LOCALadk Magazine

LOCALadk 55 THE MOCK 90 e Adirondack Canoe Classic, fondly known as the 90-Miler, has been a tradition for 37 years. is past summer, the 38th, was supposed to be an important transition year, but was cancelled due to COVID-19. e Adirondack Watershed Alliance (AWA), with Grace and Brian McDonnell at the helm, is transferring ownership of the Classic's 90 Miler over to the Northern Forest Canoe Trail (NFCT) to ensure its future. Paddlers support this transition, and look forward to years of tradition and stewardship carried forward by NFCT. e tradition of the 90-Miler inspires competition and comradery. Paddling friends are tough and strong—and a bit eccentric. Over a course of three days, surrounded by all types of water vessels ranging from standup paddleboards to eight-person war canoes, you get to know who paddles at your tempo in your class of boat. Friendships at the start line may be your competition all day, complete with the fast and furious start each morning, the running portages with a bathroom stop, and refueling while you keep that boat moving toward the day's finish—and maybe the lead dog honors. e stories of the day's mishaps and triumphs may be recounted for years to come. Friendships made along the 90-Miler can lead to other adventures far beyond the route, across the seasons, and throughout the years. For us, tradition and friendship came to the rescue as the summer of 2020 unfolded with every big event in our Tri-Lake region announcing "Cancelled till 2021." Springtime came early last year, and since most of us had time on our hands unencumbered by our usual side gigs, we forged ahead and did what the experts recommended: "Get outdoors!" Our solo boats, C-2 and C-4 canoes, kayaks, and the paddleboards saw an active water season. We explored new places. We basked in the calm beauty of the watershed and landscape, and felt normal in an abnormal time. Facing a long fall and winter of continued isolation, talk turned to how we might do our own version of the 90-Miler and still follow safety precautions for COVID-19. We spent August pondering who would join the flotilla, what route we'd take, and where to rest our bodies along the way. Details took shape and the Mock-90 was born. Our group had representatives from the Adirondacks and a couple from White River Junction, Vermont. e ten paddlers filled three C-2 mixed canoes and one C-4 all-women canoe. Lastly, our eleventh member was the pit crew. We decided on a semi-leisurely pace stretched over four days rather than the usual (grueling) three days. We tweaked the route to accommodate added adventure and to explore the official Northern Forest Canoe Trail. Come along with us as we cruise the blue skies, warm days, and calm water—well, most of the time! We started at the Old Forge docks on a cool, sunny day with great anticipation. We leisurely paddled the Fulton Chain of First, Second, ird, and Fourth Lakes to Arrowhead Park in Inlet, noticing camps we'd never seen before. On that quiet day we took a break at the park, touring the restrooms, perfecting yoga stretches, admiring local artwork, ordering hot drinks, and eating homemade donuts—a far cry from a competitive race day! Paddling resumed through the channel to Fih Lake and our first portage along the highway to the put-in at Sixth Lake. Glorious weather greeted us across Sixth and Seventh Lakes to our next portage through the campground at Eighth Lake. From there a short paddle across Eighth Lake brought us to another portage, to the Brown's Tract. It turns out, we weren't the only 90-Milers unwilling to sit out a year. One camper at Eighth Lake mentioned that lads with cowboy hats had come through before us, but they were running the portage! is info made the C-4 ladies laugh, as the year before they had battled the C-4 Old Forge cowboys during the race. Fortunately, though tempted to chase them down, we maintained our leisure pace. During races, actual portages cause a lot of angst. Even the most well-planned portage attack might be thwarted by backed-up boats, broken equipment, or trees that just don't want to move. In the land of Mock-90 leisure, we enjoyed the portages to the fullest extent possible. ree of our four boats used wheels to assist transport when conditions favored their use. Even the normally somewhat tricky Brown's Tract carry seemed like a walk in the park thanks to our wheels and carefree attitude. Aer this carry the fun really started when we had to navigate up and over four separate beaver dams. Without hesitation, each crew tackled those dams with their own style and method for piling out of and getting back into the boats while maintaining dry feet. At the entrance of Raquette Lake, we detoured the normal Day 1 of the race route and called it a day, following the shoreline to the quaint hamlet of Raquette Lake. Our destination was the Raquette Lake Tap Room and Hotel, a historic two-story building that houses Author: The Crew | Photos: Nancie Battaglia

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