Well, we tried. We waited for the rain to stop on Wednesday, and by the time we got on the water it was late. We paddled for a half hour, and realized that at our pace, we would not make the island campground until late, so we returned to Old Forge and extended our hotel stay.
On Thursday morning we put in further down the chain and spent some time paddling around 4th lake, including the narrow passage (above) into 3rd lake. Then back to Old Forge and the water park.
Friday we spent some time at the Adirondack Museum in Blue Mountain Lake. They have lots of boats here, from Wee Lassies (by Henry Rushton) the ancestor of our skin-on-frame canoes, to Adirondack Guide Boats, one of which was being built in the shop on the premises.
When I was a kid, I thought the guideboat was just a canoe with oars, but it is so much more. In this photo, despite the no-flash limitations at the museum, you can see the dramatic shear of the gunwale, the flare of the sides and the pivoting yoke that allows the boat to be portaged easily. What you can't see is the precise fitting and many nails that make the boat sturdy, yet light.
Here is a link to Cape Falcon Kayaks with steps in building a skin-on-frame guideboat.
Below: a canoe rigged for sail, and a metal, bolt-together boat made to be transported in a car.
