a crashing noise in camp and I thought to myself we have a bear in camp. I sprang up quickly grabbing my headlamp and peered out of my tent. Gary immediately did the same as Scott was sleeping😂. It turned out that we had three skunks checking out or homestead. They quickly dispersed into the woods and we never saw them again. However I had a difficult time getting back to sleep because of the loons and owls that began to jam at 0330. I will admit it was an amazing symphony.

The next morning it was cold and we quickly got the campfire started for some heat as well as coffee. We ate breakfast and chatted about our adventures. Afterwards we would break camp, douse our fire with water, load our boats and begin our journey out.

Once we were back to our cars with boats loaded and gear packed it was time to hit Raybrook Brew House in Raybrook, NY for a late lunch and a few cold beers. Yeah that hit the spot!

Cheers!

Gary Sharp Lake Placid, NY September 8th 2020. © Joe Geronimo

Pond hopping near Lake Placid, NY September 8th 2020. © Joe Geronimo

Gary & I pond hopping near Lake Placid, NY September 8th 2020. © Joe Geronimo

Loading up our boats at Little Clear Pond near Saranac Lake, NY September 9th 2020. © Joe Geronimo

We just paddled across Little Clear Pond to the 1/2 mile canoe carry to St. Regis Pond September 9th 2020. © Joe Geronimo

Scott Ireland walking the plank St. Regis Pond September 9th 2020. © Joe Geronimo

I stepped in a little mud trying to launch at St. Regis Pond September 9th 2020. © Scott Ireland

Scouting campsites on St. Regis Pond September 9th 2020. © Scott Ireland

Our adventure has come to an end at the Raybrook Brew House in Raybrook, NY.

Canoeing The Upper Susquehanna River

September 2, 2020 / adkjoe / 3 Comments

In mid August I had the opportunity to paddle a portion of the upper Susquehanna river here in New York. In all honesty I really never thought much about it. When a friend suggested we do it I was intrigued.

We launched from the Crumhorn Pond/Susquehanna State Forest a few miles north of Portlandville, NY. Upon arrival I was shocked to see a Waterway Steward at the launch site checking boats for invasive species and washing them before they enter the water. In the Adirondacks I have seen many of these stewards but not so much around here. I think this is a great program!

The morning was warm and sunny as we slid our canoes into the water making our way from Crumhorn Pond into the Susquehanna. This section of the river differs immensely from where I live. The river is narrow and has more water due to the dam on Goodyear Lake. I loved the way the river snaked its way through the rural farm land of Central New York, throwing in a few hairpin turns just for fun.

Paddling north 4 miles to where the Cherry Valley Creek enters the river, we hung a right hand turn exploring the creek for about a mile. One spot we had to navigate a narrow passage due to a fallen tree across the creek. Shortly after we came to a point where we had to exit our boats due to low water and a small rock garden. We decided to take a break and have a snack and chat here for a bit before turning around and heading back. “Cherry Valley Creek is a 34.1-mile-long headwater tributary of the Susquehanna River in central New York. Cherry Valley Creek flows southwesterly through the Cherry Valley in Otsego County, making its way through the towns of Cherry Valley, Roseboom, and Middlefield before joining the Susquehanna River east of the village of Milford”.

On our way back that beautiful sunshine gave way to some storm clouds. We could hear thunder in the distance and we dodged a few rain drops as well. Thankfully the storm steered clear of us. As we entered Crumhorn Pond the boat launch had a few more people starting their day on the river. This was a fun 10 mile round trip adventure. I’m looking forward to seeing more of the upper Susquehanna river in the near future.

Cheers!