Images
Report
by Roger Harrod
Images
Greg Ramsey
Frenchman Island
Lighthouse
Oneida Lake |
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Sunday's paddle started off with much anticipation.The weather service was forecasting thunderstorms and high wind. What was worse was the weather radar was showing everything they were forecasting. At about 10:00 I put a message on the website canceling the paddle. I really didn't need any one to suffer from this adventure. About Noon I had second thoughts, "What if someone shows up anyways?" Heading to the launch site I found 5 paddlers on the water, some from 11:00 that morning. Well, since we were there, we all headed for Frenchman Island. Weather was a little intense. The only thing the weathermen were wrong about was the wind speed. Waves were calm although the rain came down with a vengeance. Some of the photos look as if it was snowing. What was happening is that is was so dark that my my auto flash illuminated the rain. We got to Frenchman Island and to our surprise there were no "No Trespass" Signs. Replacing them were signs announcing "Welcome to Frenchman Island State Park" and an improved/reconstructed dock. The park had just been renovated and trails improved earlier this month. The workers had left a signature and date. We did arrive just in time for the skies to open and for all hell to brake loose. We waited out the lighting, hiked the improved trails (and the mud slides), took a look at the old lighthouse tower and finally headed back to our boats and the return trip to shore. Wet and tired, and I do want to emphasize WET, we then headed for Brewerton and
a well deserved rest. Paddle Back