Day 6 - Lock 9 to Lock 23 by car

 

Lock 9 to Brewerton, NY

119 miles  2:35 hours

Didn’t pull a stroke 

Where do I start? How about the chronology before the commentary?

1.     At 9:00, the lockmaster announces that due to dangerous high water, locks west of us are closed, maybe for days. No more rowing on the Mohawk.

2.     My dear, dear friend Bob Ashton volunteers … even insists … to rescue me. He drives to Lock 9 from Saratoga, we load the boat and gear and head west at 60 mph, me feeling the conflicting emotions of excitement at continuing and guilt for not rowing.   

3.  Bob leaves me in Brewerton, past both the Mohawk River and Oneida Lake, an especially dangerous patch of water that has already almost dispatched me twice. From the comfort of Bob's Subaru, as each mile clicked past 56 minutes faster than I could have rowed it, I made a (chicken) executive decision. No Oneida Lake, not in this weather, not in these conditions. 

4.  As Bob and I unload the boat 119 miles west of Lock 9, we realize that we forgot the oars.

            Really, we forgot the oars.   

     5.     A flurry of phone calls ensues.

    a)     The lockmaster at Lock 9 confirms that he has and will hold on to my oars ...whew!

    b)    I call Adirondack Guideboat to see if there’s anyone near Brewerton who might offer a short loan of theirs. No dice.

    c)     But Steve Kaulback offers to leave Vermont tomorrow morning, pick up the oars that Bob will recover at Lock 9, and drive them to me here in Brewerton. From … Vermont. Yes, from Vermont. I ask you … how does one say thank you for these kindnesses?

 Steve says he has ‘other business’ to tend to near Syracuse, but I for one don’t think a person offers to drive 6 hours (one way!) on a whim of ‘business in the area.’

 Bob? Steve? I’ll get you back for all of this – somehow, some way. I owe ya a ton!

 So the net of it is the lock closure on the Mohawk has catapulted me 4 days ahead, thanks to Bob and Steve, and I could be back on the water by noon on Monday. But really, how does one forget 2 cherry oars?

 I feel like an idiot.

A lucky, happy idiot.

 It’s resumed raining here, more water for the cauldron downstream. My poor Lock 9 fellow boaters, Gene, Marian, and Ray, could be hung up for days… they were great company, and fine cooks.

 Question: Because nature has intervened, ought I feel guilty about welching on the 400 miles, even though it was not especially ‘elective’? This row will come in at 280 miles or so, still something, but taking a pass on crossing Oneida Lake was an ‘elective.’

 Answer: In my defense, when I pass groups of 69 year-old guys doing this, I’ll ask them. I haven’t seen them yet …

 Final Kudos: The Lock 9 and Lock 23 folks have been wonderful and informative hosts. While lock-keeping might seem a sedate profession, these folks employ a wide range of skills. Yesterday’s near-disasters at Locks 8 & 9 called on snap decision-making in a literal life-and-death situation. Lock-keepers also maintain this antiquated equipment, act as ambassadors and advisors, offer rich local lore, and will hang on to your 8’ cherry oars for a day if you are loopy enough to drive off without them.

Thank you, lock-keepers!

 WHAT A DAY.

Day 5 - A tough day on the Mohawk River

The water at Lock 9

Crescent Boat Club to Rotterdam

Erie Canal Lock 9

24.2 miles 10.2 hours (ouch!)

Oh hey, I’m in it now. Caught in a public dilemma, a promise made but perhaps out of reach. A reach that has exceeded my grasp.

 The big news is that the canal people have closed several locks ahead of me. The water is roaring. I saw a 54’ Cruiser swirled around like a tub toy before it smashed its way into the lock ahead of me, and I have been seeing 1.2 mph (over the ground) for the last 8 hours.

 The Mohawk River is raging right now, and I don’t have an answer.

 If the locks remain closed, I can’t proceed.

 If I can’t make 1.2+ mph over the ground (15 mile days?), I can’t proceed.

I feel terrible about this state of affairs. I ‘promised’ a 400 mile row … I feel obligated.

 But ... I’m thinking … maybe it’s about connecting ‘Laker to Laker’ even if the Mohawk steps in the way?

 Tonight a canoeist (and 20 other people) congratulated me on getting into Lock 9 alive. It was quite a nifty bit of oarsmanship, if I may say so myself. A 54’ Chris Craft was manhandled, my 16’ Adirondack guideboat got me through!

A surprise visit from Anja at Lock 9

 Anyways, the 84-year-old masters champion canoeist told me his life story … and then I asked him if he or anyone in his cohort might want to leapfrog me and my boat over this unpleasantness. A truck and a rack and map and we could be on again, past the troubled waters.

He’s shaking the bushes tonight and will call me in the morning.

Sadly, one thing for sure – I won’t be rowing tomorrow …

1. A brutal day … still can be fun
2. High water trumps high ambition
3. People are wonderful when you ask them with respect and humility

Oh! Gene, Maria, and Ray, the folks on the plucky down-east type boat, treated me to a wonderful dinner and terrific stories along Lock 9. A stranded community is forming – lovely people, and damn good boaters!    

Much later!!

    

Al spent the night at Lock 9 - he needs to at least get beyond the last closed lock (#16) at St. Johnsville

Day 4 - Schuylerville to Crescent Boat Club

 

Schuyerville to Crescent Boat Club

31.8 miles  7:48 rowing

10 locks

We enjoyed a glassy downstream run for 22 miles on the Hudson; 4 boats passed us in 6 hours, virtually no one on the shore enjoying the water or a Friday afternoon … almost Covid-like quiet. After reading more about the PCB legacy on the Hudson, I wonder if folks are still reluctant?  

We turned the corner into the Erie, finally heading west, and one must climb ‘the flight’ of 6 locks within 2 miles in order to get to the Mohawk. Now it will be an uphill climb to Herkimer, as the Mohawk’s current will be against me until I get to the ‘classic’ Erie Canal, not influenced by the Mohawk’s torrent. The buzz is that the M’s water is high right now, so I’m anticipating a slog until then.  

 It was great having Bob along for two days. He’s a strong rower and goal oriented, and only family obligations pulled him off the water tonight. Tina delivered a quart of chocolate milk to me when she picked him up, and that softened the blow.

 I’m curled up at the Crescent Boat Club, a lovely facility where I’ll have access to running water … the most important amenity!

 If the Hudson’s PCB past still haunts it, the Mohawk – at least this early section – is bedeviled by aquatic weeds; many docks are plastered in by 50 yards of the densest vegetation … invasive, I wonder? It simply seems out of control – totally dominant – and occasionally one rows past a gargantuan Zamboni-like device, water-going, of course, that simply clears a channel to open water. As I sit here at this lovely club, looking out at the river, it seems that in places half its breadth is painted green.

200 yards to shore - that's water chestnut

Was it always this way? Are these non-native invaders? If so, was or could anything have been done? What does the future hold … will open water on the Mohawk someday be a rarity? What will I see further upstream?  

So much to learn …

 My, how nature has her way … unless we interfere!

I’m so lucky to see this, to be doing this, to hope that at least my granddaughters will someday read this.

Gotta fight the tent before dark; have you ever watched Snoopy and the lawn chairs?

 Same thing -

 

 

Morning Bonus Blog

 

AM Bonus Blog

Our shipping containers here at Schuylerville Marina really saved us from a night of rain … it’s still threatening this morning, but at least we’re starting out dry.

If you are ever by this way, you must rent a shipping container here at the spotless Schuylerville Marina, and dine at Amigos Cantina right down the street ... all the conviviality and color of the row, without the row.

We’ll be off at 8 with the goal of passing through ‘the flight’ of locks in Waterford by end of day… then I lose Bob – so sad – and head west. Tina, thanks for your logistical support and for sharing Bob. ‘Sharing Bob.’ So sweet.

The Hudson gives us a nice boost downstream, maybe more psychological than real, but this is the beginning of the time in a row where psychology matters. The Mohawk will be flowing against me … and I anticipate its opposition to my progress to be more physical than psychological … which is psychological.

 See what I mean?   

 

 

Day 3 - Kingsbury to Schuylerville

Kingsbury Lock 8 to Schuylerville

20.5 miles

6.3 hours

4 locks

 

Some days are close to perfect, even if one’s lower back is screaming and the hands are blistering out.

 Met up with life-long friend Bob at lock 7 – his beyond-wonderful wife Tina ferried him, his boat, and PB&J’s to the water’s edge – and Bob and I rowed in tandem and wing-to-wing for 15 miles to the Schuylerville Marina, where we are sleeping in re-habbed shipping containers. Way cool, and dry!

 My daughter Katie arrived with granddaughters Rose and Sylvie, and the 5 of us enjoyed a wonderful dinner at Amigos Cantina, world-class fare a short walk from the river’s edge. If I were writing a dinner review and not a rowing blog, I’d end this with 5 stars, plus! A great place … thanks, Rob!    

 So … best friends, fantastic daughter, delightful granddaughters, great food, and a warm, dry bed … the lower back may ebb and flow, but a memory like today is timeless. I’m a lucky dude.

 Tomorrow’s goal is to turn the corner at Waterford and start to head west, at last. It will feel good to be making a wake in the direction of my destination. I’ll have one more day with Bob as a most able wing man, then solo again.

This stretch of the Hudson is sobering if one recalls the PCB debacle and the untold sums and lives spent in the clean-up. The water here is surprising clear, the shoreline and vistas are beautiful, the wildlife abundant, and our nation’s history is everywhere in these parts. But the environmental disaster that came from 30 years of PCB pollution still hangs over the river … a stark reminder that preventing the ruin of our environment is far easier … and more effective … than remediation, if restoration is even possible.

 The stories of failure and success in environmental stewardship are all around us. A treasure like Lake George is the best of stories, if only we don’t love her to death. A story like Keuka Lake is heartening; it shows what is possible through unity of purpose, compromise, and bold action.

 Xxoo, and to sleep.    

Al exiting Lock 5

Day 2 - Orwell VT to Kingsbury NY

 

Orwell VT to Kingsbury NY

Champlain Canal Lock #9

35.6 miles, 9:15 in the seat

3 locks

 Just finished a sumptuous repast prepared by a chef ending in ‘Dee.’ I’ve got a pasta refrain going on this trip. When I’m on my own, I eat like a teenager. But I do love what ‘Dee does with the sauce … delicate, savory, a bit sweet, nes pah?

 Three highlights today:

1.  A following wind all the way, which really enables the boat to glide between strokes.  A flat water 35 mile day is, for me, about 7700 strokes. Today, because the wind enabled me to cruise at hull speed with reduced cadence, it was a lot less. Every little bit helps. Don’t know if my luck will hold on wind, but I’ve had two favorable days … one from the south, today from the northeast. Go figure!!

2. Locks take time. I was in the seat for an extra hour today for essentially identical mileage, the difference being the transit of three locks on the Champlain Canal. The lockkeepers have been wonderful – they’ve put me right through – but it’s still a pause. But the lock folks have great stories and wonderful pride in their canal and the lock stations … what a resource, and this year it’s free!   

3. An epiphany! I’ll be passing through seven lakes on this row. Up to now, I’ve been focused on mostly two, and how they are each dealing with septic issues (Keuka and Lake George,) but if I do make it all the way to Hammondsport, I’ll have wet my bottom in Lake George, Lake Champlain, Oneida Lake, Cross Lake, Cayuga Lake, Seneca Lake, and Keuka Lake. Seven lakes … seven hills of Rome … seven rooms of gloom … the Seven Sisters colleges … Gentle reader, this is how one spends his/her time for 9+ hours in a fiendishly small wooden boat under a baking sun trying to fulfill what is now a public obligation while eating ‘O’s and Dee at the end of the day.

More on these lakes as I get to ‘em, but I’ll just say that southern Champlain faces a huge challenge with its agricultural runoff … and with its interconnection with the ecosystems of the Hudson and, really, the world, through the Champlain Canal.  

Does my memory serve me right that in the 40’s or 50’s, a canal was considered to connect Lake George to it all? It would have been so easy. It would have been so tragic.

Let’s give a cheer for clear heads and a commitment to the common good … yesterday, today, and tomorrow!

Gotta sleep.

Map of the Champlain Canal 

Day 1 - Cleverdale to Orwell VT

 

At Chipman Point Marina

Cleverdale to Orwell, VT (Chipman’s Point Marina)

35.65 miles,  8:15 hour ‘moving’

 The T-storm abated at 5:15 AM, so I pushed off at 5:45 in light rain. Brian & Cecile met me at their dock 2.2 miles up; an egg and English muffin sandwich added ballast and fuel. Where do we find such friends?

 A pretty nice south wind pushed me to Ticonderoga, but my lack of training took its toll nonetheless. A combination of factors sabotaged my aim to push the boat to the falls ….

1.       Poor conditioning

2.       An undersized carriage

3.       Too much luggage

4.       High heat!

 The boat kept sliding off the cart, so I presented my exhausted self to Jeff and Tristan at Snug Harbor Marina, pled my situation, and learned yet again that kind, ‘can-do’ people like Jeff and Tristan walk among us. Jeff gave the ‘OK,’ Tristan helped me toss my bags and the boat in the back of his Ram Hemi, I climbed in the bed to hold the boat in, and in four minutes we were at La Chute.

 Jeff, it would have been easy and entirely understandable to say ‘no’ to a guy with a 16’ boat out in the road, but you didn’t. Snug Harbor? They’re the good guys and thanks so much!

 And Tristan? There may be a few rust spots in that truck, but it purrs like a tiger – what a great sound – thanks for bailing me out … you are a rock star, too!

 Failing to complete a 2-3 mile portage today does not bode well for the 8 miles in Dresden, from Seneca to Keuka! I so want to walk it … perhaps I can do it if I just pull my boat (74 lbs) and oars (14 lbs) and ‘ship’ my sea bags (2,642 lbs!!) to the end?

 Am I a wuss?

 Just getting old?

Is this row already compromised because of Tristan’s generosity and my exhaustion?

 I do have 35+ miles in 8:15 to show for my labors, so that’s something. And I’m finally rowing towards Hammondsport, which feels more gratifying than 27 miles North in order to turn South!

I’m 82 miles from my right turn onto the Mohawk and Erie … which will be a morale booster extraordinaire.

Anyone who sees what I’ve seen today – the incredible purity of Lake George water flowing into the brown patina of southern Champlain – can’t help but be struck by how little separates these two eco-systems: gravity, the falls, and eagle-eyed inspectors keep us in the pink, or in the clear … and I sure do hope the septic inspection momentum picks up steam and support. What we have is just too special – too unique – to not do all that we can do to preserve, protect, and pay forward.

 My agenda tonight?

     1.       A shower here at Chipman’s Marina

2.       Some circular pasta ending in “O’s”

3.       A deep, deep sleep!        

 And tomorrow? Jackson Brown sang it, I just have to do it … again.

 Xxoo,

Al

Al has traveled this route before - for further reading and photos of La Chute and the Portage, see

http://arowtoofar.blogspot.com/2017/07/home.html