[Journal entry for August 22, 2008] After dropping my son Josh off at R.P.I. for college, I continued northward from Troy NY to the town of Waterford, and Peebles Island State Park. Peebles Island is right at the confluence of the Mohawk River (and the Erie Canal) and the upper Hudson River (now the Champlain Canal). The island is accesses by either of two one-lane bridges that have been converted from rail to autombile use. I parked at the Visitor's Center and carried my sea kayak, Lahar, across a picnic area to a little muddy beach on the east side of the island. I waded out, past numerous small fish swimming in the shallow water.

A prominant sign marks the beginning of the Erie and Champlain Canals. I first headed westward, through the Erie Canal, past tour boats docked along the Waterford waterfront. I paddled only a quarter mile, to find my way blocked by the rather imposing structure of Lock 2, with a rise of at least thirty feet. Its downstream gates were shut, and water was spraying from the cracks. Water was also cascading down a smaller structure to the north - a older, now-disused lock, I guess. I looked for some sort of portage, but finding none, decided to paddled up the Champlain Canal, instead.

I passed beneath a highway bridge and then began an upstream-paddle against the slow but noticeable current that flows in the Canal. The banks of the Canal are mostly green, with only sparse development and only one-or-two industrial spots. Many stretches are overhung by poplar trees or bordered by grasses. After about three miles I came to a fork. The channel markers indicated the the Canal headed left, but I took the right side, for I could see a dam with an active spillway in the distance. The current in the section was strong, but I paddled against it until I was in clear sight of the structre. The left side was essentially a waterfall, as water was flowing over the top in a smooth arc, producing spray and foam at the bottom. The right side was higher, and somewhat more mysterious. It seemed to be segmented, but the purpose of the segments were not clear to me. I then turned about and took the left side of the fork up to Lock 1. As with the Erie lock, I could find no obvious portage, for both sides of the approach have a high concrete wall. I was considerng using one of the built-in ladders to scale the wall when the operator appeared and offered to lock me through.

I backed up well clear of the gates, and he let the water out of the lock. The draining process made some turbulence, but not as much as I expected. He opened the downstream gates and I paddeled into the enornous interior of the lock - just me and my kayak in a structure that must have been fifty meters long. The operator then advised me to hold onto one of the many ropes hanging from the sides of the lock, and he let in the water. Suprisingly, the process created very little turbulence. I did not need the rope, except perhaps to hold position. The rise was steady, like an broad ocean swell but without the tilting. The operator opened the upstream gates and I sped off, thanking him as I passed.

I paddled another two miles past the lock, admiring the tree-lined banks of the Canal and sighting several more Great Blue Herons. I turned about when my GPS unit read five miles (line of sight) from Peebles Island. The paddling back, now with the current, was noticably easier. I portaged around the lock on the way back. Coming ashore is easy from the upstream side, for the river has grassy banks. Putting Lahar back into the water by the downstream concrete wall was a bit harder. I lowered t by the painter, climbed down the ladder and stepped in. Predictably, I wound up sitting on my skirt. I paddled a bit downstream to a sandy beach, straighted out the skirt, and headed off. By this time the sun was getting low in the sky and the trees on the east bank were very vividly lit. I passed a region choked with some sort of stringy aquatic plant as I neared Peebes Island. About twelve miles in two and a half hours.