Members of the Tramp and Trail Club spent four days camping, climbing and kayaking in the vicinity of Newcomb, NY.  Many of us camped at the Lake Harris Camp ground.  Some of our adventures on a kayak across Rich Lake and up one of its sources, a narrow stream that meanders through bog lands and magnificent forests.

We put in at the public access to Rich Lake, a beautiful wide, sandy beach, and immediately found ourselves fighting a fierce wind and respectable waves.  Eventually we reached the shelter of Fishing Creek and began paddling against a strong current.  Rounding a bend we encountered our first beaver dam but were able to cross it without leaving our boats.  Shortly thereafter we reached a much more formidable dam, and it took a team effort to get everyone out of their kayaks, across the dam and back into their boats again.  This was not accomplished without several dunkings, but the day and the water were warm and no harm was done.

New vistas greeted us around every bend in the twisting water way.  Flowers were everywhere, white and yellow water lilies and a tiny water lily whose size and appearance was reminiscent of spring beauties but whose name I do not know.  Along the banks bloomed marsh milkweed and a white flower that I thought was Labrador tea, but later study proved me wrong.  If any of my readers can help me identify this beautiful shrub I would appreciate a response. Purple pickerel weed is just beginning to bloom in abundance. At one point we saw a large bear footprint in the clay on the edge of the stream and there was plenty of evidence of beaver activity.

After a couple miles we reached a fork in the stream, and took the right fork, the left being rocky and not very navigable.  Soon we heard rushing water and were forced to end our quest by rapids and waterfalls issuing from beneath a steel truss bridge.  Returning we were able to ride the current across the beaver dam and with the wind at our backs we made quick progress across Rich Lake to our put-in spot at the beach.

By:  Harold Pier