Tramp & Trail

It was a good day! A group of the Tramp & Trail Club members drove up to Lake Abanakee on Saturday for a sun-filled day of paddling a beautiful Adirondack lake. We left Utica in sunshine and low humidity – perfect weather for kayaking. By the time we got to the lake, we had driven through a few sprinkles and saw clouds off to the east accompanied by thunders low rumblings.

We soon had all of our kayaks/canoes in the water and began paddling along the eastern shoreline. It was a wonderful day to be out on the water; the sky was beginning to fill with billowing clouds, but most of the storm seemed to be way off to our east. Soon we left the main part of the lake and headed off into a winding waterway that we hoped would eventually lead us close to Indian Lake. We began winding along the waterway as it narrowed and the banks closed in on us.

At one point, as we rounded a bend, our leader stopped his kayak. As we all slowed behind him, we understood the reason for the stop – ahead was a flock of ducks – who soon proved to be used to people as they all came close to our vessels looking for a handout. When we decided to keep our lunches for ourselves, they went on their merry way in one direction and we continued on in another. A few bends later we saw a mama duck and her four fluffy-feather wee ones trying to hide along the banks’ overhanging bushes. She was not at all happy to see us and we soon paddled onward and left her and her wee ones in peace.

Pretty soon we came to a blockage – a small beaver dam – and had to turn around. It was a good time for a lunch break. As we sat in a narrow channel and ate we realized that both ahead and behind us the skies were blackening quickly. The low rumbling thunder that had kept us company up to now suddenly began to pick up in intensity so we finished our lunches and headed back to the cars.

As we came out of the channel the quickening winds tried to pull pour paddles out of our hands and, combined with the current, tried to drive us back into the channel. We paddled swiftly and made it to shelter under a bridge just as the skies opened up in torrential rains. We sheltered there for a bit, trying to remain under the bridge even though the wind and current tried to drive us back out. Finally, a few foolish ones of us decided we could get stuck under that bridge for quite a while and we might as well make a run for our cars – only ½ mile from where we were. This would not be the first time that the Tramps would find themselves rained on during a club adventure.

By the time we made it to shore, most of the rain had ended although the rumbling, receding thunder still kept us company as we stowed our gear on and in our vehicles and headed for home. What had started off as a day filled with thoughts of leisurely paddling in a sun-kissed Adirondack lake turned into a battle with the all Mother Nature could toss at us. Today we left feeling exhilarated at having overcome – it was a good day!

By: Dianna Morris