In my first post I laid out my paddling goals for this summer. Some were intentionally ambitious and others were intentionally ambiguous. At some point last spring it occurred to me (possibly caused by some senior year sentimentality) that I live in an incredibly beautiful region called the Finger Lakes that's lush with kayaking opportunities that I had never really taken advantage of. I set out to circumnavigate or paddle at least 15 miles on each of the11 Finger Lakes by the end of the year. It wasn't really a challenging goal, but it certainly took some great company, planning, dedication, and hours in the car. Over the past 6 months I managed to drag myself and my friends to 24 different bodies of water, and I loved every minute of it! I guess now it's time to make some new goals!
Today we (Heather, Jeff Bu., Nick, Ben, Rob, and I) paddled the perimeter of Canadice Lake (Iroquois for "Long Lake," even though it's the shortest one!). After a slight delay on my part due to a desire for Honey Crisp apples from Honeoye, we put in at the only official put-in: on the east side, about a mile down the lake.
We headed south towards the shallow/swampy part of the lake. Similar to Hemlock Lake, virtually none of the Canadice shores are developed, apart from a few random canoes/aluminum boats strewn in the woods. We immediately noticed (and played around in) the stands of dead trees in the water at the south end - a sight we haven't really seen on any of the other Finger Lakes. There were also many flocks of birds hanging out at the south end of the lake.
After dabbling around the south end for a while, we headed back up along the west shore where we scoped out a stopping point for lunch. From the water rings around the tree trunks it looked like the water level was fairly low. It was easy to find a rocky beach where we could get out and stretch our legs.
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| A big stink bug that found its way onto Jeff's pants... |
Nick's boat perfectly matched the scenery today:
At the north end of the lake lies a dam that holds the water level of the lake higher than it would naturally be. It was fun to get out and explore it. There was a big concrete spillway to allow runoff in the case of a big rain storm.
It was mostly exciting as a great spot to shoot pictures from above:
We soon headed back towards the put-in where Rob and Ben practiced some rolling. When we were back on land Heather pulled out a surprise bottle of sparkling wine and Rob threw in some delicious chocolate! We managed to get some funny looks from other boaters who were coming and going.
We ended the day at a Mexican restaurant in Canandaigua that Heather suggested. It was delicious and delightful. I'll leave you with this sunset on Canadice Lake:
Date: October 24th, 2010
Distance: 7 miles
Weather: Perfectly fall
4 comments:
Hi Nena! So, do you paddle year round in the NY area? I imagine you don't? BTW... what was the air temperature when you and your friends were paddling? I usually paddle through December here in North Carolina... I will most likely take Jan - mid-Mar off. Air and water temps get too cold for me during those months... and since I don't own a dry suit... it's best not to take risks in colder temps.
Hi Mike,
My guess is that yesterday the outside temp was in the mid-60s - it was the perfect fall day. The water temp was chilly, but not terrible - a couple of my friends rolled in it and survived in their wetsuits. Maybe I'll start adding temps to my posts now that it's getting colder.
I haven't paddled year-round in the past, but I'm really hoping to start this winter. I just can't seem to get enough! I don't own a dry suit but I'm starting to look into them... The latest I typically paddle is November, starting up again in March.
You did it!! Next: kayak up the 46 peaks.
Wanted to say thanks for writing up this piece on one of my favorite waters.
We fish from our kayaks down there at Canadice quite frequently, as well as bird watch and generally just enjoy one of the quietest spots in Western New York.
If you ever get back this way, and see a bunch of guys in yellow kayaks out there, please feel free to say hello.
And I'm glad you like it as much as we do there.
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