Adirondack Cannonball

The Challenge

It was Groundhog Day, and we were hunkering down on the couch with a record breaking snow storm hitting Detroit. An article in Canoe and Kayak magazine described the Adirondack Cannonball. A few Facebook messages were exchanged, and we set a date on the calendar to team up with Ben and Emily in their Minnesota Four canoe to take on the challenge.

Here is the description from the article in Canoe and Kayak magazine:

"Consisting of large lakes, windy rivers and rugged carries, the 90-mile stretch of water from Old Forge to Saranac Lake is the ultimate Adirondack canoe route.

The route is well known as the first leg of Northern Forest Canoe Trail, and the scene of the Adirondack Canoe Classic “90-Miler,” a three-day race that takes place every September.

But it’s also the path of a more difficult, less common adventure known as the Adirondack Cannonball.

For those who attempt this feat, there are only two rules: the trip must be completed within 24 hours, and the boat must pass the cedar tree near the boat launch on Lake Flower in Saranac Lake, which also marks the finish of the 90-Miler." http://www.canoekayak.com/canoe/adirondacks-cannonball-runners/

The Plan

According to online accounts, the challenge should be completed in one calendar day.  We planned to start just after midnight to give ourselves as much time as possible.

We rendezvoused at Old Forge at noon on Saturday.



We had never paddled together in the MN4 before, so we did a short shakedown cruise, then shuttled the cars.

We relaxed in the park to wait until midnight, and sent some material to Brian so he could cover the event on the Kruger Canoe Blog. Although he can invent material from thin air, sometimes some real information is helpful.

After dark, we slept on the ground next to the dam like hobos. Pulling the blanket over our heads kept some of the mosquitoes at bay. The sound of the water over the dam drowned out the noise from the drunken party at the tavern next door. Emily said the police came to break it up around 11, but I did not notice.

The Start

Finally the alarm went off at 11:30, and it was time to get up and prep the boat. We reset the GPS trip information and pushed off from the dock just after midnight.

Old Forge to Raquette Lake

The cool night air settled over the warm water, producing whisps of fog that swirled up into little fog tornadoes that looked like tiny waterspouts as they passed through the headlight. There was no moon and the clear sky was full of stars. One shooting star lingered so long that we all got to see it. Someone must have dropped a wrench from the space station!  Loons called on all sides. One even got into a call and response conversation with a great horned owl. We saw a few loons very close in the headlight before they dove out of sight.

On the first portage from Fifth Lake to Sixth Lake, we seized the moment to replicate the lead photo of the Canoe and Kayak magazine article with the lights of the Citgo station shining through the kevlar of the MN4 canoe.

We paddled on through Sixth and Seventh Lakes to the second portage at Eighth Lake Campround, which was our home base during our scouting trip in May, which was covered in a previous blog.



A thin crescent mood rose in the east as we paddled through Eighth Lake. The variety of the course kept things interesting; there was always a change to look forward to. After Eighth Lake came the 1.3 mile portage to Brown's Tract. According to the accounts we read, we should see the sun rise on Brown's Tract.

Brown's Tract is a river that meanders through a marsh.

Lauren and I worked the bow rudder and draw strokes in the bow while Ben swept the stern around the tight bends and Emily pulled to keep the speed up. Eddies sucked and swirled as the stern of the 23 ft canoe swung around the corners. The five beaver dams that we had to pull over on our scouting trip were under water owing to the wet weather in June; we were able to scootch through gaps without stepping out of the canoe.

As predicted, the first light of dawn brightened the sky and showed the way through the mist-shrouded lily pads.

Raquette Lake to Long Lake

Raquette Lake has deep inlets that allow wind and waves to build, but the lake was calm as we passed through in the early morning.

Still having fun!

A half mile carry took us from Outlet Bay to Forked Lake.

A short paddle on Forked Lake brought us to the long carry around Buttermilk Falls and the rapids on the upper Raquette River. We decided to take the 3 mile carry down the road instead of descending to the rough trails beside the river.

Long Lake

Long Lake is remarkably long and straight. According to one account, this 14 mile stretch is the "crux" of the challenge. We got fired up and tried to stay awake to keep a good pace. If we could keep our overall average speed over 4.7 mph, we could make it to Saranac Lake before the Blue Line Brewery closed at 9 PM!

A light tailwind gradually built. At first it was just enough to make the air completely still and hot, but eventually we got a little push.

In the final miles on Long Lake, wind and waves built behind us and we had an exciting run into the head of the Raquette River at 6 mph.

Raquette River

The deep brown water of Raquette River meandered through a low flood plain covered with maple, oak, and fir trees. This was the most remote section of the route, not easily accessible by road.

I don't know how this next video got recorded, but Lauren made me post it. Clearly I was doing something important. This blog's not going to write itself! Got to keep it movin!

The 1.3 mile carry around Raquette Falls was arduous with 130 foot elevation gain. The rocky trail prevented effective use of the wheels. The canoe seemed to be getting heavier and heavier with each passing hour.

Gary, the caretaker chatted with us at the end of the trail. He was proud of the Dutch door outhouse that he had built, which allowed users to enjoy the view while taking care of business. He said that a group normally does the Cannonball on the weekend closest to the solstice, but there was only one boat this year. Two guideboats passed through on a Cannonball run the following weekend.

We jumped in the water to cool off before continuing. Gary said we were making good progress. It was 1:30 PM, and most Cannonball runners pass by his place around 3:30.

From lower Raquette River, we took a right turn up the tightly meandering Stony Creek, then portaged the height of land at Indian Carry.

Ben pointed out that we could take Corey's Road instead of the trail at Indian Carry. For some reason, I recalled that the Indian Carry trail was smooth, plus it has a romantic name, so we went for the trail.

Contrary to my recollection, the 1.1 mile Indian Carry trail was a steep and rocky climb. The canoe had continued to gain weight somehow. Ben and I struggled to wrestle it over the rocks.

The sound of aluminum clanging on rocks signaled trouble with the portage cart. Two of the angle braces had broken off. Darn it! I should have used bolts instead of pop rivets. We were so close, but it could be real trouble if the cart broke. Fortunately, it still rolled even though the wheels were at an odd angle. We continued on as tenderly as possible.

A short paddle on Upper Saranac Lake, then just one more carry! The 0.4 mile Bartlett Carry was smooth trail and road, but the portage cart was on its last legs. Come on little guy, you can do it!

We made it through the last carry!

A few miles through Middle Saranac Lake would bring us to the upper locks. On the way, I had to issue a tsunami alert when a steep wake was approaching. Unfortunately, the alert wasn't sounded in time, so Lauren got a lap-full.

A winding channel led to the upper locks.

We were happy to see that the lock tender was still there at 5 PM. According to her tally, three boats had done the Cannonball run so far this year.

A few miles on Lower Saranac Lake and another long, winding channel brought us to the lower locks.

Locking through gave us a welcome few minutes of rest. I was feeling sore and tired. I did not notice the wooden slats on the seat for the first 12 hours or so, but they were really starting to dig grooves into my butt in a painful manner.

The Home Stretch

Finally, we were in the home stretch for real! With only four miles to go, we rallied and picked up the pace. It seemed certain that we would finish before closing time at the brewery. The promise of burgers and beer had us hitting 6 mph in the final leg.



The famed cedar tree at last! (At least we think it was the right cedar tree)

Stats from the GPS

82.1 miles
17 hr 48 min moving time
1 hr 28 min stopped time
19 hr 16 min. overall time
7.2 mph max speed
4.6 mph moving average
4.3 mph overall average

I had estimated that we would need to average 4.7 mph overall to make it to the brewery in time, but fortunately it turned out that the route was shorter than 90 miles.

The water level was much higher than normal, which helped us to slip over the beaver dams of Brown's Tract and gave us a push on the lower Raquette River. The light tailwind on Long Lake was also in our favor.

The speed and elevation profile plot show that we mostly paddled between 4 and 5 mph, with Raquette River pushing us up between 5 and 6. The 130 foot elevation gain at the Raquette Falls carry made a noticeable spike in the elevation profile.