[Journal entry for Sunday, June 11, 2006] I drove up from Palisades, New York in the mid-afternoon, the ride taking about forty minutes. The afternoon is bright and warm and the air is dry – a welcome contrast to the dam, cold weather we have had during the last week. I launch my sea kayak Hraun (Icelandic for lava) from the dock at the American Canoe Association camp, which is just off of Seven Lakes Drive on the southwestern corner of the Lake. I then paddle at a relaxing pace around the circumference of the lake, stopping to take some photographs now and then. The mountain laurel bushes that edge the lake are in full bloom. The pink blossoms and the dark green of the forest canopy make the lake especially beautiful this time of year. Numerous painted turtles were sunning themselves atop logs and boulders. They too are enjoying the end of the rain. They are hard to approach, especially when in groups. I hear lots of plop, plop, and plop’s as I paddle by. I spot several interesting birds: a heron, a turkey vulture, and high in the sky, an osprey. And I pass several families of Canada geese. These birds are rather a nuisance on the lake. I see that Baker camp has their swim dock decorated with fake coyotes in the probably vain attempt to keep them from fouling the area. I pass several other boaters: several in small sailboats, a kayaker or two and some anglers in rowboats. The five mile circuit circuit of the lake circumference takes about an hour and a half.