Wanderlust

YouTube Shorts: Nine Mile Swamp

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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

Bum Rushing a Beaver Dam in my new Canoe!

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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

Camp Meal

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I really do not like dehydrating food, I find it to be more hassle than worth. However since I have a lot of free time these days I decided to dehydrate some food to pass the time.

Packing light weight is an integral part of my canoe camping adventures. Some of my trips require carrying distances between ponds and lakes. One way to keep things light are dehydrated meals.

I did some experimenting with pasta and sauce. It rehydrates really easy and packs a caloric punch after a long day.

I started with one pound of cooked rotini pasta, a 16oz jar of pasta sauce plus 4 more ounces, one can sliced mushrooms drained and 1 cup frozen peas. I used rotini because a lot of the research I’ve done shows that it holds the sauce better. After cooking, draining and letting the pasta completely cool I combined all ingredients in a bowl covered it with plastic wrap and placed in the fridge overnight.

The next morning I spread the pasta over my dehydrator trays and let it go for 9 hours. Once dehydrated I put it into a ziplock bag and weighed it. It weighed in at 18 ounces.

Yesterday afternoon I weighed out 8 ounces and began the rehydration process. Once the water was boiled I covered the pasta leaving just a little exposed, covered it and let sit exactly 20 minutes. The rehydration time was just about perfect and the taste was great. My wife even enjoyed tasting it as well.

Maybe this dehydrating food isn’t so bad!

 

Nelson Lake: September 25th 2019

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Nelson Lake which is tucked away south of Minnehaha, NY or just outside of Old Forge in the Black River Wild Forest has been on my radar for close to a year now. The week of September 23rd I found myself working very close to the Adirondack Park, combine that with beautiful weather and you have a recipe for adventure.

The Nelson Lake trailhead sits along route 28 several miles south of Thendera, NY. There is a .35 mile carry along a wide dirt road to the put-in. After you cross the railroad tracks the path narrows and drops for the remaining several hundred feet to the Middle Branch of the Moose River. Once on the river it was about .06 mile paddle to the Nelson Lake outlet according to my GPS. The outlet was shallow and loaded with Pickerel weed. I zigged and I zagged through the outlet and easily crossed a small beaver dam before entering the 84 acre lake.

A palette of red, orange and yellow was evidence that Autumn was here while the sun at my back gave me some warmth from a cool breeze. Slowly paddling the shoreline I realized I was alone, I had the entire lake to myself. As I made my way around the lake I was looking for campsites. I did see what I thought was one however it wasn’t marked. I’ll have to look into it for the future.

I would paddle 3.6 miles, hike just over a half mile but more importantly spend time in a beautiful landscape.

Cheers!

Carrying my canoe along the Nelson Lake trail to the put-in on the Middle Branch of the Moose River September 25th 2019. © Joe Geronimo

Paddling along the Moose River towards the Nelson Lake outlet September 25th 2019. © Joe Geronimo

Navigating through the Pickerel weed on Nelson Lake outlet September 25th 2019. © Joe Geronimo

Entering Nelson Lake from the outlet September 25th 2019. © Joe Geronimo

Peace and solitude on Nelson Lake September 25th 2019. © Joe Geronimo

 

The Planning Stages

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The gleaming warmth of the sun piercing our office window has me ever so excited that spring has sprung. More importantly some great canoe camping adventures are now in the planning stages. If that wasn’t exciting enough, I’m having two brand new carbon/kevlar canoes built for me by the Adirondack  Canoe Company of Minerva, NY. Both canoes are of their “Boreas” design which are 14 feet in length. However one will be a pack canoe (24 pounds) that can be paddled with a kayak paddle and the other a traditional solo canoe (27 pounds). I couldn’t decide which one I wanted so I’m getting both. To be honest I’m a huge fan of the pack canoe and I love the feeling of a double blade kayak paddle. With that said there is just something timeless about a solo canoe that draws me in as well.

Currently our dinning room table is littered with maps of the Adirondack Park and the Connecticut River Valley which straddles the borders of Vermont and New Hampshire.

My first almost completely planned trip which will take place in September has me  in Lake George, NY for two days where I’ll be photographing the Lake George Triathlon Festival. After that my adventure brings me further north to the St. Regis Canoe Area for several days of pond hopping and exploring. Another component to this canoe/camp trip is that my friend Gary Sharp will be joining me. Gary is highly entertaining, a wealth of knowledge and just fun to be around. Oh and he likes beer!

Once I return to civilization I’ll take in the spectacle that is the Adirondack Canoe Classic ( 90 Miler) for three days as a volunteer with the Northern Forest Canoe Trail. Originally I had thought that I might want to paddle this event in 2019. After much self reflection I feel its better to be an observer in order to get a feel for it first.

The map below is currently a mock of my trip. I might add to it or even do it in reverse but it is still in the planning stages.

I encourage you to visit the Adirondack Canoe Company’s website at the link above or follow them on Facebook and Instagram. Their boats are stunning!

If you like what you see here please share and follow my blog. “AdirondackJoe” can also be found on Facebook and Instagram as well.

Cheers!

The current plan subject to change……..

Adirondack Canoe Company “Boreas” canoes that I have purchased and being built. Left is the pack canoe (24lbs.) and on the right is the solo canoe (27lbs.)…… Stunning, I know!