Article by John Schneider

This is the third year that I have participated in ADK’s St. Regis Canoe Outing. My wife and I were part of the second half of the outing from July 28 – August 2. Other ADK members participated from July 23 -28 or for the whole 11 days. We canoed in the St. Regis Canoe Wilderness and surrounding waterways.

Each day, ADK members would volunteer to lead day trips of approximately 5-6 hours and be back for showering and dressing in time for the customary social hour at 4:30 pm each day. This gave the participants a chance to meet ADK members from around New York and neighboring states. Every night after dinner, the group got together to recap the day’s trips and hear the offerings for the next day. This was followed by more socializing, games and cards. This year, the Olympics were watched by quite a number of participants.

My trips were on the upper St. Regis River; a six ponds paddle starting at Hoel Pond, through Turtle, Slang, Long, Pink and Little Pink Ponds; the middle Branch of the St Regis River; and Osgood Pond and the Upper Osgood River – this last trip we did on our own. The length of these trips ranged from six to 10 miles of paddling. If none of the trips offered interest you, you can paddle on your own on any day.

We stayed at a Paul Smiths College on Lower St. Regis Lake in Paul Smiths, New York and were provided with breakfast, dinner and fixings for our lunches.

This year the Outing celebrated its 30th anniversary and plans to continue for the foreseeable future. Although there were a large number of participants, there was room for more, especially during the second session. If you have ever wanted to paddle in the northern Adirondacks, this outing is made for you. Day trips from the Glens Falls – Saratoga area can take up to three hours of one-way driving. From Paul Smiths, most travel times are less than 30 minutes, with a few trips actually starting right outside the dormitory on Lower St. Regis Lake. The low - or no - travel time makes for real enjoyable days of water paddling.

Next year’s dates are July 15 – 25. Come join us. More information will be contained in the November/December issue of our Adirondac Magazine.