World's Smartest Squirrel

I know this is not directly related to kayaking but I had to post it anyway. I may have found the world's smartest squirrel!

For the past few days I have been watching this little guy trying to figure out how to get to the birdseed in the feeder outside my office window. I've seen him hang upside down from the branch, jump up from the ground, leap from the tree trunk, etc, all to no avail. However, today was different. He actually managed to climb headfirst down the string and hang upside down from the feeder. Strong little guy, right?

He then decided this was a bit too hard, so he went for another approach. This time he climbed the tree, grabbed the string, and nibbled through it until the feeder fell to the ground. Then, he hopped down and ate his full. I didn't have the heart to stop him. Besides, he earned his sunflower seeds today!

Searching for Snowy Owls

Since taking an ornithology class a few years ago and learning how fascinating bird-watching can be, I've begun my own quest of sorts to see as many common and rare birds within New York as I can. One such bird is the Snowy Owl. Try as I may, however, I have yet to see one. But, with a week and a half off from work, I have made it my mission to find one this holiday season.

Recent reports tell of a Snowy Owl being sighted on Pattersquash Island near Smith's Point Beach on Long Island. So, my wife, my daughter, and myself hopped into my wife's car and rushed down to the beach to see it. Just my luck, the owl was gone, but my daughter did get a kick out of the deer that walked right up to our car, though. Seeing how close the island was from the parking lot gave me an idea, though. Why not paddle out to it the next morning? That way I could satisfy my crave for open water and give myself another chance to find an owl.

So, yesterday morning I woke before dawn, drowsily got dressed, packed up my gear, and drove to the beach for the second time in as many days. Cold air, drizzling rain, and unbelievably loud shotgun blasts from duck hunters greeted me as I launched my boat. Luckily, the hunters all stayed to the west of me as I headed east towards Pattersquash Island. The cold and rain did follow me, though. Two miles later I was circling the island, with no owls in sight (of course).

I was able to take comfort in the fact that none of the other birdwatchers I met saw one either. I did enjoy watching the huge flocks of buffleheads on the bay and crashing waves on the Atlantic. And, any morning spent paddling is a good morning, Snowy Owl or not.

Another report tells of a Snowy Owl on Jones Beach. Sounds like another possible paddle to me!

Some of my favorite photos

These are some of my favorite shots taken while paddling around the state. See if you can guess where any of them were taken.

Locations

So, what places are included in the book?

Progress

So, unbelievably, I have finally finished writing the book. Since my last post I spent a few weeks in the Adirondacks finishing up the rivers in that area, came home and did a ton of writing and map making, then headed out for one last paddle on the Delaware River. I invited a few friends to come along, and was lucky enough to have my buddy Jeff and his brother Edward join me. My dad also came along,which was a treat.

We left around 3am, drove up to Cochecton, and paddled down to Narrowsburg. It was the perfect paddle to end a great adventure. We saw a bald eagle, two red foxes, great blue herons, mergansers, deer, and even found two water snakes on the river's edge. We ran Skinners Falls, took our time on the slower sections, and thoroughly enjoyed the whole day. I had brought along a growler of beer I had bought from the Lake Placid Brewery, and we opened it up to celebrate the end of the last paddle I needed for the book. Finally!

Now that the writing is done, I am heavily into the editing phase, and am already thinking of ideas for my next book. My wife would kill me for doing this but I would love to write a new mountain biking guide to the state next. But, I'll wait a bit after this book is done to begin that one.

Cow Portage

Like most paddlers, at one time or another I have had to portage around dams, waterfalls, rapids, downed trees, low bridges, etc. These portages come with the territory. However, I recently had a new experience while paddling Conewango Creek in western NY. Heading around a curve in the river brought me to an obstacle in the water I have never encountered before: Cows. While there was enough open water for me to squeeze between the wading bovines and the river bank, I did consider walking my boat around them instead for fear of starting a stampede. Luckily, all cows stayed calm, cool, and collected, although they did seem a bit amused at this crazy guy floating by.

Greenport Kayak Race Results

Well, the race went extremely well. I was very excited all morning, not knowing what to expect about such a race. Would I be the only one in an average kayak among serious racers? Would there be only a few of us racing? Could I keep up with the other racers? As it turned out, none of my anxieties were warranted.

What I noticed when my wife, daughter, and I pulled into the boat launch was that everyone seemed just as experienced and prepared as I was. This immediately put me at ease. I even ran into one of my most beloved college professors, also racing that day. So, after signing in, reminiscing about good ol' Southampton College, and getting my boat ready, I kissed my wife and paddled out to the starting line.

I am sure it was the adrenaline that made me shoot to the front of the pack when the horn sounded starting the race. I calmed down quickly, though, and settled into a good pace and a solid position (10th place). There I stayed for most of the race, getting passed by only 2 more paddlers along the way. Rounding the breakwater in Greenport and seeing how close I was to the finish, I decided to turn on the gas a bit more and finish strong. I was even catching up to the people in front of me, and likely would have caught them had another paddler in front of me not flipped his boat.

So, what to do in this situation... Paddle past him and keep racing? Stop and offer help? The Coast Guard and Sea-Tow boats were nearby. Surely they would help him. But no, I couldn't just leave him be. So, I sped over to help him out, knowing I was giving up a few seconds in the process. As it turns out, I gave up more than a few minutes, trying to pump out his swamped boat (with no flotation at all) and trying to help him back into it. I finally gave up when the Coast Guard threw him a life ring and I struggled to regain my original pace towards the finish line.

I did finish strong, and was happy to have my wife and daughter cheering for me at the end. Come awards time, however, I learned that the paddler who finished just before me ended up winning $50. I had unknowingly given up the money when I stopped to help the flipped kayaker. Oh well, we can always use a bit of good karma once in awhile, right?

Anyway, the race really was fun. Its organizers promise to hold it again next year, and if it does run, I will absolutely race again. Only this time I will go straight for the finish. No stopping! Every man for themselves! Well, ok, I'd probably do the same thing all over again if I had to. Good karma, right?

Greenport Kayak Race

Well, next weekend I am trying something that I have never done before. I am taking a break from my travels and research for the book and have entered a kayak race. For those of you who know Long Island, this race starts in Orient Point and finishes in Greenport a bit more than 6 miles later. I am a bit nervous about what to expect but am always excited to add a new element to the sports I love. It should be a great day!

The race itself is to raise money to help with the implementation of a Water Nature Trail that circumnavigates Greenport. It seems like more and more of these "water trails" are popping up everywhere, and I, for one, am glad. Being an avid kayaker and a naturalist, I can really appreciate what these trails have to offer. I am sure this new one will not disappoint.

If you are as interested in Greenport's new trail as I am, you may want to check out the Coecles Harbor Marine Water Trail on nearby Shelter Island. This trail was designed by the Nature Conservancy to allow paddlers the chance to experience the beauty of their Mashomack Nature Preserve. Although I have not yet paddled this trail, I have heard nothing but great things about it.

Anyway, I will post some words and photos about my race next Saturday. Stay tuned...

General Clinton Canoe Regatta

I had heard of the General Clinton Canoe Regatta before. I knew it involved hundreds of canoes racing 70 miles on the Susquehanna. I even knew it was held every Memorial Day weekend. What I failed to realize was that the weekend I had planned to paddle the Susquehanna was, in fact, Memorial Day weekend. This became obvious to me when I first entered the Cooperstown area and saw canoe after canoe on cars everywhere.

After asking around I learned that the actual race was on Monday (it was Saturday at this time). To be honest, I thought about entering the race, but could not figure out how to swing another day away from home while leaving my wife to tak care of our daughter, the house, and set up for the party we were throwing for Memorial Day. But, even though I could not race on the actual day, I could paddle with some of the participants as they pre-paddled some sections of the course in preparation for the actual race.

I was thoroughly impressed with every racer I met (and saw). They all had amazingly beautiful boats that seemed to exude speed and grace through every pore of their carbon-fiber skins and they all paddled with strength and determination, in seamless unison with their partners. And, they all were kind, friendly, and generous with advice and suggestions. I wish I could have stayed an extra day to see them all race. It must have been an awesome sight to see!

The Susquehanna

Although I have been enjoying the whole book writing process and have found something unique and inviting about every river I have paddled so far, a few rivers have stood out in my mind. One such river is the Susquehanna. I paddled some parts of it this past weekend and, in all honesty, I did not want my trips to end. The river was just that beautiful... just that fun... just that exciting.

I first put in at the public boat launch in the amazing little town of Cooperstown, on the shores of Otsego Lake. From there, I paddled down the Susquehanna 14 miles or so to the town of Milford. While there were tons of downed trees and strainers, sometimes leaving openings only inches wider than my boat, my whole paddle was great. The weather was gorgeous, the scenery was stunning, and the river had just enough water in it to make things interesting. Paddles like that do not happen often. Luckily for me, the next day brought more of the same thing.

On day two I re-entered the water at Milford and headed this time down to Goodyear Lake. I chose to avoid the portage around the dam there and instead headed to the southeast side of the lake where a DEC fishing access spot exists. This proved to be a great idea and helped make my whole experience on the Susquehanna most memorable.

GPS's do not float

Well, I learned a hard, expensive lesson recently. Handheld GPS's do not float. Well, ok,they do float for a second or two. More like swirl and bob, though. Nevertheless, when knocked off the deck of a kayak by a tree branch, they will soon be settling on the river bottom.

P.S. - If anyone on the Cataonk Creek happens to find a blue Extrex GPS, it is mine. Thanks.

Paddling Season

Well, it's finally paddling season again. I promised myself I would start heading out again come April 1st, rain or shine. What I didn't expect was snow. But, 6 paddles into the season and I have been snowed on twice so far. It's ok though. There is nothing quite as beautiful as kayaking through the mountains with light flakes falling down all over.

Anyway, I did a few paddles in the Central New York area around Cortland and Syracuse and loved every one of them. The best by far, though, was the Sangerfield River through the Ninemile Swamp. The swamp is an amazing place to paddle. I cannot wait to go back. My friends would love this place.

Now that Central New York is mostly done, I plan on heading up to the Adirondacks later this month. I will post more of my plans later.

Canoe seat

So, I had two hours free this past weekend and wanted to take the canoe out for a shakedown paddle. I hadn't installed the new seat yet and was dieing to try it out. The only problem was, once I was in the garage packing up my gear I realized I had mistakenly thrown away the seat brackets. These were custom-made aluminum brackets, mind you. So, needless to say I did not take the canoe out. I opted for an easier paddle in my kayak instead.

My plan now is to retrofit the new seat onto the original brackets. This will require removing the cross pieces and re-installing them about an inch closer together. This sucks but will work, I hope...

Current work

I have stopped paddling for the winter and am now working on the book's introduction. The paddling season will begin again April 1st, however.