TheSwirl.org

Skip, Kathryn and I met Matt at Hoss’ Corner Store in Long Lake at 9:30 and we proceeded to Lows Lake. We were paddling on Hitchins Pond by 10:30. We ended up at campsite #27 which had a nice view of Lows Lakes. We saw several loons including one that kept shaking its foot – we suspected monofilament line was wrapped around the foot.

We enjoyed a meal of tacos with dessert of peach shortcake. We played a little pitch and turned in for the evening. Wednesday morning we were paddling across a dead quiet lake by 7:30.

It was an hour paddle to the portage trail from Lows Lake to Oswegatchie. Skip and I single carried the canoes while Kathryn and Matt took their packs and tied on the extra canoe paddles and life jackets. It was .7 mile from Lows Lake to Deer Pond and 2.3mile from Deer Pond to campsite #4 at the Oswegatchie River. We would stop every 20-30 minutes for a rest and it took us about 3 hours to complete the portage. There was a hornet’s nest in the roots of the overturned tree at the top of the highest elevation point so we didn’t tarry long at that rest area.

I had estimated ~45 minutes to reach Camp Johnny/Site #11 – 2 and ½ hours later we stopped at Site #9 for lunch of wraps at 2:30 as we were pretty whipped. We counted over 40 beaver dams / dead falls that required getting out of the canoe, lifting and re-entry. By the time we reached High Falls we were hot and tired and only briefly paused for pictures and a quick splash below the falls.

There were lots of folks camping at the falls and sites below. We stopped at Site #22 to access the spring, tank up and refill all our water bottles. We camped across the stream and enjoyed Matt’s dinner of sweet and sour chicken with rice.

The next morning we launched for Wanakena arriving before noon. Matt and I portaged our canoes to Wanakena arriving around noon. Kathryn went to the General Store for a Gatorade and after dinner drinks. Kathryn took a sip and complained of a sinus headache. I took a drink and it triggered my atrial fibulation. I immediately took heart medication and paddled leisurely to the Pine Tree Restaurant where we had a late lunch. I laid out and relaxed, two hours later I was recovered, but the group had made the decision to plug on the trip. The owner of the Pine Tree Restaurant provided a ride back to our cars at Lows Lake and we returned home a day early. Since then I have researched triggers for Atrial Fibulation and found that in one study icy cold drinks triggered 12% of Atrial Fibulation events - a hard lesson to learn.

Additional pictures are at http://www.theswirl.org/trips/LowsLake/LowsLake.html

Sunday Eric got invited to a horse show by his buddy Trevor. Eric had never been in a horse show - or even ridden. He was very apprehensive and told me that he was concerned because the horses were so big. He was much relieved when I told him that we would be doing the leadline class together. Ellen provided a helmet, saddle and pony, Addy. There were two leadline classes - a walk only and a 2nd class where each contestant is asked to walk away from the judge, turn and trot back to the lineup. Prior to the class Trevor said he was ready to trot. Eric and I decided we would walk only as he had never ridden before. The kids rode holding the reins in one hand and holding on the saddle horn with the other. The horses were basically guided by person leading, although the judge rewarded the kids that were trying to pilot their own steeds. During the lineup in the 1st class the Judge asked Eric if he could back his pony up. Eric replied “No, not really”. There were 7 entries in the class and ribbons were handed out to all kids. When Eric got a ribbon (and model horse) as a prize from the 1st class he decided he wanted to try to trot as “We do good if we do what the judge says”. He lost a stirrup and bounced a lot during his trot but the judge praised him for his effort and he got rewarded with 5th place ribbon. The boys had a blast and talked to each other through out the classes. Eric is ready to go to another horse show “if Trevor invites me!”. More pictures are at: http://www.theswirl.org/Pictures/2007_07_22HorseShow/EricHorseShow.html

This has been an active week:

• Saturday we did a day trip to Sand Lake (see below)
• Sunday we attended a wedding reception for Joe Riolo, a long time co-worker and friend at the Marcy Town Park.  We enjoyed good food, a good band and Eric got to attend with us.
• Wednesday I worked at the Airborne Network Technology Expo.  The conference highlights plans and approaches to deploy an Airborne Network.  I helped the 18 vendors set up for their demonstrations and trade show presentations.
• Thursday I went to Syracuse for business meetings with Syracuse Research Corporation.
• Friday we went to Mark and Danielle’s wedding.

On Saturday we did a day trip into Sand Lake. It requires a 1/2 portage to the lake including a short section that is normally quite boggy. The portage combined with the soggy and uneven trail means that few people visit the 300 acre lake. We packed in lunches and fishing gear for the day. We picnicked on big rock that permitted wading, fishing and sunning.

We shared the rock with at least 4 garter snakes, one of which had recently eaten something large that created quite a bulge.

  We caught a few small fish and notably Eric and I took our 1st canoe trip with him paddling - previously he has been a passenger or only playing at paddling.  In the picture below he was working on his back paddle as we approached shore.

Grass Carp resemble the common carp but its body is more streamlined and it lacks a stiff dorsal spine and barbels. The grass carp has large, grooved pharyngeal {throat} teeth and a long intestine which allow it to effectively shred and digest aquatic plants as its principal food. The grass carp feed on submersed aquatic plants.  A permit is required to keep track of the location and number of grass carp in the environment. Preventing escapement helps protect beneficial aquatic vegetation in our public waters. Although triploid grass carp can’t reproduce, they can live for years, potentially migrate to sensitive areas, and consume a great deal of vegetation.

Today we picked up our 6 Grass Carp (2 for the little pond and 4 for the other) from Hicklings Fish Supply in Edmeston. They traveled in plastic bags with a little water, but extra oxygen.