Same Landscape, New Perspective

“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.”
            -Marcel Proust

This is the last time that I will bring up marathon canoeing on this blog--I promise. But last weekend I raced in the Long Boat Regatta, a sprint-distance canoe race, which doubled as the New York State collegiate canoe championship. The course covers a small portion of the 90 Miler--you start in the town of Long Lake, NY and paddle five miles out to a buoy and back. The race was interesting for the brutal head wind we faced on the way back and the waves that sloshed up over the sides of our boat, but the most striking aspect of the trip for me was seeing how my perception of the Park had changed since I had last been there just 2 weeks before for the 90. I believe this change is attributable to my experience in this course so far because additional knowledge about the Park has made me more observant of my surroundings.

As I paddled the 90 at the beginning of the school year, my impression was that the park contained mostly untouched wilderness, with the exception of a few small towns. The second time around, the land seemed a lot less wild. I remember seeing a map in the Atlas indicating that the land surrounding Long Lake to the south had once been logged and cleared for agriculture. While taking in the views during the race, the forests seemed a bit thinner and the trees a bit scrawnier than I had remembered.
Then, as an emphatic reminder of logging that continues today, a truck filled with freshly-cut logs rounded a corner too wide and fast, nearly side-swiping our van as we drove home through Long Lake. Also, as I was looking out the van window at the landscape, we passed a sign for Herreshoff Rd. I thought this name sounded familiar, and then I remembered reading about Charles Frederick Herreshoff, the Prussian prospector who killed himself after his mining ventures failed. The more I learn about the Park, the more I notice about the environment--I'm looking forward to going back this weekend to climb Mount Colden as part of HOC's 46 peaks weekend to see what else I notice.

Oh, and we beat Paul Smith's.