News stories tagged with "canoe"

(09/14/11) In the old days, when it was still safe to drink from rivers and lakes, travelers used burl wood belt or canoe cups. Most were exquisitely hand-carved wooden "travel" cups. For today's "Adirondack Attic", Andy Flynn tells us about one such canoe cup in the collection at the Adirondack Museum.

(03/18/11) This morning the Adirondack Park Agency will vote on a developer's plan to build four new homes along the shore of Utowana Lake in Hamilton County.

The project has drawn fierce opposition because the land in question involves a traditional portage trail known as the Marion River Carry.

The trail over private land has been used by paddlers and other travelers for more than a century.

As Brian Mann reports, critics say that traditional route could be threatened. more

(08/31/10) Over the last decade, a series of land deals in the Adirondacks has re-opened traditional back country canoe routes that had been closed for generations.

Paddlers are free to explore wild territory long posted off-limits by landowners.

Brian Mann made the trip from Little Tupper Lake to Lake Lila and sends this audio postcard.

(05/21/10) Thousands of paddlers are gathering in Old Forge for Adirondack Paddlefest 2010 this weekend. Its biggest draw is an opportunity to test paddle hundreds of different canoes and kayaks. Manufacturers use the weekend to unveil some of the latest designs and materials. Todd Moe talks with John Nemjo, owner of Mountainman Outdoor Supply Company. He's the organizer of the annual event that draws outdoors enthusiasts from around the country.

(04/27/10) Just in time for the paddling season, there's a new book that features and celebrates the Northern Forest Canoe Trail -- a 740-mile water trail that stretches from the Adirondacks into northern Maine. Todd Moe talks with Kate Williams, Executive Director of Northern Forest Canoe Trail, Inc about the new guidebook. It includes maps, photos and narratives, and is designed for casual and serious paddlers wanting to explore the region.

(01/22/09) State officials have reopened the debate over the future of Lowes Lake in the central Adirondacks. The Department of Environmental Conservation says float planes should be allowed to use the lake for another four years. Some green groups say that would violate state law, which calls for Lowes Lake to be managed as a wilderness area. Brian Mann has this update.

(09/04/08) For years, environmentalists, along with some canoers and kayakers, have urged state officials to limit motorboats in the Adirondacks. The so-called "Quiet Waters" campaign would affect a dozen lakes and rivers from Weller Pond near Saranac Lake, to Eighth Lake near Old Forge. This summer, New York's Department of Environmental Conservation announced that it would create an inter-agency task force to review the proposal. In a statement, DEC commissioner Peter Grannis said there are "too few places in the Adirondacks where paddlers can experience the tranquility of a motorless water body." Local leaders and NYS Senator Betty Little quickly condemned the plan, arguing that paddlers already enjoy plenty of options. Brian Mann sat down this week to talk in-depth with Dick Beamish, the man who launched the Quiet Waters campaign eight years ago. Beamish, who lives in Saranac Lake, is the founder of the Adirondack Explorer magazine and a long-time environmentalist.

(09/12/06) The teen champion of Interpretive Freestyle Canoeing did it again last weekend. 14-year-old Jonathan Hammond of Clayton edged out Marc Orstein to win the men's national championship Saturday in Peninsula, Ohio. The tiny sport is like figure skating or synchronized swimming in a canoe. David Sommerstein caught up with Hammond yesterday by cell phone.

(05/31/06) A 740-mile water trail that connects four states in the Northeast gets a fresh start Saturday as volunteers celebrate a five-year effort to mark and map it. A ribbon-cutting ceremony will mark a new beginning for the Northern Forest Canoe Trail, which winds north from Old Forge to Maine. On National Trails Day, June 3rd, volunteers involved in revitalizing the historic canoe route will celebrate in the Adirondacks, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and Quebec. Parties are planned in Saranac Lake; Newport, Vermont; Groveton, New Hampshire and Greenville, Maine. Kate Williams, Executive Director of the Northern Forest Canoe Trail, spoke with Todd Moe.

(05/03/06) Canoeists and kayakers of all skill levels will gather in the Town of Johnsburg this weekend for the 49th Annual Upper Hudson River Whitewater Derby. The event included the Chuck Severance Memorial Race last Saturday. Pete Burns, owner of Wevertown's Beaver Brook Outfitters, is chairman of this year's derby. He spoke with Todd Moe.