Adirondack Canoe Classic Part 2

Day two of the race was supposed to be "easier." I place that word in quotes because this, allegedly, easier second day was still incredibly difficult. After clocking in at around 8 hours and 30 minutes on day one, we hoped to be at least a half hour faster on the second day. The distance on the day was 30 miles, but with only one carry we knew that if we got into a rhythm we could improve. Day two did provide us with some beautiful views and some of the most fun sections of the race by far. The beautiful, winding Raquette River and the open water of Long Lake made this day go by much quicker.



Day two began at "Bissell's" on the south end of Long Lake. We launched from a beach and headed north up the lake. This section was unique because of the sheer distance that we had stretched out in front of us. Long Lake certainly lived up to it's name, it was the body of water that we spent the most time on during the entire race. We paddled in a pack under the Long Lake bridge to crowds of cheering family and pit crew members who snapped photos and yelled words of encouragement.



We stayed on long lake for a around 3 1/2 hours until we reached the mouth of the Raquette River. This long and constant section of lake also presented us with one of the challenges that racers have to face: how to go to the bathroom in the boat. Now it may sound gross but my friend who was a veteran of the 90 said that some people pee in the boat. My dad and I had decided ahead of time that we were in this to have fun so we could wait until we reached a section where we could get out onto dry land to go. However, this plan of action proved impossible when we were in the open water and surrounded by private camps. Eventually after some uncomfortable shifting on my seat, I informed my dad of the urgency of the situation. He threw me an empty Poland Springs jug with the top cut off that we were using as a bailing bucket and said "you're welcome." I immediately changed my mind and decided to hold it. Anyone who has ever struggled to pee at one of those troughs at a sporting event will relate to my reluctance in the face of relieving myself into a water bottle, in the middle of a lake, amidst hundreds of other watercraft. eventually we stopped and got out which also allowed us to shake out our sleeping legs.

From here we paddled up the Raquette a few miles until we reached the Raquette Falls carry. Half of a canoe hung from a post and warned against trying to run the falls. After a slow moving, single file carry through the woods, we reached the base of the falls and continued on. The rest of the day was spent winding through the clear, gorgeous waters of the Raquette. It's no wonder that Ralph Waldo Emerson and James Russell Lowell camped in the area to escape from society.



The day ended with us sprinting against another boat to the finish line at a public boat launch called "The Crusher." We were greeted with beers, chocolate milk, and pizza by our pit crew and friends who had finished before us. Day 2 was over after 7 hours and 57 seconds and we were feeling much better than the day before.

Adirondack Canoe Classic Part 1

Photo by Mark Kurtz

For years may dad had been dogged by his friend Dan Tickner, owner of Tickner's Canoe Outfitters, to participate in the Adirondack Canoe Classic or "The 90 Miler," which runs from Old Forge to Saranac Lake. This year he finally succeeded and we decided to enter. The experience was one of the most grueling, at times miserable, and difficult of my life, but I can't wait to do it again next year.

I drove up after class on Thursday, September 9th and met my dad at the Tickner's house in Old Forge. I was pretty nervous as I packed my pack with snacks and filled up my CamelBak because I had heard that the first day was insane.

The first day of the race began in Old Forge on Old Forge pond and finished in Blue Mt. Lake -a distance of 35 miles with 3.5 miles of portages.

The start of the race was packed with all of the racers getting prepared and adjusting the butt-padding taped to the stock seats of their canoes. It was apparent quickly that the preferred canoe of the 90 Miler participant was the We-No-Nah "Minnesota II". Others ranged from the bizarre and super-light , to truly heavy and inadequate aluminum canoes. Some also chose to race in single or double Kayaks, 3 or 4 man canoes, Guide Boats, and even War-Canoes. These all fit into 15 (+/- depending on the year) classes of boats, each with a separate 1st place winner and prize. We entered in the "Open-Touring" class, which was a non-competetive class and the largest.

We set out from Old Forge and travelled onto Old Forge Pond and out into the Fulton Chain of Lakes. We paddled at a brisk pace up through First through Fifth Lakes until we reached the town of Inlet and our first carry. Along the way we met a young couple who were doing the race for the first time. We would end up spending the rest of the race chatting and racing along side them. This is part of the joy of the 90. Though some people are racing for prize money and recognition, many of us were out there to complete the challenge and have fun. The solidarity between 250 boats worth of people trying to complete an intense endurance test like this is incredible.

After a short carry up rt. 28, we put in at Sixth Lake. From here it was a short paddle through Seventh and up to the second carry of the day at Eight lake campground. This was a longer carry and my mom drove in with Powerade and Cliff bars for us, as well as some encouraging words and moral support. We were feeling good, but we knew that the biggest test of the day was ahead.

After a brief trip across Eighth, we knew we had to endure the longest carry of the day ending at Brown's Tract. This is a roughly 3 mile section of river that winds in a serpentine fashion through a marshy area, switching back repeatedly and slowing down the pace. We had heard that this was the section that racers lost the race or even missed making the time cut-offs for the day.

Brown's Tract was difficult, however we worked together and made it through much quicker than we had expected; even passing a few other racers on the way. We could see the behemoth bulk of Blue Mountain rising into the grey sky, beckoning us to fight on through the growing pain in our arms and backsides. After going under the bridge that leads into town, we travelled out into Raquette Lake, then up into another river that finished with the final carry of the day.

Following the carry we put in at Utowana Lake, then paddled into Eagle Lake, then finally into the home stretch of Blue Mountain Lake. At this point I had gotten into a rhythm; switching sides after every 10 strokes to save energy and just because i was so sore. The temperature had also dropped and the wind had begun to whip the lake into a choppy mess. However the end was in front of us and we could see the crowd of those who had finished before us and two giant orange balls floating in the water to signify the finish. When we finished I sat down in the sand and sighed in relief. The hardest day was over.

Welcome to my blog

Welcome Readers, my name is Jake Snyder and this is my blog.



I could write about so many things but I figured the best option was to talk about something I love: The Outdoors/Adirondack Mountains. I am a cyclist, a hiker, a camper, an assistant scoutmaster with Boy Scout troop 107, a canoeist...the list could go on but I'll stop there.

My mission for this blog is to share my experiences and the trips that i take into the Adirondacks. I hope that I can give others some ideas for hikes or canoe trips, as well as share what I learn from my experiences.

Thanks for reading, happy trails.
-Jake

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