We were happy to join others on the river/canal or hiking/biking on the trails alongside the canal on what was called the Canalway Challenge!
We seem to all know the song even if we weren’t born in New York State. That’s because the Erie Canal had a huge impact on the growth of the United States in so many ways. We think there was only one day, however, that we actually did about 15 miles. Generally, we did more.
Looking at the maps ahead of time, the best place to put in looked to be Rome, NY. We had hoped to actually get to some place considered the headwaters of the Mohawk but we could not get a straight answer about whether we could paddle from the headwaters so we found the closest convenient place which is where the original Mohawk River meets the Erie Canal in Rome. The next step is always to find help in taking Karen’s car after we put in and keeping it for the week, then meeting us wherever we get out. Maggie always does this work of finding our helpers or “river angels.” This year she took at extra chance that is quite a story. Maggie and John adopted their daughter Chelsea and knew that her bio family was from around that area. We have become acquainted with them over the last several years. So, Maggie reached out to bio-Mom, Angela, to see if there were any relatives who might take this on. Angela would not be in NYS at that time but arranged for her college age nephew Charlie to meet us.
Chelsea and granddaughter Pippa (4 years old) were there to see us off as well. It was part of the logistics of me getting there. It was fun to introduce the next generation to our trips. And we were excited to meet another member of the bio family. What we didn’t know was that Charlie did not know that Chelsea was related to him. The look on his face when he learned that the two of them were first cousins was priceless. He and the friend he had with him handled it well and we all became friends fast. Charlie kept in touch with us as we made our way across the canal and was there for us in Rotterdam when we get out of the canal. What we have learned on our journeys more than anything is that we are all connected to each other on this planet. On this trip there was a closer biological connection.
Day One: Bellamy Harbor Park in Rome Mile Marker 114.97 to Utica Historic Marina, Mile Marker 100.85 – June 1
We put in about 1 pm on June 1 at Mile Marker 114.97. Bellamy Harbor Park had a good dock and, with the help of the abovementioned team, we carted all the equipment from the car to the canoe and set sail. The timing worked for our first night to stay at this decommissioned lock. We were fortunate throughout the week to be able to stay along the river on grassy areas around the locks, often with the comfort of a portapotty and sometimes water. This first night did not disappoint. We pulled up to the shore and climbed the steep incline up to the mown grass. A walking/biking trail went right through the area. For most of the length of the canal one can find this trail closer or farther from the water. Here it was right where we were planning to camp with no cover. There was a family fishing and we asked if they thought it was safe to camp there. They pointed to another tent tucked further way along the trees. We took that to be a yes and set ourselves up against this concrete structure. We were thankfully not bothered by any passers-by on the trail. And, having slept on everything from flat rocks to mud to pebbles over the years, we were particularly thankful for that soft grass.
Day Two: Utica Historic Marina to Little Falls, Mile Marker 80.10 – June 2
We set out at 6:45 am. We have learned that it is good for us to break down our camp and set out before we eat breakfast. We get a few miles under our canoe before we find a place to eat our eggs and crackers. The going seemed quite tough this year, but we think it’s that our aging bodies are … well, aging! Also, no current to help us. But we enjoyed the challenges, the beauty, the interesting places enough to make ourselves tired and sore! We found a beautiful tiny marina in Little Falls complete with showers and toilets: Little Falls Canal Harbor and Rotary Park. Thank you, Rotary Club of Little Falls. Sleeping on grass once again (a treat on any of our adventures), Maggie took to her tent as soon as she had some peanut butter and crackers. She was done in after the long day of paddling: 12 hours on the river. Karen had a little more stamina to catch up on Facebook posts. Lesson learned at this stop: if there is a key to the bathroom involved, make sure that both parties have access to it so as not to have to wake the other up in a moment of desperation. The park was too public to use Mother Nature!
We couldn’t get through the next lock until 7:30 or eight the next morning so we planned to take a leisurely walk to find a diner for breakfast before heading out. The photos below are from the bridge crossing the canal over to the quaint town of Little Falls. We thought this was going to be a different kind of trip. But we did not expect most of the wildlife would be in the form of people in yachts coming from the south back to the north to various ports and bays in the Great Lakes. Several are docked here this morning. They have great stories to tell.
Our new toy/tool this year – a marine radio. On the Ohio River we called the locks from our cell phone to let them know we were approaching. This year we brought a marine radio, and we are glad we did. The first lock master today didn’t answer the phone so we set the radio to channel 13, for the locks, and learned the lingo enough to let them know we were eastbound and wanted to lock through. As helpful as it was, it also caused some tension between us as Maggie liked to call the yachts to see where they had come from and where they were going. Sometimes Karen thought Maggie stayed on too long chatting as the radios are supposed to be used for navigation or emergencies. But we ended up learning that some boats were finishing year long trips, some coming from the Gulf of Mexico and others coming from the Carolinas. This was our first introduction to this kind of boating. Though we had been on bodies of water that connected major ports in the world to the interior of the United States in the past, most of the previous traffic we came into contact with on the big rivers was commercials. Some of the folks on those yachts were equally impressed with our journeys in our small boat.
This is the part of the river that skirts the dam.
This is the part of the river that is navigable. You can see why locks and dams are so important.
Little Falls is a cute old mill town that has turned factories into shops, as so many post-industrial towns and cities in the northeast have done. Crossing the bridge over the canal and the wilder Mohawk River gave us a different perspective than when we’re on the water.
Day 3 Little Falls to Canajoharie, River Mile 60.55 – June 3
After a good breakfast, we were on our way and through our next lock almost immediately. It was the first of four the day. That may have been an all-time high for us. The structure of the canal was very clear there with some of the high sides cut into rock and some made by building walls. Today brought a little current our way and made our 20-mile paddle easier and shorter. Weather was beautiful and hot, and the river scenery a bit different than the two previous days. We continue to run parallel to the interstate and to a double set of railroad tracks, so lots of traffic and train noise serenades us as we go. Nature sightings featured one bald eagle and lots of goose families.
Our day ended in Canajoharie which is another cute little mill town. Since we arrived around 5:45 we had plenty of time to find dinner in town at a taco joint called Taco 29, and to spot a restaurant for breakfast the next day. The restaurants along the way are among the highlights of our trips. We never know if and what we will find. A beautiful sunset and a walk across another bridge over the canal for Karen gave her an opportunity to capture a great sunset and finished things off well for the day.
We pitched camp in the Canajoharie Riverfront Park. We are always a little leery of being exposed to the public that may come down to the water at all times of the day or night, but we set up the tents a bit off the beaten track and felt safe. Some of the entertainment there included the fire department teaching some teenagers how to use the fire hoses. It was hot and, at first, we thought they were filling a portable container as a small swimming pool. And then the hoses came out.
Setting sun over Lock #4 at Canajoharie
Day 4 Canajoharie to Lock E12, Tribes Hill-Mile Marker 43.52-June 4
Trains, boats and automobiles. And lots of trucks! Canajoharie was perhaps the noisiest of camping places we found. Peaceful sleeping was not in the cards. The Erie Canal lies in the middle of a transportation corridor that is centuries old. In this era, the highway and the railroad carry the freight, the Canal is pretty much for recreational vessels. As we hear the constant high-speed traffic around us, we are reminded of the need to slow down, relax, stay in the moment. And that’s what we tried to do today. For the first time on a canoe trip, Karen didn’t check her watch and the maps to try and compute the speed we were traveling or think too much about what our daily destination would be. We decided to take it a bit easy and enjoy both the ride and the stops. We enjoyed at stop and rest of the offices of the Canal Corporation offices in Fonda where we ate our lunch.
Part of taking it easy was taking the time to visit an historic site along the way. We were going to be going right by the ruins of the Schoharie Aqueduct at the Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site at mile marker 43.90. We decided to take the time to walk inland a bit and explore the historic area. We were not disappointed. The aqueduct was a narrow part of the old canal that passed OVER the Schoharie River right near where it dumps in the Mohawk River/Erie Canal. The stonework was amazing and imagining water crossing water and carrying barges pulled by mules was not difficult. As well as ruins, we found many signs warning us of the dangers of ticks. Nasty little things but we were well prepared throughout the trip with repellent and spray for our tents and equipment as well. It was a bad year for ticks in New York State.
Another gorgeous day on the canal came to an end with enough firewood for a campfire. We enjoyed watching a young man skipping stones. And a land turtle visited our site!
Day 5 – June 5 – Lock E12 to Scotia/Rotterdam Mile Marker 24.04-June 5
Further down river we took a break on this hot day at the Amsterdam Riverlink Park. We walked over the pedestrian bridge with art installations and saw the local Peregrin falcon. We found a “famous” hot dog joint (Guge’s Dogs) and chatted with others along the away.
We finished the paddling part of our journey on June 5 at about 7:30 pm. A summary of our last day:
Three things characterized our day: fun nature sightings, a beautiful riverfront park, and headwinds. Ugh! We battled headwinds for much of the Ohio River, expected as we paddled toward prevailing winds. But we didn’t expect them on this trip paddling west to east. So, we were surprised and aggravated that most of the wind we experienced was in our faces. Oh well, we still made our 20-mile goal for the day and we are sure we’re stronger for it
June 6 – 90 miles later…
Met by Charlie who brought Karen’s car to us and John who came to fetch Maggie back to Vermont. Our initial goal was to try to get to Troy and to descend Waterford Flight on 5 locks, one right after the other, dropping down to the Hudson River. We would likely have needed at least another full day and, having learned over the years when to stop, we were happy to end safely in Scotia.
Paddle With Us 