canOeing frOm lOng POnd landing

Trips with students always start late. We intended to arrive at Long Pond Landing at 11 a.m., but we rolled into the parking lot at 2 p.m., unloaded the trailer and prepped it for the other group that would end there four days later. By the time we were actually ready to start the portage it was 3 p.m., and the group was already tired despite the lackadaisical start to the day. The attitude at the beginning of a trip is never what I hope it will be, but I’ve found over the years that the best way to motivate college students is to let them make their own plan. They’re used to being told what they’re doing, so when you give them agency over their learning experience they initially aren’t sure what to do. In this case, before our portage down to Long Pond I sat them down and told them that they would decide where we were going, but that their plan needed to have us ending at Little Clear Pond, include hiking Long Pond Mountain and/or St Regis Mountain, and that we had to spend time bushwhacking. My other request was that each evening they give me an overview of their plan for the following day, including timeline, basic risk management plan, contingency plan, and three objectives they hoped to achieve. They were excited for the freedom, but a bit confused about what to do with it. All of my requests fell well within the realm of what they were learning in the Expeditionary Studies Program at SUNY Plattsburgh, but this was the first time they were able to use those skills to influence the trajectory of a class.

When we finally got on the water, one of the students looked at me and said “Where are we going now?” I reminded them that our destination was up to them, which led to some light squabbling amongst the group. They decided that we should head to campsite #12 for the night, and then make a plan for the next few days. The paddle to our campsite was quick, which surprised them and

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Continued from page 4 gave them reference for planning. We took the time to identify Long Pond Mountain, which was partially veiled by clouds, and admired the fall foliage. There were a few Loons hanging around. I pointed them out to the students and made sure they didn’t disturb them. That evening, we enjoyed our first sunset of the trip, part of the exceptional beauty of the St. Regis Canoe Wilderness. The lackadaisical attitude had finally lifted, and they were anxious to get an early start the next day.

I woke up early the next morning in anticipation for sunrise, hoping it would match the splendor of one I had experienced on my own St. Regis canoe trip when I was a student. While the sunrise from campsite #12 didn’t quite live up to the one I saw from campsite #1 years prior, I was happy to be up early and making breakfast. As I anticipated, the morning went on, and not one student was up yet. We had a long day ahead of us, and an early start was crucial, especially in October when the sun disappears around 6:00pm. An hour and a half after our planned departure, we were finally heading toward the portage to Nellie Pond. The paddle there was peaceful with a thin layer of fog over the water. We located the portage, conveniently marked with a white sign, and took a pause to strategize. I shared some methods for portaging overnight equipment and boats, and encouraged them to try a few different things throughout the day. The first portage took the group nearly three hours to complete. It was muddy, there were some tight turns, and they were struggling to figure out a good system. Some of them tried to carry everything at once, some gave as much gear as possible to one person and gave the boat to the other, and others took two trips. They spent another 20 minutes on the shore of Nellie Pond arguing about which method was the reason for their slow performance, eventually realizing that their argument wasn’t productive, and deciding it would be best to move on to Kit Fox Pond.

The portage to Kit Fox, which was shorter and less challenging than the previous, provided an easy win that lifted their spirits. They were excited to get back into their boats, even just for a short time, to admire the pond, crack jokes and have a snack. After some discussion, they opted for the portage straight to Fish Pond rather than taking two short portages to Little Long and then Fish Pond. Their reasoning was that they didn’t like the transition in and out of the boats, as they found it difficult and time-consuming. The trail they chose led them straight to the top of an esker and offered a narrow pathway between small trees. I joked with my teaching assistant that it almost felt like a bushwhack, and that we might be able to count it as the bushwhack requirement I noted the day before. When our trail met up with the trail from Little Long Pond to Fish Pond, they realized that they had made the more difficult choice. This would have been obvious if they had looked at the contours on their map.

Fish Pond was stunning. The foliage was past its peak, but the colors contrasted with the rock on the Northwest side of the pond, and a thin layer of fog kissed the top of the tree line, making us pause in admiration. We took our time paddling across to the portage. I’m not sure if that was because it was so beautiful or because we wanted to spend as much time paddling as possible, knowing that the alternative was to throw everything on our backs again. Regardless, it was on Fish Pond that my students decided that “hiking with canoes” was well worth the effort.

They contemplated staying on Fish Pond that night, but they needed to meet two of their objectives the next day; bushwhacking and hiking St. Regis Mountain. They decided to combine the two, and their planned route started on Ochre Pond. Remembering the late start that morning, they decided to push on to Ochre, but not before making an attempt at bypassing the portage by paddling down the West Branch of the St. Regis, which is effectively a creek clogged with downed trees. Once they got that out of their systems, they hopped on the portage trail for the final stretch. This portage was a struggle, but everyone got through it, some with a better attitude than others. The nature of the trail made the haul more enjoyable. The esker was covered in green moss and a variety of fungi. Near the end of the trail, there were large conifers to the left and a beautiful mossy stream to the right. They concluded that the stream was the “river” they had attempted to paddle an hour or so earlier, and had a good laugh at their own expense.

When the first of us arrived at the campsite, we turned around to see a burning red and orange sunset. Across the pond, we could make out the last two groups leaving the landing and heading our way. While approaching the campsite, one pair stood up in their boat, threw their hands up in the air, and let out an accomplished yell. They had made it through the most physically challenging day of the trip, and they did so of their own volition. Once they were fed and settled, we took the opportunity to debrief our experience and discuss how the lessons we learned could be applied in the coming days. After laying out the plan for the next day’s bushwhack, they once again fell asleep with the intention of an early morning.

The morning, predictably, did not go as planned. They were 30 minutes late this time, which is much better than 90 minutes, especially considering they needed to break down camp in preparation to move sites once we returned from our hike. When everyone was ready to start the bushwhack up St. Regis Mountain, I looked around and noticed an underwhelming number of day packs. Some students weren’t even planning to bring food and water, and most of them didn’t think to grab a map. I kindly reminded them that bushwhacking meant hiking off trail, and that their level of preparedness wasn’t even acceptable for hiking on trail, especially considering their planned professions. I followed up by asking them how they planned to get through the day without a map and compass, as they were responsible for getting us down the mountain.

After some quick reshuffling, they were ready to go. My teaching assistant Cal took on the challenge of leading us on the first half of the bushwhack. It’s import-

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Continued from page 5 ant for students to be led through a challenging situation by another student because it makes that level of competency seem more achievable. After a quick refresher of navigation basics, we headed northeast from our campsite into Panther Gorge. Most of my students were climbers, so they were overwhelmed by the giant rock face we discovered when we arrived in the gorge. To them, it was a blank slate of seemingly untapped potential, a naive assumption considering the history of climbing in the Adirondacks. Once the high of their “discovery” wore off, Cal set the next course to the summit, following a drainage on the southeast side of St. Regis.

The remainder of the hike was challenging, but fairly straightforward. Cal was sure to stop every so often and discuss his approach with them. When we finally reached the summit 2.5 hours later, there was a sense of both surprise and accomplishment, a common feeling for a first-year student in the program. The view from the top of St. Regis Mountain felt well worth the effort, a feeling only strengthened by the fact that they bushwhacked rather than taking the trail from Keese Mill Road or Spring Bay. We spent an hour sitting in the sun and soaking in the remaining warmth of summer, looking over the ponds which we had traversed the day before. They had cell phone service, so they celebrated their accomplishment by sending videos to their friends, many of which had references that I didn’t understand despite only being 8 to 10 years older. I was glad to see their enthusiasm, even if they weren’t enjoying the moment the same way that I was.

Getting us back to our campsite was their responsibility. They chose the added challenge of taking a different route on the descent than Cal had taken on the way up. It started down the same drainage we had followed before, but about half way down, followed a new drainage heading west-southwest down the mountain. They used their knowledge of topographic maps to determine when to head straight south, aiming to end up between Monday and Tuesday Ponds. Much to their surprise, they hit their target straight on the nose. After a short but enthusiastic celebration, we finished the hike back to camp on Ochre Pond, where they spent the afternoon discussing their success and filtering water in preparation of packing their boats and moving over to St. Regis Pond.

Their enthusiasm was palpable when we got back on the water. It was only 2:30pm and they had already accomplished so much. We paddled leisurely over to the east side of Ochre Pond and prepared for the portage to St. Regis Pond; a task that didn’t seem as daunting as it would have the day prior. When we reached St. Regis Pond, they were happy to have such a large volume of water to work with. Many of the ponds on the way over to Ochre were only large enough to paddle for a few short minutes, so this opportunity to explore was a treat. We took our time choosing two sites for the night. They contemplated staying on the island, but the wind forecast for the morning deterred them. They eventually settled on site #1, and the teaching assistants and I stayed on site #12. The opportunity to camp on their own, meaning without the presence of their professor, was given intentionally. I think it is important that they have the opportunity to practice authenticity, especially in the stage of the trip where they feel accomplished, and my presence doesn’t allow for that. I wanted to make sure they felt responsible for and connected to their experience. I have no idea what they did that evening, but I enjoyed some relaxed conversation and reflected on the learning accomplished during our first three days.

The following morning the group was ready to go ahead of schedule, which is not uncommon on the last day of a trip. I like to think that their promptness was due to the lessons they learned rather than their excitement to go home. In reality I think it’s a little of both. I met them at their campsite, and we paddled the short, winding path toward the carry to Little Clear Pond. To say that they were excited to be done with their last portage would be an understatement. They got through it quickly, and we made a plan to get across Little Clear Pond despite the strong headwind. We used the land to our advantage, ducking into wind shadows whenever possible, and made our way toward the takeout. At one point, we rafted our canoes together and paddled as a single unit. This is a skill that is helpful while guiding clients on windy, choppy days as it stabilizes the boats and creates a stronger forward inertia. It felt fitting that we finished the trip this way, as their success was due to their strong mutual effort.

We were supposed to be picked up at 1:00pm, so we had about an hour to get ourselves sorted and debrief our experience on the popular but strenuous 9 Carries route. They felt how most people feel after they do it for the first time; exhausted but thankful for the experience. There are quite a few routes in the Adirondacks which can only be accomplished by “hiking with canoes”, an act that is counterintuitive at best, but the 9 Carries is one that I think everyone should try at least once. There is no accurate way to describe how that route makes you feel.

After some reflection, they decided that they were satisfied with the choices they made over the course of the weekend. They appreciated the freedom they were given in choosing their own path, and they felt that it amplified their learning experience. They understood the benefits struggling on portages, and accurately identified changes they could make for future trips. I can say with certainty that this was the only time I’ve ever heard a group of college students say that they genuinely enjoyed a bushwhack. We set some goals for the future as we waited an additional two hours for the other group to pick us up. I encouraged them to have some lunch and a warm beverage, as I knew we would have this additional time. Trips with students always end late, too.

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