Kunjamuk River and Elm Lake, (by way of the Sacandaga River,) part two

Once we began heading upstream on the Kunjamuk, the scenery began to change from the marsh plants to tree and brush covered riverbanks.  Here are two photos of the river's stillness in the marsh area we were leaving:

We were very excited to see five marsh hawks overhead as we paddled.  Marsh hawks are also known as Northern harriers.  They make a distinct whistle and their shape as we looked up at them also helped us identify them.  At times there were only two or three flying above us, but seeing five gliding on the thermals over us was great fun.  I am afraid none of my photos will do them justice but I'll try to post one that has been zoomed in if it isn't too fuzzy...  Here are two of the hawks:

Some stretches of this river reminded us of a branch of the Oswegatchie River near Cranberry Lake because of the narrowness, the current and the twists and turns.  There was a lot of water due to a very heavy rain 5 or 6 days before we took this trip, so the current was strong.  It wasn't difficult to paddle upstream, but resting was out of the question.  Taking photos was a challenge-- my kayak did not stay headed in the direction I wanted to remain for the photos.  Here is the only decent photo from a bunch I took of some cardinal flowers:

I mentioned that the river was more closed- in and narrow, but my photos aren't showing it.  I now realize that I didn't take many photos while we were paddling around the tight, twisty, current-driven bends in the river.  These next few photos were taken in places where the river straightened out for a bit, giving me a chance to get the camera out and take some shots without ending up in the bushes.

This is one of my favorite shots from the whole trip:

And this one makes me sad, since the tree's leaves have turned and are falling off... a sign that kayaking season in northern New York will soon be over...

Isn't it interesting how the leaves can be seen more clearly in the water?  The sunlight washed out the tree on the bank, but the river gave it a great reflection.

After paddling upstream on the Kunjamuk for a couple of miles, we passed under a logging road/bridge.  It is here that we needed to get out in order to visit Kunjamuk Cave.  Our kayaks barely fit on the trail at the take-out.

We were happy for the chance to stretch our legs and get the kinks out of our back and shoulders on this short walk.  It's about a third of a mile to the cave from the bridge.

Here is the cave.  It faces the trail as you approach from the logging road.

 As you can see, it slopes down from the trail.  The cave is about 25 feet in length, 8-10 feet in width and at least 6 1/2 feet high in the back, maybe 7 1/2 or 8 near the entrance where the hole in the ceiling is located.

The cave seems to be a mystery.  No one knows if it was formed naturally or if it was man-made.  The "blow hole" on the top makes me think it's man-made, but I'm sure mother nature could have created such a hole, which some call a "sink hole" when referring to this cave.  It's a pretty neat view from inside the cave looking out the hole in the top:

Another pretty cool view is from inside the cave looking out to the woods beyond:

Here is a fuzzy photo showing both the cave entrance and the hole in the top:

And one last photo of the cave from the outside:

We enjoyed our little side-trip to the cave.  It was fun imagining who might have made the cave, or who might have used the cave over the years.  By the way, there were no bats in the cave.  I don't think it was dark enough.  I also checked for spiders before getting too close to the walls and didn't find many, for which I am very thankful!

Back at our kayaks, we decided to eat our lunch on the water since the logging road was dusty, the woods were packed in around our kayaks and there was no place to sit.  We bungeed ourselves to a tree hanging out over the water and ate in the shade with the current trying to snatch us away from the tree branch.  This was the scene once we rounded a bend just past the bridge:

We paddled along, enjoying the sun, the birdsong and the maneuvering around the bends, twists and turns of the river.  Soon we reached another logging road bridge.  Here is Dick, about to paddle under it:

After a few more miles of paddling, the river spread out and we could see some mountains in the distance.

Pretty soon, the river widened further, becoming Elm Lake.  At this point, we had paddled 6 1/2 miles.  Here are some photos I took from Elm Lake of the mountains near its northern and eastern shores:

By the time we reached Elm Lake it was around 2:30.  We knew we had a couple hours of paddling back, so we did not venture past Elm Lake.  (It is apparently possible to go further upstream, depending on the beaver dams and water levels.) We turned around and headed back downstream on the Kunjamuk.

I had an easier time taking photographs with the kayak heading downstream.  I still had a couple of close calls with bushes on the banks, but I managed.

I like trees, even dead ones, and so I took this photo:

The shape of the tree was so interesting that I needed a close up:

I forgot to mention the beaver dams earlier.  We counted nine!  All had been breached, at least partially.  Whether by the high water or other kayakers and canoeists, I don't know.  Here is a photo of what is left of one of the dams.

We were happy to see the marsh hawks once again as we were heading back on the Kunjamuk.  I got a few better shots this time.  Here is one which I zoomed in and cropped:
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On the way back, we met a large number of kayakers compared to the trip upstream when we encountered just one gentleman in a canoe and another in a kayak.  The closer we got to Lake Pleasant, the more paddlers we passed.  Everyone was out on the water, enjoying the good weather and the beauty surrounding the river.

The paddle back to the Sacandaga was nearly effortless and we relaxed along the way.  We knew once we reached that river we'd be paddling upstream against the current.  So we enjoyed the last couple of miles by stretching our legs out in front of us, leaning back in our seats, and barely dipping our paddles in to the water.

Before we knew it, road noise intruded and the Sacandaga and our upstream paddle awaited us.  There were fisherman out on this river as we paddled up toward Lake Pleasant and the put in/take out.  The afternoon light had been fading on the Kunjamuk, but out on the Sacandaga where it was open, the sun was still bright.

Near the end of our trip, we met up with some of the black ducks we'd seen earlier in the day.  They were hanging out near the edge of the river in a shallow spot, preening.  This shot seems a perfect way to end this blog post.  I hope you've enjoyed this kayaking trip description and will be looking forward to my next post.

Thanks for reading, and happy kayaking!

Kunjamuk River and Elm Lake, (by way of the Sacandaga River,) part one

This past weekend was gorgeous in northern New York.  It may have been a bit cool and breezy in some spots, but near Speculator, in the sunshine, it was a fantastic day for paddling.  To get to the Kunjamuk River, you put in at the outlet of Lake Pleasant, which is the Sacandaga River.  Paddle downstream for a couple of miles and you'll reach the marsh area where the Kunjamuk flows from the north into the Sacandaga.  The round trip, from the put in upstream on the Kunjamuk to Elm Lake and back is about 13 miles.  It took us about 6 1/2 hours, including time for a lunch break as well as a walk to historic Kunjamuk Cave. 


The put in is beside a municipal parking area on the north side of Route 30, just east of the junction of Route 8 and Route 30.  There is a public bathroom and a park here, so it's a great place to park for this trip. The launching area was gradual sand and rock.  An easy entry, which we always appreciate.  Here is a photo:

Scenery on the Sacandaga was beautiful right away, even though there was motorboat noise from Lake Pleasant and traffic noise from Route 30. 

The Sacadaga had a noticeable current as we headed downstream.  It was not swift, but we were moved along without much paddling on the first section of the river where it was not very wide.  Once the river widened out the current wasn't as noticeable.  This part of the Sacandaga, once broadened, seemed the perfect place for ducks.  We saw many black ducks, resting, eating, preening.

I had a tough time putting the camera down because around each bend, there was another nice view to frame, such as this one:

Or this one with more mountains in the background:

And many more ducks, hanging out, swimming away into the reeds, or taking a look at the two of us as we paddled by at a slower pace than these web footed fowl:

It was about 10 a.m. when we got on the water-- a bit late for us, but it took us a while to drive there.  The temperature was perfect and I was able to peel off the windbreaker and sweatpants I wore on the ride up.  (yes, it was in the upper 40's when we got up that morning!)  Here is Dick with a hill behind him:

As we entered the marsh area where the Kunjamuk joins the Sacandaga we saw a Great Blue Heron.  I took his photo, but it isn't a great shot, so you'll just have to imagine him standing in a shallow area surrounded by reeds, his eyes on his dinner.

It didn't take too long to reach the entrance to Kunjamuk River.  If you decide to check out this particular paddle destination, you may be fortunate enough to find an orange ribbon tied to some water plants, indicating that you are headed in the right direction.  It wasn't difficult to find the Kunjamuk though.  We knew it would enter from our left, and we looked for current in the channels we saw in the marshy area, and when we found it, we were sure before we saw the orange ribbon marker.  Here is the view as we began our paddle upstream on the Kunjamuk:

This description and the photos don't cover half of the trip one way, but I will have more info and lots more photos for you the next time.  We'll be away over the holiday weekend, but I expect to finish the Kunjamuk trip when I blog next week.  Until then, I hope you're all happily paddling away!  (Let's hope Earl clears out and away quickly.)