A Summer’s Paddle

The easterly sky slowly changed from dark purple to bright blue as daylight slowly appeared. The pastel orange sun lifted over the fields of corn as we made our right turn onto State Highway 458. The drive to Paul Smith’s is only an hour and twenty minutes from home but as my excitement built, the trip seemed to feel a lot longer. We finally made our left hand turn on to Hoffman Rd just across the street from the college. The small dirt road could be easy to miss if you didn’t know it was there.

We parked the truck and started to unload the kayaks. The unmistakable aroma of Adirondack air surrounded us as we reached the small dock. The water was like a mirror as it reflected the trees surrounding it. The only movement was the small water bugs skating across its surface as the sunlight slowly raised high enough to reach its surface. I almost hated to disturb this breathtaking moment by launching our kayaks but we had an adventure on our minds and we needed to get started. At seven AM we slid our vessels into the still water and started to paddle. With my father as my tour guide for the day, our destination was Osgood River.

We softly glided across Church Pond to start our trip. Surrounded by the tall green pines and only the faint sound of birds in the distance made it feel like a far off land instead of a pond next to the road. With no wind on the water the half mile trip across the pond took only a few minutes. Stroke after stroke, we made our way toward the first channel between the ponds. We drifted past a lean-to with a small dock at the water's edge. A group of campers were all set up at the lean-to, seated at their campfire enjoying a peaceful early morning coffee. We exchanged a quick hello and moved on. As we worked our way through the small channel I was amazed by the beauty in front of me.

Just wide enough and deep enough for a kayak or canoe we drifted between the trees and under a small footbridge. Once through the first channel we worked our way across the small 1/8th of a mile pond that brought us to our second channel. This channel was a bit longer but still just big enough for our kayaks to get through.

As we exited the channel the waters opened up into Osgood Pond. It’s called a pond but it is definitely big enough to be a lake. The open water would be home for the next mile and a half.

With a stunning view of the mountains as our backdrop, this placid body of water was just as still as the smaller ponds. Surrounded by mostly forest and a few classic Adirondack camps on its shoreline, I imagined what the first settlers must have thought of this magnificent scenery.

As we approached the middle of the lake we noticed three birds floating together. We decided to try and get a closer look. As stealthy as we could be, we quietly paddled closer and closer. Once we could see that they were loons we took a few more strokes and coasted the rest of the way. We came to a stop about 40 feet from them in hopes of being able to watch them for a while. One loon noticed us and swam over to investigate. Closer and closer it came to my kayak. At 10 feet from my boat it stopped. It’s stunning black and white markings and radiant red eyes were breathtaking.

Then it decided to give us a show like we had never seen or heard before. It started calling, then the other two that were about 60 feet away started calling. As they continued their symphony other loons from around the lake chimed in. For two full minutes the entire pond echoed with the calls of the Common loon. As soon as the concert stopped the loon that had been so close to me slowly swan away in silence. My father and I agreed that that was one of the most amazing things we had ever witnessed in our lives. Still in shock we paddled on the rest of the way across the lake to the opening of the river. Once we made it to the mouth of the river the atmosphere seemed to change. Instead of a rustic Adirondack experience it felt more like an expedition.

We followed a narrow channel that weaved in and out of the lily pads. Tall aquatic plants and flowers lined the shores as we paddled along. As I grabbed my phone to take some pictures I realized that what little cell service I did have was gone.

Completely away from the civilized world we worked our way downstream. We were absorbed into the natural world, not just in it. Cautiously we moved on, not wanting to startle any wildlife that could have been ahead of us. We watched birds ahead of us swoop down to the water's surface to eat their meals of fish and bugs. As we approached a large rock on the river's edge we noticed some movement around it. Slowly we approached and realized that it was a large blue heron very carefully hunting for a meal.

It allowed us to get quite close before it took off for better hunting grounds. After close to three hours of paddling we could see what looked like a log jam ahead of us. As we approached we could tell that the jam was more like a natural dam in the river. Rocks and downed trees blocked our passage farther downstream. We decided to get out of our boats, explore the forest around us and take a snack break.

Once our break was over we decided it was time to set sail for the dock. The upstream paddle was a bit more challenging as we were fighting the gentle current as well as the breeze that had picked up. At Osgood Pond we decided to pick up the pace and power through the full wind that was now blowing in our faces. Back at the dock we pulled our kayaks out of the water and took another break. On our way home we joked about how sore our arms were going to be in the morning since it was the first time in a very long time that either of us had paddled close to 10 miles in one day. We both agreed that it was well worth it to have had such a special Northern NY Adventure together.

About this location:

Osgood Pond and River are located in Pauls Smith’s, New York in Franklin County. We chose to access the water from Church Pond along Hoffman Rd so we could go through the two channels that link the ponds together.

Hoffman Road sits just across the road from Paul Smith’s College and is a small dirt road with a few pull offs to park. The dock we took off from is located closer to the State Highway 86 end of the road. It’s a small dock but getting the chance to paddle through the channels was well worth the extra distance.

There is also access to Osgood Pond off of White Pine Road that sits just over a half mile from the college on Route 86. The pond is quite large as it is just under two miles long and about ¾ of a mile wide at its widest point. Most of the pond is surrounded by New York State forest land but there are a few camps on its banks. On the state land there are a couple of lean-to’s and I did see a couple of primitive campsites set up while we were out there.

We did see a few motor boats on the water but the majority of the boats out there were kayaks and canoes. At the north eastern end of the pond is the entrance to the river. This river is quite shallow and has a lot of vegetation and plenty of aquatic flowers to enjoy.

I would almost call it a stream more than a river. Once you get back on the river a ways you are very secluded.

I would advise anyone to bring plenty of water and a few survival tools with you just in case. The paddling was quite easy for most of the day but you may want to keep an eye on the wind for the day before you decide to take off. This location is perfect for the beginner paddler all the way up to experienced kayakers. There is no whitewater but you can make this trip as long or as short as you would like. We ended up covering close to 10 miles by the time we were done. I would love to see this place in the fall, I’m sure the trees would be stunning in full color. If you are looking for a quiet place to be one with nature I would highly recommend checking this place out. In my opinion it's the definition of a Northern NY Adventure.

Aaron Hardy

Northern NY Adventures