LOCALadk Magazine
Issue link: https://localadkmagazine.uberflip.com/i/1170390
24 Fall 2019 LOCALadk Magazine LOCALadk Peak Foliage Paddle By Neal Burdick with photos by John Barron The watersheds of the northern Adirondacks provide su- perb paddling and fall foliage viewing, but are generally not well patronized because of their relative remoteness. Rivers such as the Oswegatchie, the Grasse (or Grass, depending on which derivation stor y you choose to believe), the Raquette, the St. Regis, and the Deer are exemplar y, while ponds like Debar and Church are equally rewarding theaters for the grand autumn finale. One of my favorite fall excursions is Meacham Lake and the Osgood River, combining mountain panoramas across open water with close-ups in the river corridors ( you'll see why that's plural in a moment) and their accompanying wetlands. It's like paddling through an art museum—the landscape is the canvas, the leaves are the paint, nature is the artist, and the water ways are the galleries welcoming us to explore. The put-in (and take-out, this being an out-and-back trip) is a couple of hundred yards north of the Route 30/458 T-in- tersection, aka Sweeney's Corners, about ten miles north of Paul Smiths. Turn right immediately after the bridge over Meacham's outlet—this is not the Osgood, but the start of the North Branch of the St. Regis River—into an ample parking and unloading area. This, however, is undeveloped— there are no facilities, so think ahead and please don't befoul the woods so close to the water. An adjacent low dam in a scenic setting is worth a short stroll; minuscule as it is, it cre- ated Meacham Lake back in lumbering's heyday. After putting in and navigating a few boulders, some lurk- ing just below the surface, you have clear paddling up the flat, serene North Branch and lake outlet. This is a wetland ecosystem, with varieties of grasses and sedges turning a riot of colors practically at your fingertips; maples and beeches doing the same among stately pines, cedars, spruces, and golden tamaracks along the never-distant banks. Here it is plain to see that the colors in the wetlands are different, however subtly, from those in the dr y-ground forests, and different still from those of the moister riverbanks, giving you a super-sized Crayola box of hues. You almost have to be alert for sensor y overload. Upon reaching the lake, you can turn left and paddle along its west shore for as far as you wish; the facilities of the Mea- cham Lake State Campground can be discerned on the far- off north shore, with bumpy Debar Mountain, splashed with reds and oranges and yellows, behind them. On my trip last October, a pair of mergansers skittered across the smooth surface ahead of me, and two mature bald eagles stared at me from a tall white pine spar on the water's edge. As I ap- proached, one of the eagles soared majestically away but the other remained, overseeing my maneuvers for the entire time I was close by. If instead you bear right and hug the south shore of the lake, you will soon come upon a natural sand beach that makes a pleasant rest stop, or lunch break if you've detoured up the west shore and returned. This is essentially a barrier dune between the lake and further extensive wetlands, with plenty of space to pull up your vessel, relax your sore mus- cles, and enjoy the scener y. (With shallow water and a sandy lake bottom that descends ver y gradually, it's also a perfect spot for a dunk during a hot summer day, but I wouldn't rec-