LOCALadk Magazine

LOCALadk 20 As the spring thaws bring ice-out to the many lakes and ponds across the warming Adirondack landscape, we spot paddlers breaking quiet reflections once again. The return of paddling in the park is slow at first until truly warm days return and the blackflies burn off. Ris- ing rivers play host to white water enthusiasts braving cold plunges while they navigate paths downstream, swollen by run-off from the pockets between dense spruce trees. You might find a fitness paddler cutting the glass as they warm up for the mounting race sea- son. It starts early here in the Park, "Round the Moun- tain is coming up" they say, referencing the first local race of the season. Long sleek solo canoes made of Kevlar and carbon are propelled by canoe and kayak paddles alike. The pack canoe explorers are out in their short and nimble boats, ready to find marshes filled with nesting birds again. Tandem canoes are a good choice too, a bit more stable over the still cold water. Paddling partners re- connect and make their annual spring trip down the flooded Raquette River. It's their only chance to weave between the maples that line the riverbanks. And on rare occasions you might spot something unique to our waterways, a guideboat. An Adirondack Guideboat to be exact. On the water they're conspicuous. A long, smooth curving sheer references the gilded age of the Adiron- dacks, romantic compared to the sleek, flat profiles of today's efficiency-minded boats. A set of thin, flexible oars as wide as the boat is long propels it across the wa- ter's surface with a casual but surprising swiftness. To new eyes it might be mistaken for a canoe, that is until you see it being rowed, not paddled. 150 springs ago, the guideboat was the dominant watercraft dotting our waterways. Only the birchbark and dugout canoes predate the guideboat. It evolved out of necessity before taking its final iconic form we recognize today. Lacking a true inventor, it's well noted that William Martin of Saranac Lake and Caleb Chase of Newcomb were at the forefront of guideboat develop- ment in the early 1850s. Many of the first permanent settlers moved to the area after the 1820s before high quality roads crossed the Great North Woods. Our waterways served as our highways, and the guideboat was our vessel. As the guideboat developed into the perfect craft for our waters, everything was to be considered. It must be seaworthy for the crossing of lakes like the Saranacs and Long Lake. It had to be staunch enough to carry heavy loads of food, supplies, families, and the hunters that would soon visit the area. It needed to be fast, not only on the sprint, but for the long days traversing riv- ers like the Raquette, where a rower may go for more than 10 hours at a time. Combine these needs with a Guideboats: An Adirondack Icon By Troy Tetrault and Nathaniel Atkinson

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