Thursday, August 23rd, 2007, 5:30am. Darrin awoke at dawn, and decided to set his canoe at the riverside before breakfast. As he was maneuvering the boat across a small ravine, a skunk popped out of the vegetation. Figuring that he smelled foul enough already, Darrin left the boat where it was, and quickly proceeded with breakfast. Seemingly noting Darrin’s submission, the black-and-white stripped-mammal wandered away without incident. Phew. Thus began a long and tiresome day of lining up, and portaging around, multiple ledges, rapids, and dams. Darrin portaged around East High [View Full Entry]

---

---

Wednesday, August 22nd, 2007. Darrin called me at 5:30am from his island campsite on Lake Champlain. The weather was clear and calm, so he figured the second leg, a shorter and more protected route than the first leg, would be smooth and enjoyable. As it turned out, he did encounter a windy stretch with two-foot chop. It was just enough to keep him agile, but not enough to slow him down too much. It was well before lunchtime when he circled Hog Island and made his way into the Missisquoi River delta. There he was welcomed by six osprey, who [View Full Entry]

---

---

Tuesday, August 21st, 2007. Darrin completed the first leg of his Lake Champlain crossing on this day. He crossed a section approximately three miles wide, and was felt fortunate to find water like glass. The exception was some paddle-like-hell three to four foot waves when he crossed three different wake lines from large ferries. Wakes aside, this was LUCKY. Water like glass on Champlain is a not-so-common gift. Lake Champlain is over 100 miles long, a size that enables it to create it's own weather. Even on the calmest of Champlain days, one can encounter significant wind and waves. [View Full Entry]

---

---

Darrin begin his journey on Sunday, August 12th, on the Fulton Chain of Lakes near Old Forge, New York, in the heart of the Adirondacks. He had flown from Chicago to Syracuse, and his sister Melanie had brought him to his put-in on Lake One of the Fulton Chain. Melanie and her husband Tim paddled the Fulton Chain with him for a couple of hours, and then headed back home, leaving Darrin as a solo traveler. From there, his first week on the water trail was the typical mix of ups and downs that one expects when embarking on an extended [View Full Entry]

---

---