Limekiln Lake, part two

 We left off part one as we were approaching the peninsula on Limekiln Lake. This is a great place to stop for a picnic or just for a stretch of your legs.  Many paddlers stop here-- we've even seen a couple strap their folding lawn chairs to their kayaks and set up "camp" for the day.

The landing spot is all rock, even when the water level is higher, but there is usually enough level area to get out of your kayak or canoe without too much trouble.   Some industrious boaters have been adding to the pile of rocks that is usually present in some shape or form each year at the peninsula:

There is a clearing which looks like it has been used as a campsite, but it isn't an "official" campsite.  Perhaps its only used during the off-season, because we've never seen anyone here for the overnight, yet the clearing, logs and evidence of campfires suggests it's used often.

 

 The paths along the peninsula have a couple of spots where you can look out at various parts of the lake:

Brody and I took a walk. He found investigating the woods thoroughly enjoyable!

Here is another view of the lake from the woods as we walked:

I know this is a type of shot you've all seen before, but I really like the way the tall, straight tree trunks seem to almost converge in the middle.

I tried to get a photo of Brody from a different angle while we were taking our walk.  I used a wintergreen leaf to lure his head up.  I love how his ear(s) is(are) just as pointy as if he were looking straight ahead at something interesting.

This is the pretty view as you face the water near the end of the peninsula:

And here are the roots of the tree in the photo above, from the other direction.  I like the shapes and textures.

Once we ate lunch, we packed up our things and got back on the water.  We were on our way to the outlet in the southwestern corner of the lake when we saw one of the common loons we'd heard earlier on the lake.
And then, just moments later, this juvenile was paddling near us:

We were so excited to see this loon!  We've never, ever seen a loon at this stage while paddling!  It was almost full grown and had all of its white feathers, but those that will be black were brownish-gray.  We aren't sure why we've only ever seen chicks or adults (or at least those whose coloring and markings are that of an adult.)  Perhaps it's the early and warm spring we had?  We have no idea, but feel very fortunate to have seen something "new" to us when paddling.  It always makes our day to see something different.

The outlet is more open than the marshy area where we started our exploring but the water is very still at most times.  Beware of the barely submerged rocks!  There are many, many rocks in the outlet.  If you are paddling on a cloudy day, you may not be able to navigate well through the jumble without scraping your hull a time or two. 

The area is a favorite of black ducks, and in years past, we've seen a common loon sitting on a nest in this part of the lake.  Here are two black ducks on the outlet:

Brody was, as usual, very interested in the ducks:

The outlet isn't navigable for very far (less than a half mile, I'd guess) because of a rocky drop.  There is a dam which marks the spot to turn around :

On our way back out of the outlet, heading to the main part of the lake, I noticed a couple of maple trees (maybe sugar maple?) had already turned red...  autumn is not far away in the Adirondacks.

Limekiln Lake is one of our favorite places to paddle.  Although there is an area of development and the campground is there, we are still able to see wildlife and experience the beauty of nature all around us.  We think Brody likes it a lot too!  Here he is one more time, gazing with intent at the black ducks on Limekiln.

Happy kayaking!

Limekiln Lake, part one

A few weeks ago, we returned to one of our favorite paddle spots, Limekiln Lake.  It's north of Old Forge on Route 28.  You'll go through the village of Eagle Bay, and then the hamlet of Inlet. Limekiln is a pretty lake, having a peninsula, three tiny islands, and two marsh/creek areas to explore.  Even with some summer homes, motorboats and a state campground on the lake, the features above keep it on our list of favorites. You do have to pay for a day pass to paddle here since the boat launch is part of the campground.

 Here are the GPS coordinates for Limekiln Lake:  43° 43' 3.2952" -74° 48' 4.2726"  I'm sorry to say these aren't from my TomTom, as I forgot to plug it in!  That's what happens when you already know how to get somewhere, I guess.  Hopefully I'll remember to check the TomTom coordinates next time.  So, these numbers came from Google Maps and may not be quite as accurate, but should get you near the boat launch.

It was a chilly morning-- by this summer's standards anyway.  Again we had morning wind...  in the seven seasons we've been kayaking, we've never seen this many windy mornings.  I'm not sure if it's the overall weather pattern, a fluke that we're kayaking on all the windy mornings lately, or what.  The good news is, each time this has happened, (3  times) we've paddled to a more sheltered area and within an hour and a half or so, the wind has died down.  The ripples in the above photo don't seem to show how strong the wind blew at times, right in our faces.  Around the point to the left is an inlet which is sheltered, and that's where we headed.

Here is a photo as we neared the sheltered area:

This sheltered area with a marsh and sometimes a beaver dam, is in the northeast part of the lake.  From the boat launch, paddle left/east, past a bay where the private houses (and the motorboats) are and toward the three small islands in the distance (all of them are near the southeastern shore.)  Once near the smallest of the islands, which isn't much more than a big rock and some pine trees, head northerly to the scene in the photo above.

A lot more water plants, particularly grasses, were growing here compared to our last paddle a few years ago.  We're guessing the water level is lower, though that is really the only sign we saw of the dry summer here.  With a dam at its outlet, it's safe to say that when possible, the water levels are kept at a consistent level.

As we approached the inlet, we began to see many sets of eyes peering at us from the surface of the water.  I planned to post the photo, but there's no point since it's far enough away that you can't really tell what all the eyes are all about.  Let's just say that there were a gazillion frogs on the thick grasses in this area!  I'll get to their individual portraits in a couple of minutes.

We saw many black ducks, known to reside here.  They have never failed to make an appearance-- either in the inlet or the outlet.   Below, Brody sees the ducks and is, naturally, very interested.

Here are the ducks, having a late breakfast.  I love it when they go under to eat and leave their bottom halves sticking out of the water.  Sometimes they do it in unison, like synchronized swimmers!

As the wind blew the larger clouds away, the bright blue sky and sun lit everything up.  I like the wispiness (is that a real word?) of  the clouds in these two photos:

On our way into this area, we saw a kingfisher hanging out on the branch of a dead tree.  We hadn't seen one here before so it was fun to catch a glimpse of him.  Since we were headed his way, he didn't stay long and flitted off to another tree in the distance.

The inlet is the perfect spot for many marsh loving plants, including the Soapwort Genetian:

And the Pitcher Plant:

Look closely at the plant on the right and you will see a bee on its tip.  Chances are he'll end up in its liquid at the base of the pitcher plant, soon to become plant food.

The flower below is a mystery.  They grow on long, thin stalks, and those that I've seen fully open, look a bit like tufts of cotton, reminding me slightly of milkweed, but without the seeds (that I could see) and much shorter strands of cottony fiber.  The wildflower site I was so happy to find did not yield any results.  If anyone knows what this plant is, please let me know.

While trying to take photos of the many frogs on the lake's grasses near the inlet, I snapped this reflection shot of my husband:

Here are my Northern Green Frog portraits:

Which one is your favorite?  I'm not even sure myself-- it's a tie between numbers 2 and 3.

Once we'd had fun watching all of the frogs, who often stayed right where they were as we paddled by, we headed out toward the islands to look around.  This is the smallest island:

 The largest of the three has landing possibilities, but you need to have good balance if you're planning to get out.  We've seen others land on the rocky side (north) but there is an area on the southwest side that has some dirt and tree roots which make it a bit easier to get out.  We did not attempt it this time since the bugs seemed pretty thick as we neared the island.

Here is a shot of the largest island:

There is a rock sticking out of the water before you reach this island and this is what we found hanging out there:

Certainly not the first time we've seen a seagull on a lake, but definitely the first time we've seen one at Limekiln!  Pretty sure this guy is a Herring Gull.

We also saw a bird that we hear often when paddling and see infrequently.  It was a treat to actually get a photo of him/her.  A Cedar Waxwing.  He almost looks tropical with his various colors, doesn't he?

Oh, I forgot to mention that while we were in the inlet, I was intent on taking photos and floated up to some boggy plants in a group.  It apparently looked like "land" to Brody.  Since we weren't moving and we were up against "land,"  he decided that it must be time to hop out of the kayak.  Yup!  Right into about 4 inches of water.  Luckily, the plants held him and he didn't get anything wet except his feet and legs.  But the wind was still blowing so he was a little chilled from his adventure.  We called him "Swamp Dog" for days afterward.  He SMELLED like a swamp, believe me!  He got rinsed off once it warmed up, then had a real bath at home later on.  

Here he is with the evidence all over his paws  (and notice he's not too happy about it!):

From the islands area, we paddled to the peninsula on the southwestern shore, almost across from the boat launch.  I'll end part one with a photo of this area in the background, with Brody watching his daddy as he approached the peninsula.

Thanks for reading.  And Happy Kayaking!