Boot N’ Paddle: Trips for the Times
Welcome back outdoor enthusiasts! Come one, come all: young and old, domesticated and wild! This is your Phriendly Neighborhood Outing Club with the latest, greatest, and most groundbreaking coverage on outdoor adventure in the North Country. Only thing is, the working definition of “North Country” has changed to within St. Lawrence County.
Maybe you’re reminiscing on crushing high peaks in the Adirondacks, or crimping your way up cliffs in Keene Valley. Maybe you even miss waking up at 4:00 am on Saturday for Peak Weekend (then again, most likely you don’t!). Regardless of your past OC experiences, you’re probably asking: “Are there OC trips I can go on right now?” Additionally, “what are they?” To answer these questions, I will first turn my research to the developing historiography of Boot N’ Paddle articles situated among local adventures, and then supplement those ideas with additional archival findings.
To be sure, there are always adventures to be had while at St. Lawrence, even just in and around campus. OC member Ryan Schlosser ’21 has already introduced the importance of “micro-adventures” in North Country adventures in a past Hill News article. “Micro-adventures” are outdoor excursions taking place on campus, which anyone can lead. “Micro-adventures” include running/biking the Kip and Saddlemire trails, and paddling the Little River from the Canoe Shack! If you get on the Little River soon enough, you’ll see green frogs, painted turtles, and fish galore!
Still, “Micro-adventures” are not the only form of adventures to be had this semester. While OC members will continually send out emails, the spots for these trips are limited at the moment for safety reasons. However, your extended family units should still explore our larger backyard, St. Lawrence County. For example, Arab Mountain is situated in St. Lawrence County; this is a cool little hike (~30 mins) to the summit. With an accessible fire tower, it’s a sublime spot for viewing the sunrise over Tupper Lake.
If you’ve already explored the Kip and Saddlemire trails, try biking the Downerview Trails, whose bridge features were created by SLU professor Steve Papson! The trailhead for these trails are by the parking lot in Downerville State Forest. For all you go-getters, the archives say: “don’t stray too far [from the trailhead], because you will have to bike all the way back a similar way you came!” You’ve been warned…!
For more relaxing, family-unit bonding, consider camping at Cranberry Lake before the weather gets too chilly. But maybe you’re also an adrenaline junkie. In this case, lore says there’s a bigger and better rope swing if you take a left at Coakley Hardware, follow Old Canton Road until you reach 812, take a right and follow 812 until you find the rope swing along the river banks before the bridge (haven’t confirmed it’s still there—let me know if it goes!). Whatever suits your fancy, the County offers something for everyone.
The environmental historian William Cronon—in his work “The Trouble with Wilderness, Or, Getting Back to the Wrong Nature”—maintains the importance of seeing nature in a more localized context. This concept is essential for the SLU community to embrace right now. Undoubtedly, the Adirondacks are dope. But so is our beautiful backyard of St. Lawrence County. For the sake of environmentalism, a radical semester on campus, and the health of the larger North Country community, let’s embrace localized adventure!