Oswegatchie River and the Five Ponds Wilderness
by billconner
This is the parking lot at the entry point on Inlet Road. Solitude to follow.
The landing.
Views from the high rock camp site up and down the river.
Typical camp site - 47 on this river - including 3 Adirondack lean-tos.
I love the roots in BWCAW as well. Happy to find then here, though woods considerably less "boreal" than BWCAW and Quetico.
Griffin Rapids lean to for the night. Not really any rapids - just swift current.
Found this somewhat haunting plaque in the lean. Found obit: September 29, 2003 (58) canoeing on the rain-swollen Oswegatchie River in New York’s Adirondack Mountains, Fine, NY, United States (canoeing accident in the Adirondacks) and on Found on the American Whitewater Accident Database "swam into strainer". RIP Mr. Williamson.
PS - Found this: "A story in the Harrisburg, PA Patriot News reported that James Williamson, 58, died while canoeing on the rain-swollen Oswegatchie River in New York’s Adirondack Mountains. Mr. Williamson, a Central Pennsylvania political figure, was canoeing with friends on September 28th when his canoe struck a logjam and capsized. His body was found the next day." And then found he went to same college as I did - SUNY Potsdam - and was involved in the performing arts - as Is my career. Weird.
View from lean up and down river.
Landing for the lean. Very steep climb up with a typical portage pack, and not much room for canoes. I lashed mine to tree roots. No idea what to expect if it rained hard as predicted.
I guess Minnesotans are less modest than New Yorkers - somewhat contradicted by what you see on Times Square versus Peavey Plaza. It was clean and equipped with tp even!
Sunset from the lean.
And sunrise!
My feeble attempt to show the current in a still photo. I felt like I was really moving just sitting in canoe, paddle still. And to make the many hairpin turns, half of the addling was backwards in my attempt for a tight turn. When that wouldn't do it, I would usually drift into the opposite bank, be able to get parallel, and push off again to next turn hairpin - 10 to 20 feet away. Jeeze....
It was beautiful.
Would like to know the storey behind this but found nothing on Google.
Back at landing. Parking lot still empty. Saw no one. The register - one at entry and one at lean - suggested last folks had been there three weeks before. I'll be back.
The end!