The air has started to turn crispy in upstate New York and the dog days of summer are now in the rear view. Farah and I weren’t quite ready to let the summer go yet and have been squeezing the last bit of juice out of the warmer days.
We’ve spent a lot of time in the Finger Lakes over the last few months, neglecting our beloved Adirondacks. As a result Old Forge was square in our sites last Saturday for the last official paddle of the summer.
Old Forge was bustling when we drove down Main Street around 10am. The leaf peepers and fall aficionados were out in full force combined with the crowd of firefighters and their families who attended the weekend drill school.
We passed through the gauntlet and headed down South Shore road headed toward the Alger Island access point. We’ve paddled and boated to Alger Island many times, but never from this spot. The access is tucked away on a small point on Fourth Lake. It offers launches for rooftop and motorized boats. There was no ranger in the gate house as the camping season is over, but there were a few other cars in the lot.
We unfolded our kayaks, loaded them up and pushed off from the car top launching point. The water was like glass and surprisingly warm. I played around with the idea of jumping in as the sun started to turn up the intensity. We followed the southern shore line marveling at the lakehouses along the way.
In between the monstrous mansions there are still quaint cottages from the 50’s and 60’s. These classic lake houses always capture a nostalgic feeling and remind me of my own place in the Finger Lakes built by my grandfather during the same era.
Along the north side of the lake, Bald Mountain towered overhead. We traced the rock face and could just make out the famous Rondaxe Fire Tower. As we often do, we lamented our lack of a nice pair of binoculars.
Along the mountainside there were signs of the fall season taking hold; dark spots of red and maroon. The lake was quiet, the kind of stillness that only comes after labor day.
As we approached Alger Island we passed the much smaller Shelter Island. This island is private property and I was surprised to learn it had its own access bridge which impeded our progress along the shoreline. We traced the outline of the smaller island before crossing the open water over to Alger.
Alger has a bit of a horseshoe shape, so we explored the south side’s inner cove, stopping periodically at the different sites along the way. Some of the lean-tos were fenced off and getting much needed renovations during the off season. We made mental notes of our favorite spots for future camping adventures.
Eventually we wrapped around to the north side of the island and found a shallow docking area to disembark. Farah and I refueled and rehydrated while enjoying the views. We meandered around the edge of the island assessing the campground along the way.
More than a few times I was tempted by the sandy beaches to wade into the water. It was more than warm enough, but I didn’t want to paddle back in a wet suit. Hope I’m not losing that inner child!
Satisfied we explored enough of the island, we pushed off headed west towards the access point. This time we made the paddle entirely across the dark open water of the Fourth Lake. Clouds rolled in and I was thankful for the relief from the sun as I began to regret not jumping in. Back at the access point we hauled our boats out of the water and packed up our gear.
We finished our day with coffee and sweets from Blue Line Coffee. Inspired by the paddle we daydreamed about our return to Alger with camping gear next summer.