Adirondack Canoe Classic: "The 90-Miler"

The Race

From the 2017 Adirondack Canoe Classic Paddlers' Guide:

Welcome: To the 35th annual 90-Miler. During the race, you will paddle the original highways of the Adirondacks, from Old Forge to Saranac Lake, see splendid Autumn foliage and scenery, experience friendly competition, and establish a bond with the other folks who make up the "Classic Community."

We first learned of the Adirondack Canoe Classic in a Canoe and Kayak Magazine article that described the Adirondack Cannonball and inspired our first Adirondack adventure in 2015. After completing that challenge, we knew we wanted to return to the Adirondacks for the 90-Miler, a 3-day staged race attracting hundreds of paddlers and a large number of boat classes, ranging from the traditional Adirondack guide boats to voyageur canoes. 

One hot Ann Arbor day in 2016, as we went for a swim after the Michigan Canoe Racing Association's Huron River Canoe Challenge, Paddi and Andy quizzed us about the Cannonball and we began to formulate a plan to do the 90-Miler with them in a 4-person canoe in 2017. After a brief exchange with Lansing-based canoeist/river angel, Flipper, we made a "reservation" for the MSU community Minnesota-IV canoe. Actually, we were on the "wait list", a list of one, that depended on the plans of a group of four MSU students/graduates who were planning a second attempt at challenging the downriver record for the Mississippi River. They had taken that canoe down the river a couple of years before, and their attempt was thwarted by a combination of bad weather and new jobs. After Savage River Canoes generously donated the use of a carbon-fiber 4-person canoe for the Spartans, the Minnesota-IV was ours for the 90-Miler. The boat, dubbed the "Southbound Spartan" during the 2014 Mississippi attempt, had some interesting repairs and a somewhat mystifying modification to the hull, but nonetheless, it floated.

Like any good canoe race, half the battle is figuring out how to get to the start line. In the case of the Adirondack Canoe Classic, this requires (1) hearing about the race, (2) searching the Internet for information and landing on the MAC's Canoe Livery website, (3) sending an email to MAC's to express interest and request an entry form, (4) checking the mail everyday to see if the entry form has arrived, (5) returning the entry form ASAP so as to not land on the wait list, and (6) driving 10 hours to New York in September. Not to mention getting the inside scoop on the importance of mailing in the entry form ASAP from Susan at the MCRA races.

Sometime in August, we received the 2017 Adirondack Canoe Classic Paddlers' Guide and we knew we made the list. The booklet is loaded with useful information, including route descriptions, potential camping locations, and safety and etiquette rules. Interestingly, no map is provided in this booklet, and the route descriptions are a series of local place names that no outsider would recognize, such as "Bissel's Field" and "The Crusher". We carried with us maps of the Northern Forest Canoe Trail, which included the entire route, although we never had time to look at the map during the race.  We actually found our way using the waypoints marked in our GPS from some couch surfing research on Google Earth.

It is worth mentioning here that each day's paddle included one or more significant carries. That's what New Yorkers call portages. It is also worth noting that after tearing my ACL and meniscus at Spike's Challenge in July, my orthopedic surgeon skeptically gave me the go ahead to wait for surgery until after the racing season, but warned against hiking and portaging canoes. I am exceedingly grateful to my teammates for agreeing to adjust expectations and take the carrying burden off my knee by allowing me, at every carry, to grab my trekking pole and get myself to the put-in while they hauled the canoe over sometimes very rough terrain without my help. They also agreed to sign up in the "non-competitive" open touring division, giving us a somewhat earlier start time than the C-4 Stock class we had originally signed up as. Thank you, Paddi, Andy, and Mark! 

Day 1: Old Forge to Blue Mountain Lake

Distance: 34 miles

Carries: 4

Carry distance: 3.5 miles

We were camping at Lake Eaton State Park, so we started the day by dropping Paddi's van at Blue Mountain Lake and driving the Blubaru to the start at Old Forge. The dam at Old Forge is the official start of the Northern Forest Canoe Trail, a 740-mile water trail from Old Forge, New York to Fort Kent, Maine. Maybe someday we will do that trip!

The dam at Old Forge Lake is the start of the Northern Forecast Canoe Trail

We studied the map on our way to the line-up

The excitement was building on the beach at Old Forge. Only recently did we discover that there was such a thing as a 4-person canoe. Now, we would be racing with 38 other 4-person canoes in our starting wave alone! The beach was getting crowded. 

It was a cold morning for a canoe race!

Andy has the "eye of the tiger" in all our pictures.

Canoes of all shapes and sizes were lining up at the beach.

We traveled light, carrying only enough water and snacks for the day in our camelbacks, paddles, PFDs, and wheels.

Our start on the first day was somewhat frazzled. Although we had emailed the race organizers to change our class to the non-competitive group, we were still listed at check-in in the C-4 stock class, which started almost an hour after the non-competitive wave. When Wave 3 was lining up for roll call in the water, we listened carefully. At the very end of the list, our boat was called. We hustled the canoe to the water just in time for the start. And we were off!

Crossing Old Forge Pond at the start.

With 39 4-person canoes in our wave, there was some wake to navigate as we pushed our way across Old Forge Pond. The first segment of the race crosses several small lakes connected by well marked channels. At the end of Fifth Lake, we encountered our first portage at the town of Inlet.

At the end of Seventh Lake is a one-mile carry from Seventh to Eighth Lake, through the campground at Eighth Lake State Park. When we did the Cannonball in 2015, we did this at 3AM, trying hard not to wake up the campers. This time, the campground was a festive buzz of racers, pit crews, and spectating campers.

Portaging through the campground from Seventh to Eighth Lake. One camper set up a table of cookies by a life-sized Jolly Green Giant. Paddi and I grabbed a couple of cookies for the road!

During the carry to Eighth Lake, we were passed by a couple of teams from the competitive classes. They were running fast, so we hurried to get out of the way as they passed.

The paddle from Eighth Lake campground to the next carry is a quick trip across Eighth Lake. The carry at the end of Eighth Lake is along a long, well groomed trail leading through the Adirondack forest. We followed a well dressed team with a tandem kayak. These guys had the tiniest portage wheels I've ever seen! We were later regaled with jokes from this entertaining duo when we approached them on the water.

The trail from Eighth Lake to Browns Tract is long, but well groomed, allowing Mark, Paddi, and Andy to guide the canoe down the path on wheels.

We called these guys the twins.

The carry from Eighth Lake ends on a board walk leading to Brown's Tract.

After completing the carry from Eighth Lake, we put in to my personal favorite stretch of the entire race: Brown's Tract. This is a 2.5 mile stretch of winding waterway through a beaver dammed marsh. It is beautiful and challenging. Mark and Andy enjoyed sweeping the boat around the bends, and we were even able to pass a couple of boats on this stretch; who says canoe racing isn't a contact sport!

Brown's Tract

Brown's Tract ends in Raquette Lake, where our route diverged a bit from the Cannonball route we did in 2015. This time, we pointed the bow toward St. Huberts Lake.

Raquette Lake

We saw several loons during the race.

After St. Huberts Lake, we paddled 4 miles up the Marion River. This was an easy upstream paddle, with little current against us. We enjoyed some fun jokes from the kayaking twins along the way.

Just before we arrived to the last carry for the day, the sky opened and let loose a deluge of icy cold rain. We knew that we were very close to the finish, though, so we did not stop to add layers and rain jackets.

Utowana Lake

The quarter-mile carry from Marion River brought us to Utowana Lake, and then to Eagle Lake, before coming to the finish line at Blue Mountain Lake. We pushed hard to try to catch another 4-person canoe, which made for a fun finish. Having a strong paddler like Andy in the bow was a great motivator for the team. When he dug in, we all knew the race was on!

A cold and wet team at the finish of Day 1 on Blue Mountain Lake.

We finished the day cold and wet, but happy with how our team pulled together and handled the difficult conditions. Andy ran to get Paddi's van, we drove to Old Forge to pick up the Blubaru, and then we took care of the shuttle to the Day 2 finish line, before heading back to a cold, wet, dark camp.

Day 2: Bissell's Field to "The Crusher"

Distance: 33 Miles

Carries: 1

Carry Distance: 1.25 miles

The Day 2 start at Bissell's Field on the west side of Long Lake was very close to our campground at Lake Eaton, so we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast with other paddlers at the Adirondack Hotel. After breakfast, we headed to the field, where canoes had been transported by race organizers the previous day. We were grateful that they transported canoes between finish and start lines, as this added one less complication to our already tiresome shuttling.

Once again, we waited for the start on a cold, damp morning. The field reminded us of a bog or tundra, covered with moss and lichen. We almost hated to park the van on the field!

Milling about on Bissell's field

This time, we were more organized at the start. We positioned ourselves and waited.

Day 2 Starting Line-Up

Soon after the gun went off, we found ourselves in the lead group of canoes, following just two boats under the bridge. This time, we made it out ahead of the boat wake! We were all thrilled to enjoy the feeling of starting a race at the front of the pack. This isn't something any of us are used to! Had we been entered in the competitive C-4 Stock division, we likely would have been in the more familiar "washing machine" of boat wake at the middle of or back of the pack.

Long Lake

Day 2 begins with about a 10-mile paddle across the length of Long Lake. It was cold, but we were lucky that we did not have heavy weather and seas to deal with on this stretch, as can often be the case. At the end of Long Lake, we entered the Raquette River, an enjoyable stretch of deep moving water with a few scattered rocks to keep us on our toes. About 5 miles down the river, we came to the only carry for the day, the Raquette Falls carry. This carry had been on our minds since we first registered for the race. I remembered it from the Cannonball as one of the toughest carries of the whole trip. Wheels are barely useful on a very short stretch. The rest of the path consists of rooty, rocky, muddy footing, impossible for wheels. Andy and Mark shouldered the canoe, while Paddi carried the wheels, and I worked on getting myself to the put-in without doing more meniscus damage. One thing about this race, is that people are nice. The carry is difficult and frustrating, pushing teams to their limits, but people remained calm and courteous. At one point, I moved out of the way of a passing canoe by stepping up onto a muddy bank. A competitor saw my predicament on the ledge and offered a helping hand to get me down.

Mark's view of the Raquette Falls Carry

The Raquette Falls Carry was a treacherous combination of rocks and mud

I tried to step out of the way as canoes passed. It was like a boat parade!

The put-in at the end of the Raquette Falls Carry

Another open touring team putting in at the end of the Raquette Falls Carry.

Everyone was happy to have the Raquette Falls Carry behind us. The stretch of the river that carried us to the Day 2 finish was lined with trees turning red. Someday, it would be fun to paddle the route at the height of fall color.

The Raquette River

We pushed hard to the finish, and Andy kicked it in again, helping us have another exciting race to the Day 2 finish line. Surprisingly, even in the cold and wet conditions, there was a crowd of onlookers and booths with giveaways at the end. I especially enjoyed the chicken broth!

Day 2 finish line at "The Crusher". This sounds scarier than it is. It's just a boat launch.

Traffic on the road by "The Crusher"

We spent another hour shuttling cars to prepare for Day 3, and then headed to dinner before crawling into our warm, dry sleeping bags.

Day 3: Fish Creek Ponds to Riverside Park in Saranac Lake

Distance: 22 Miles

Carries: 3

Carry distance: 0.6 mile

The third morning was the coldest yet, but we were excited that the forecast called for sun and moderate temperatures. Finally! I was beginning to think that it is always cold and rainy in New York. The boats were laid out in the campground at Fish Creek Ponds, waiting for their teams. We found ours, and waited for our wave to start.

Fish Creek Ponds Campground

The atmosphere was filled with a buzz of excitement as everyone anticipated the final race.

It felt funny to be slathering on the sunscreen when it was so cold!

The final pre-race briefing.

An earlier wave starting ahead of us in the mist

Andy getting ready to push us to the finish.

Day 3 line-up.

We were on the water and placed ourselves in what we thought to be a good line to the bridge. During the pre-race meeting, we learned that dash to the bridge would be an important starting move for us, as the group of 39 canoes would need to funnel into the narrow, rock-lined channel under the bridge.

Waiting for the start on Fish Creek Pond

Another great start on Day 3

We pulled off another great start on Day 3, setting ourselves up for a good position among the leaders of the open touring wave. After crossing under the Route 30 bridge, and some close-contact action in the winding channel after, we wound our way to Upper Saranac Lake and headed toward Bartlett Carry.

Bartlett Carry

We were all feeling great on Day 3, so Paddi, Andy, and Mark sprinted with the canoe on wheels as I made my own way. 

Bartlett Carry

Second half of Bartlett Carry

The second half of Bartlett Carry may be the most beautiful patch of forest on the route. 

Heading out from Bartlett Carry to Middle Saranac Lake

After Bartlett Carry, we headed on to Middle Saranac Lake, and then to Saranac Lake.

Getting passed by the voyageur canoe. They were fast!

We met a future WaterTriber along the way. He had read our blog and knew us as WindwardMark and LeewardLauren. We hope to see you on the beach at Fort Desoto someday!

There are two locks that require portaging for this race. When we did the Cannonball in 2015, we enjoyed a rest while locking through, but the official race course for the 90-miler requires carrying around the rapids.

Putting in after the the last carry around the 2nd lock.

After carrying around the 2nd lock, we were on the home stretch! We all dug in hard to race to the finish.

The home stretch!

The finish line is described as "the cedar tree in Riverside Park in Saranac Lake." This is the same description for the finish of the Cannonball. When we did that, we were somewhat mystified as to exactly which tree we were aiming at. Luckily, this time there was a finish marker flag to aim for.

At the Day 3 Finish. Where is that cedar tree?

Our official finish time was 14:59:56. Almost exactly 15 hours of awesome paddling through some of the most beautiful landscape I could imagine. This was the first time we had paddled for more than about a half hour with Paddi and Andy. I think our team was awesome. They kept us moving, and we got along great. I hope they will paddle with us again!

The team: Mark, Paddi, me, and Andy, in front of our "Southbound Spartan" canoe.

The last carry: to the car.

Stats from the GPS. Looks like it wasn't quite 90 miles...  Where did we hit 9.5 mph???