October 21 | The Falls in Fall - PTFL Starting at Smith Park on the East side of Seneca Lake were
Group one participants, working on the PTFL challange. Many mini falls
were sighted along the way thanks to the rain the day before our trip. At
the five mile mark we met group two and all paddled up the inlet to see
Hector Falls. A few people tried to get their boats closer to the falls
but he current was too much for them. We all dressed for the weather, cool
& 50ish,with the usual Seneca Lake winds. Most of us enjoyed a delicious
dinner in Watkins Glen before the trip home.
Trip Description: Falls in the Fall. Two Groups one a PTFL segment
leaving from Smith Park and Group two starting from Watkins Glen. Groups
meeting at Hector Falls and returning to Watkins Glen.
Trip leader - Karen Pakulski |
October 21 | Genesee River from Charlotte
We had one of the biggest groups of people of any of my
trips so far this year today for a paddle up the Genesee River towards
downtown and the lower falls. With the amount of rain we have had, the
group of 14 people had to struggle up the river especially once we paddled
past the Route 104 bridge. People would be paddling quite hard but it
seemed like you were not moving. After three hours the last boat finally
set down on the island for our lunch break. Along the way we were able to
observe the concrete freighter travel up the river to its mooring at
turning point park area, the O'Rourke bridge open,many birds and fish
jumping everywhere. After lunch we paddled back to the boat launch in
about an hour....I believe we all enjoyed ourselves and the sense of
acomplishment by completing the paddle under such high water conditions.
Trip leader - Charlie Helman. |
October 16 | Daytrippers on Black Creek - Photos by Peg
Trip leader - Dan Wilson. |
October 9 | Daytrippers on Hemlock Lake - Photos by Rebecca
As Mary Poppins would say, we had a SUPERCALIFRAGILISTICEXPEALDOCUS day
- a perfect 10! Hemlock Lake was calm, the day sunny and warm with a
gentle breeze against the back drop of beautiful fall colors. Early in the
trip we watched a bald eagle magestically perched on a tree top. We saw
two loons diving in and out of water calling to each other. We had "The
Black Pearl" canoe amidst the group. After a very peaceful, scenic paddle,
several in the group decided to continue down the lake while a few of us
headed back on the opposite shore.
On the way back we saw an unusual small
brown animal paddling in the lake. Upon closer inspection, it was a chipmunk
- yes, I know it it hard to believe, but it was a chipmunk. How he landed
in the lake, we will never know. He was swimming very hard "in the wrong
direction," and looking tired. We formed a coral of kayaks and canoe around
him nudging him back to shore ready to scoop him up in one of our paddles
with any sign that he may "go under." Fortunately he made it back and
scampered away into the forest. A great day was had by all!
Trip leader - Dan Wilson. |
October 7 | North end of Canandaigua Lake - PTFL Cool light winds and calm waters, plus the bright sunshine were with us
all day. Six paddlers left Kershaw Park about 9:30 AM heading up the West
side of the lake with a light breeze in our face. We stopped for lunch
just South of the Wegman cottage and then across to the East side.
Heading North we found the wind shifting and it was still in our faces.
We arrived back at Kershaw Park about 2:30 PM having completed 15.5 miles
with an average speed of 3.9mph.
Trip leader - Karen Pakulski |
October 7 Saturday | Saturday morning paddles Peg, Becky and Joanna had a very nice paddle into the
Bay at 8AM Saturday. We paddled out through an amazing number of swans,
and then out into the quiet bay. We didn't see another boat until after
9:00. As with the other trips this weekend, the weather couldn't have
been better.
Trip leader - Peg Warrick |
October 6-9 | Lower Saranac Exploratory - Photos by Ron, Rich, and Bill
Seven paddlers left Rochester on Friday 10/6 with 4 kayaks and 2 canoes. The
sun was shining when we put in at First Pond right off Rte 3. Because the
weather was expected to be good, the campsites on Lower Saranac Lake were
pretty full but we managed to find a nice one and proceeded to unload all the
stuff we had brought (It was good that we had two canoes along because I'm not
sure we could have fit everything in the kayaks -- although I was impressed
with how much Luann was able to fit in hers). We settled on to the site and
were fixing dinner when I decided to test the water temperature-it was good
that I had brought along an extra set of clothes and the water was not as cold
as I thought it would be. (A little safety tip for all you ADK'rs-Don't try to
fill up a pan with water while standing on slippery rock) We were treated to a
lovely moon-rise that evening. Not only did we get really good weather but we
managed to pick the weekend of the full moon. We hardly needed headlamps at all
to get around camp at night.
We awoke Saturday to a lovely mist on the water that gave way to another
glorious autumn day. We decided to paddle to the Lock between Lower and Middle
Saranac. We enjoyed lunch and the guys enjoyed working the locks. We met some
other people there from Rochester who actually knew where Albion was.
That evening we watched a seagull convention -- I'm not sure what they
were doing out on the lake but there sure was a lot of them squawking. We
enjoyed campfire talk and hit the tents when the temperature dropped.
Sunday we paddled up Fish Creek. Unfortunately we didn't get too far
because we reached a fairly shallow spot. Bill was all for carrying the boats
to look for deeper water because this was an exploratory trip after all - but
we were satisfied to head back and explore the less challenging water on
Ampersand Bay. We ran into some paddlers in old Adirondack guide boats as well
as some fellow ADK'rs . We checked out some of the high-end real estate along
that part of the lake. Unless one of us hits the lottery, I think we'll be
sticking to tents.
Monday we took our time packing up and paddling out, enjoying the last bit
of the wonderful weather and beautiful fall colors. On the way out, we saw some
younger folk jumping off 50 foot cliffs into the water. (I could have told them
the water was cold but they probably wanted to find out for themselves- they at
least were wearing appropriate swimwear)
All in all it was a great trip on a lovely lake with excellent company.
Trip leader - Bill Irwin. |
Sept 30 | West River - Canandaigua Lake Inlet - Photos by Rebecca and Joan
With a combination of GVC members and three Buffalo
members we paddled up West River to the old railroad bridge before
breaking for lunch. Along the way we were able to see the colors of the
trees as they approach peak(probably a week or two away. After lunch we
voted on which route to take and we decided on a branch that is not
paddled much. We then paddled up the Naples Creek fork of the river which
in the past has been un-navigatable but due to the rain we have had we
were able to paddle quite far towards Naples. We saw our usual compliment
of wild life, heron, kingfisher, Canandian Geese, ducks. We were also
visited by the phantom kayaker . . . a boat moving along without a
paddler . . . hopefully someone took a picture that will make it to the web
site for your viewing pleasure. another fun day on the water!
Trip leader - Charlie Helman |
Sept 22-24 | Bog River and Low's Lake - Photos by Steve
The rain began to fall Saturday night as we car-camped at Horseshoe Lake.
The four of us – in one kayak, two Hornbecks, and one big Curtis
– launched from the lower Bog River dam on a grey Saturday morning.
The rain continued on and off all day, but it was still a lovely day to be
out. An increasingly strong west wind kept us close to the shore for such
shelter as we could get – Steve was lead paddler in his Curtis, which
has a lot of sail area. The ranger told us the forecast was calling
for even more wind on Sunday, so we were happy to find a campsite on the
east side of a ridge. The rain finally let up; we set up camp and had
dinner with only a sprinkle. And, since we had had several late
cancellations, the four of us were forced to make do with brownies prepared
for eight. Life is hard sometimes.
That night we could hear the wind howling overhead but the tents hardly
rustled. The heavy rain visited us a few times then moved out of the area.
Sunday morning we broke camp under grey skies with a hint of blue. After a
brief sprinkle the clouds gradually broke, letting us see the early fall
color in splashes of sunshine.
The wind at our backs continued to increase. (The roughly six hour
paddle in took about half that going out.) By time we finished our lunch at
the upper dam portage, the weather could best be described as "white caps
with higher gusts". Hats and boat covers were secured with some
difficulty. One paddle went off into the water but, fortunately, no
paddlers. The boats all developed strong minds of their own, particularly
Steve's big Curtis. Control got to be rather a contest of wills. At times
we gave up on paddling and just held the paddles to the stern as tillers.
Then we would round a bend and be in calm water for a short stretch as the
wind roared overhead. It was, shall we say, an interesting ride; but a very
pretty one, too, as the skies continued to clear.
As we drove out, Steve and Pat discovered that J-Racks do not get along
well with strong, gusting crosswinds. Out came the extra straps for
reenforcements and we continued on our way, none the worse for the wear.
We'll have to do this again sometime soon.
--Steve
Trip leaders Barb Brenner and Steve Tryon. |
Sept 23 | Hemlock Lake We had a total of eight paddlers between the group from
Braddocks Bay Paddleports and ourselves brave what looked like a horrible
day. Fortunately other than a few sprinkles the weather was fine. We were
entertained on our 5 to 6 mile paddle by a abundance of wildlife, osprey,
red tail hawk, two different types of heron, kingfisher, and the mother
load . . . two adult bald eagles and a young offsping, a one or two year old
eagle that has still to get its distinctive white head.Then as we
approached the take out we were surprised by the calls and then the site
of a loon which I have never seen on Hemlock before! We also paddled over
quite a few large fish who were eluding the few fishermen that were
out . . . overall a wonderful paddle.
Trip leaders - Charlie Helman |
Sept 19 | Tuesday at the Beach The launch was a little tricky with some crashing waves
slowing us down but once in the water we paddled out to the northwest and
some oncoming one to two foot waves. We made it to the mouth of the river
before having to turn around due to the impending darkness. As we returned
we enjoyed some surfing all the way back to Durand. Just as we approached
the take out point we were almost surprised by two rouge waves that came
crashing down on us unexpectedly. Overall, another enjoyable evening.
Trip leaders - Charlie and Mark |
Sept 17 | Buck Pond - Day Trippers - Photos by Pat
The Daytrippers had a great day to paddle on Sunday, Sept 17th.
We paddled through Buck Pond, the inlets as far as we could go, and
then out to Lake Ontario. A great day was enjoyed by all.
Trip leader - Rebecca Ledwin |
Sept 16 | Second Annual Creek Fall Cleanup Paddle - Salmon and West Creeks In conjunction with the International Coastal Clean-up
we did our part by putting together our own clean-up crew. four tandem
canoes and two kayaks cleaned the shorelines of both West and Salmon
creeks in canoes provided by Braddocks Bay Paddlesports. We collected over
a dozen bags of garbage, two barrels, a tricycle, chair, piece of dock and
a posted sign to mention just a portion of our load.
Trip leader - Charlie Helman. |
Sep 8-10 | Adirondack Great Camp Tour
Ten people headed up to Eighth Lake Campground on September 8
to enjoy a few days of paddling and to learn a little bit about the
Adirondacks Gilded Age. We set up camp and decided to kayak on Eighth Lake
on Friday afternoon in order to take advantage of the lovely weather. We
enjoyed a campfire and a few laughs that night.
On Saturday we paddled
Raquette Lake in the morning (Did you know that Raquette Lake got it's
name from a pile of snowshoes?) and spent the afternoon touring the
Sagamore Great Camp, thus avoiding paddling in the rain and thunderstorm.
The pace was leisurely, the company was excellent and everyone's food
looked tasty and the weather didn't spoil the fun.
We heard loons and a
screech owl that night and managed to get a few hours of paddling on
Seventh Lake in on Sunday morning before heading back to Rochester after
the required shopping expedition and a nice lunch. We didn't get to the
Marion River so we will have to check that out next year.
Trip leaders - Ruth McNamara, Sue Green, and Luann Mongelli.
|
Sept 9 | Irondequoit Creek - Morning paddle We lived up to the part of the trip desciption that says
"1.5 hours, or maybe longer if it's too nice to turn around". Ron, Dan
and I paddled up through Elison Park a few turns past the Dasiy Flour Mill.
It was a beautiful day with only a few challenging spots to keep us
thinking and limber. After 1 hour and 45 minutes paddling upstream, we
got out for a short stretch and then paddled back in just over an hour.
As is common on Irondequoit Creek we saw a number of Heron.
Trip leader - Peg Warrick |
Sept 4 | Canadice Lake - Day Trippers
Says Peg -- We had a great time. I think there were 9 of us. We
paddled around the lake then stopped for some 'goodies' and to do our 'good
deed' for the day. Apparently youngun's had partied last night; a lot of
beer cans, garbage and still ice on the ground where they
emptied the cooler. Luckily someone had a garbage bag in their pack, so we
filled it and left the spot a better place then we found.
Trip leader - Dan Wilson |
Sept 3 | Skaneateles Lake - Photos by Rebecca
Six brave people in five boats made the trip east today
even though the skies were threatening again. Once on the water we were
able to enjoy a three hour paddle around the north end of one of the most
beautiful finger lakes. The rain stayed to nothing more than a drizzle and
the sun even came out once in a while. Once on the northern end we were
entertained by a local fire departments contest in the water of who can
sink the apponnents boat. Then by some brave ducks looking for a handout
boarded one of our kayaks....
After lunch we headed down the eastern shoreline and stopped to look at
the house where the Clintons stayed a few years ago. Then it was accross
the lake and our return trip home.
As usual ....and a good time was had by all!
Trip leader - Charlie Helman |
August 31 | Irondequoit Bay - Evening Paddle - Photos by Steve
Eight of us in six boats had a relaxed and pleasant
paddle at the head of Irondequoit Bay. We stopped at Don and Mary's
house for some wonderful ice cream and a great view of the Bay and the
lake out to Braddock's point. It was a perfect night for a calm paddle
and on our return trip we paddled into a beautiful sunset.
Trip leader - Peg Warrick. |
August 21 | Genesee River and Red Creek - Photos by Rebecca
The Daytrippers had an absolutely gorgeous day for a paddle. We paddled the
Genesee River to the canal. From the canal we had a beautiful trip down Red
Creek. The creek was serene with turtles basking in the sun, winding turns
through a lush green canopy of flowers and forests. The water was clear. On
the canal we passed a barge. As is typical for a Monday morning paddle, the
water was quiet with only a few passing boats. As the summer winds down, it
has been a priviledge to experience quiet waters with those of you who have
joined me this summer. I have truly enjoyed getting to know all of you Thank
you. I look forward to more paddles this fall, and definitely next summer.
Trip leader - Rebecca Ledwin |
August 19 | Canandaigua Lake South End Loop - The PTFL paddle on the Southern end of Canandaigua Lake
started with gray skies and the threat of rain. Feeling like it might be
a great day on the water, four of us launched from Woodville State Boat
Launch on Route 21 at 9:30AM. Our goal was to do one half of the lake
estimated at 18 miles but we added one extra for a 19 mile paddle. Our
pace was over 4.5 MPH most of the way heading North thanks to a gentle
Southerly breeze.
At the nine mile mark we headed across the lake and
caught a look at the Wegman's compound. (which we really couldn't miss
due to the size of it) Since this lake is well inhabited,and has few
parks, finding a place for lunch was difficult.
At a deserted point in a
cove, we stopped at waters edge for a quick lunch. Then we headed into a
greatly increased headwind on our southerly route back. We still kept a
fairly good pace and reached the boat launch at 2:45PM. The rain held off
until the last mile but the threat of rain kept most of the power boaters
off the water. That made it a quiet and very pleasant paddle.
Trip leaders - Bill and Karen Pakulski |
August 14 | Day Time Paddle - Erie Canal from Ayrault Road We met at Ayrault Road launch and paddled to the Village
of Fairport. The highlight was to have been ice cream at the store near
the waterfront in Fairport. Unfortunately, we arrived at 11am, and the
store doesn't open until after noon. Anyway, the weather cooperated, and
a good time was had by all. Wave and water conditions were manageable.
Trip leader - Jim Bird |
August 10 | Irondequoit Creek from BayCreek - Evening Paddle With some of the regulars out of town, and the weather forecast iffy,
there were just my wife and myself in a tandem canoe and Ron in his kayak.
The three of us had a
lovely paddle, winding our way up the creek through the valley.
We had plenty of sun and no rain. We had a good breeze behind us going
upstream, and it was almost calm for the return leg. Such a deal.
Trip leader - Steve Tryon. |
August 7 | West River Marsh - Photos by Rebecca and Peg
The Daytrippers had another enjoyable paddle today in the West River
Marsh area on the south end of Canandaigua Lake. We had 9 paddlers
plus our youngest paddler, Andrew, about age 3, on the back of his
father's kayak. It's a beautiful time of year to enjoy the Bristol
Hills, flowering shrubs and pond lilly's in addition to the scenic
river and lake.
Trip leader - Rebecca Ledwin |
July 31 | Irondequoit Creek and Bay - Photos by Rebecca
The Daytrippers had a wonderful paddle this past Monday, July 31st.
We paddled part of Irondequoit Creek and Bay. Mondays will never be
the same. The waterways are quiet and serene with minimal boat
traffic. We saw alot of water fowl - terns, sea gulls, red-breasted
cormorants, swans, and many turtles. Enjoy the pictures on the ADK
paddle web site.
Trip leader - Rebecca Ledwin |
July 18, 25 | Tuesdays at the Beach - Photos by Steve
Trip leaders - Charlie and Mark |
July 23 | Hemlock Lake PTFL - Photos by Nancy
A beautiful sunny day with a light breeze awaited us at
Hemlock Lake North end boat launch. We started at 10:00AM to
circumnavigate the lake for a PTFL adventure. The calm water made for an
easy paddle and we reached the South end boat launch at 12 noon for lunch.
We enjoyed the day on the return paddle and were on our way home by
3:00PM. Another fun PTFL.
Trip leaders - Bill and Karen Pakulski |
July 14-16 | Long Lake, Adirondacks
Lake Eaton Campground was the place to meet Friday evening. The campground is
located just 1/1/2 miles from our put in at Long Lake. Bob Comstock (aka Dr.
Bob, he is good with epoxy, and can even pour wine) led our group. We had one
tandem canoe and five kayaks.
Calm waters and warm, dry weather made Saturday's paddle north easy and
fun. After a couple of breaks, the hunt was on for a camp site. Power boaters
also use this lake and several of the lean-to camping areas were filled. We
found a large, nice spot on a point along the east side of the lake. Easily,
the best site on the lake. Time for swimming, resting, eating and applying (by
Dr. Bob) epoxy to Nancy's leaking boat. Cloudy skies blew away and the sun let
us see it set over the water. Campfire, dessert and fun with friends, made a
great evening.
Sunday gave us more calm water to start and we went north to explore some
of the Raquette River. As expected, after lunch the headwinds picked up and it
was a slower paddle back to the take out at Long Lake village. Bob C. kept
Karen cool with his water blaster and in return, Karen watched Bob dunk off the
bow of her boat.
All too soon it was time to depart for home. A few stopped for dinner &
ice cream on the route home. Participating were: Bob Comstock(aka Dr. Bob),
Karen & Bill Pakulski, Gretchen Schauss, Nancy Green, Bob Grimm, Marshall
Atwell.
Trip Leader: Bob Comstock; Trip report by Karen Pakulski. |
July 8 | Canandaigua Lake - Photos by Nancy
Spectacular and Fun are the words to describe this Canandaigua Lake Paddle.
The weather was spectacular - we were on a gorgeous lake - and what a fun group
of people showed up! We paddled the east side of the lake. We were invited to
break for lunch at Tony and Ev's house on the lake - where we were pleasantly
surprised by a superb snack table that Ev had set up for us. Even I ate it -
and it was HEALTH FOOD! (Except the donuts!!).
Not all of the group wanted to
cross the lake so we paddled back up the east side again which turned out to be
very relaxing. When we got back, we grilled some hot dogs and had snacks and
played with the toys I brought - just in case we did get to playing water
games. Not this year folks - we'll plan it better for next year if there is an
interest. ADK trip being over--some of us went back out and explored channels
and had dinner at a local pub. NICE!!! Wish you were there!
Trip leader - Nancy Donny |
July 6 | Braddock Bay - Photos by Steve
Trip leader - Bob Comstock |
June 29 | Erie Canal from Ayrault Road to Fairport - Photos by Steve - Evening Paddle
Trip leader - Peg Warrick. |
June 24 | Irondequoit Bay - Photos by Nancy
Trip leader - Charlie Helman |
June 15 | Black Creek from Ballantyne Road at Jefferson Road - Evening Paddle Six of us had a pretty and peacful paddle up Black Creek
from the Genesee. We went 3.36 miles round trip(wouldn\'t want to round
off the GPS reading, would we?) and saw few jumping fish, some blue heron
and patches of forget-me-nots. This might be one of the last trips of the
season on this section however as the water is getting low.
Trip leader - Peg Warrick. |
June 13 | TATB - Tuesdays At The Beach with Charlie and Mark - Photos by Sally
Caught the sunset this time.
Trip leaders - Charlie Helman and Mark Rakestraw. |
June 1 | South end of Irondequoit Bay - Evening Paddle Since this was a trip of one I went exploring
tributaries off Irondequoit Creek. One interesting one took me by a
swan's nest. It was a wonderful small stream, that is if you don't mind
using your paddle like a gondolears pole and getting out of your kayak and
standing it up on end to turn it around to head back. Hmm, should have
turned around at that last spot.
Don't let the weather keep you away, I'll leave shore in anything but
lightning. It turned out I didn't need a rain jacket at all, until the
muddy water dripping off the high end of the paddle got me a few times.
Trip leader - Peg Warrick |
May 30 | TATB - Tuesdays At The Beach with Charlie and Mark We had 8 paddlers who came ready for our first night out
into the lake. We paddled east towards Webster on extremely flat water
conditions with a slight haze due to the heat and humidity. On the return
trip home we encountered swallows and what we thought were going to be
clouds. Instead we just missed a great sunset . . . we must stay out at least
15 minutes later next week.
Trip leader - Charlie Helman. |
May 28 | Black Creek from Churchville toward Bergen Swamp Today we joined forces with the Niagara Chapter for a
joint paddle on Black Creek into the Bergen Swamp. They had 11 paddlers, a
Syracuse chapter member came and we had 8 paddlers. We all had a wonderful
paddle and most of stayed for a picnic afterwards. I thought our chapter
new how to eat, wow . . . the Buffalo people blew us away with their
preperations . . .
Thanks to all who participated.
Trip leader - Charlie Helman. |
May 18 | Red Creek - Evening Paddle Like Tuesday, we had a beautiful evening for a paddle,
in spite of dire weather predictions. Four of us made it pretty far up
the creek before we ran out of water. We practiced our limbo routine
under one downed tree, but otherwise it was a quiet peaceful paddle.
Participants: Peg Warrick, Steve Tryon, Ron Letzin, Joanna Heal.
Trip leader - Peg Warrick. |
May 16 | TATB - Tuesdays At The Beach with Charlie and Mark A beautiful evening for a paddle, in spite of dire
weather predictions. There were only four of us so we stayed in one group
instead of splitting into the "fast" and the
"stop-and-smell-the-lilly-pads" groups. Louis brought out the boat he
built over the winter for its maiden voyage - gorgeous boat, great job
Louis. The Webster Fire Department came over to check us out as we pulled
Louis out of the water--good natured guys who were entertained by our
antics. No, Lou's new boat didn't sink. He'd rolled to cool down
(half a roll actually) and a miscommunication kept us from getting our
bows to him in time to help him back up. Louis and I practiced a few more
rolls and we taught John how to do a bow rescue. Next week we're showing
John how to do a wet exit and clamber back into his boat-come prepared to
practice if your skills are rusty!
Participants: Mark, Carl, John, Louis
Trip leader - Mark Rakestraw. |
May 14 | Howland Island Day Paddle
Trip leader - Gary DeWitt. |
May 13 | Genesee River - Belmont to Belfast - pictures by Nancy and Don
Says Nancy, What an interesting Day!!! Don chose to paddle a spectacular
section of the Genesee River in the southern tier. We began with a great
breakfast in Fillmore, then drove to the put-in. The interesting, (muddy :)),
carry to the river was well worth the trip we were about to have!
Don waited
till we were in our boats and THEN - he gave a talk on STRAINERS in the river.
(Where the water runs fast around curves and drives you into trees that STRAIN
you out of your BOAT!! Coooool!!! We weren't scared - so we ventured out onto
the most interesting paddle I have ever been on! Each curve in the river was a
little bit different than the last. Each shallow - each rapid - each bend was
interesting and beautiful. It was fun to think about navigating the challenge
ahead of you. It was fun to turn around and look at what you just accomplished.
And then - there was 'The Hapless Two' - The Strainer's Delight...Check the
pictures - You'll see two paddlers who braved and conquered the Big Bad
Strainer! Good job everybody! Good job Wetsuits!!! The only casualty was Ruthie's Lunch!!
We stopped for lunch (we shared with Ruthie :) ),
paddled some more, talked and laughed, it rained, (hard!), and was sunny. We
thought we had it all - until - oh my - we saw a Bald Eagle! That grand eagle
allowed us to paddle right on by and let us get the most spectacular look! We
just floated on by as we looked at the eagle and the eagle looked at us! What a
treat!! Thank you, Don. Thank you everybody - for a great day!

Says Don . . . I would like to thank all ten intrepid paddlers who braved
another river trip with me. This section of the Genesee is slower and has less
elevation drop than the Wellsville section, but it's definitely not flatwater.
Due to the heavy rain on Thursday, the water level was up, which made for a
more interesting, and challenging, paddle. As we were preparing to launch,
Ruth asked about wearing her new wetsuit. It wasn't very cold so I wasn't sure
she'd be comfortable, but she did decide to wear it. Bill said he had an extra
throwrope and asked if I'd like to carry it. I thought it was overkill, but I
stowed it behind my seat. These extra precautions turned out to be fortuitous!
Ruth spent some time clinging to a tree in the cold water, while we threw
Bill's rope to her. We used the rope a second time to pull her kayak out of
the strainer. The fact that she didn't get cold, and that we could throw her a
rope that "we probably could have gotten along without" kept the situation
from getting out of hand.
In perhaps 20 minutes everyone was safely on shore
with their boats dried out, ready to go again. We laughed and joked about
Ruth's soggy turkey sandwich, the big casualty of the day.
Later we all
marveled at a striking example of our national symbol, a bald eagle, standing
guard over his river as we passed in awe below. Thanks to Nancy for the fine
pictures of this wonderful river trip, and her delightful account of it.
Trip leader - Don Welch |
May 2 | TATB - Tuesdays At The Beach with Charlie and Mark Our first tuesday night paddle of the season was a
success. we paddled down the western shoreline of Irondequoit Bay past the
Newport House before crossing the bay and paddling back up the eastern
shoreline. We saw lots of geese, a group of swans, ducks and a couple of
fisherman who had some spendable cash available to burn on gas for their
powerboats! I think we were smarter....we saved ours for ice cream
afterwards!
Trip leader - Charlie Helman |
April 23 | Members Potluck Picnic
The Pot Luck Picnic was a grand success this April! We enjoyed a lovely
facility at the Wetland Center off Empire Blvd.
The picnic was a little
different this year. One had to walk or shuttle the amazing picnic yummies back
into the loj. Then we enjoyed the pre-picnic hike - led by KarinTopfer, or the
Sunday (Yikes!) Hike - led by Dick Spade, or the Easy Paddle in the wetlands -
led by Gary Dewitt.
After working up an appetite, we enjoyed a family
atmosphere in a house environment where one found a dining room or a living
room or a family room to enjoy the company of friends, club members, new
members and potential members. We had affiliates and visitors from other
chapters. We ended a lovely afternoon with a raffle that put the Executive
Committee on the spot to randomly and, with lots of fun, choose the recipients
of 'valuable prizes'!!!
Watch for the Pot Luck Picnic in October! You don't
want to miss this great chance to meet the people who drive and participate in
your club! See you in the fall!!!
Membership chair - the inestimable Nancy Donny |
April 22 | Black Creek East from the Churchvill Dam
Says Nancy: It was a tough decision - but we decided not to go. The
creek was enticing - but since there was shuttling and fast water, Don decided
that two was not enough. Don has promised to do this treasured paddle again and
I am looking forward to that as much as I did this one! This should show
everyone that paddles are the leader's call. It isn't always easy to turn away
from a great paddle. That shows what makes a good leader. The safety and
integrity of a paddle is what this club and its trip leaders always have in
mind. Thank you Don! Trip leader: Don Welch. |
April 9 | Irondequoit Creek from behind Panorama Plaza to Irondequoit Bay
Our 2006 paddling season has offically begun! We had 9
boats, and 11 people for our annual trek up Irondequoit Creek from
Panorama Plaza to Irondequoit Bay.
The weather was great and we all had a
good time. We had a number of people paddle with us that had never joined
us before......a great start for the new year!
Trip leader - Charlie Helman |