Some time early last winter, AXE and "g" met at the Ripe Tomato to plan the 8th Annual Canoe Invitational. Unlike the casual paddlin' theme of last year's trip across a section of the Fulton Chain, this years sojourn into the backwaters of the Adirondacks would be rather intense. Sporting a much smaller list of participants (10), the Boys would paddle an aggressive 40 miles in three days.

The Plan:

(1) On Friday morning, the Boys would meet at the northern boat launch on Long Lake at 8:00 A.M. They'd shuttle cars to the end point at the village of Tupper. By 9:30, they'd be paddlin 9.5 miles up Long Lake, pick up the Raquette River for about 4 miles, carry hundreds of pounds of canoes, coolers and gear 1.25 miles around Raquette Falls, and set up camp. For dinner, "g" would serve up a steaming hot penne and fresh shrimp dish.

(2) Day two would carry the Boys north along the meandering Raquette River for about 14 miles. They would bed down in the vicinity of Trombley Landing where AXE would BBQ succulent shrimp and thick steaks for dinner.

(3) On Sunday, the Boys would would head home on a final 10 mile stretch of water. Hopefully, they'd wiggle their way through the oxbow (a circuitous maze of river) without accidentally returning south, cross Simon Pond, and call it a trip at the northern tip of Tupper Lake.

The trip was initially scheduled for the first weekend in May. However, Axe and the crew from Lake George warned the Organizing Committee about the potential for an early hatching of black flies that weekend. Having had a rather warm winter, the fog of minuscule biting terrorists that blanket the Adirondacks between Mother's and Father's Day might hatched early,and the Boys could become unwitting victims to a feeding, biting and gnawing frenzy! To be extra-safe, the 8th Annual was moved up a week... to the last weekend in April.

When Guide Boat Randy caught wind of the updated trip schedule, he warned the Organizing Committee that the ice on Long Lake usually isn't out until the first weekend in May. (Oh.Oh. A conflict in expert opinion.)

The dispute about picking the optimum weekend to launch the 8th Annual was resloved when "g" called up to Long Lake. The ranger reported that due to an unseasonably warm winter, the lake rarely had ice. With the warmer then usual winter, she predicted clear/warm paddlin' weather and no black flies for the last weekend in April.

Day 1:

Around 5:00 AM the Boys began to rustle-about in their respective homes. At 6:15, "g" met Inferno Joe at What Kind of Hat is That Warren's house; AXE would pack 2 canoes, X-ray Eye Jim the Navigator and Gentleman George, and their gear in his CRV; AXE's brother (No Hob Nob Bob) and Sittin' on the Roof of a School Bus in Laos Mark had driven in from CT and were caravaning with AXE. From the not-to-far-west came Inferno Joe's brother-in-law (I Can Drag a Loaded Canoe 1.25 Miles Ed) and his friend (SNL's Enrique: Live From the Raquette River).

As is becoming the tradition, "g" and his caravan arrived 30 minutes late... but only three minutes after AXE and company had arrived. Of course, I Can Drag a Loaded Canoe Ed and SNL's Enrique arrived on time. Unfortunately, they saw no one at the boat launch, left, and spent the next half hour driving around Long Lake looking for the Boys.

After unloading their canoes and gear, the shuttling of the cars to the end point at Tupper Lake went well. Well... sort of. Given "g's" research, you'd think one of the rangers would have said, "Oh, your ending your trip at Moody's State Boat Launch in Tupper? It's closed. Their rebuilding the docks and peers."

Anywho, that didn't stop the Boys from parking 4 cars off to the side at Moody's. They figured they had 3 days to tackle the problem of pulling their canoes and gear from Tupper Lake's "Restricted/Do Not Enter" boat launch.

When the shuttlin' Boys returned to Long Lake to launch the 8th Annual flotilla, the other Boys were standing around talking to, two park rangers. "Oh, yea," said Warren confidently to the rangers, "'g' has our backcountry permit. He's got one. No sweat."

The short version: NOT..."g" had tried in vain to reach Ranger Jim by phone. Without an answering machine, he couldn't leave a message about his need for a backcountry permit. No permit? No problem. Who the heck would be on the lake in April? As it turned out, Ranger Jim was on the Lake. He was putting in his ranger-boat. Fortunately, within minutes, the Boys had their permit and were on their way.

It started to snow the moment the 8th Annual embarked on its 40 mile, 3-day trip. The good news: There was no lake ice or black flies; the other news: it snowed, sleeted and hailed on the Boys all day Friday and Sunday.

At precisely noon, AXE's stomach alarm went off. Fortunately, X-ray Eye Jim the Navigator and Gentleman George had anticipated the alarm, and scouted out a vacant lean-to for lunch. (Below: Click to enlarge.) By this time, the wind was howling and the precipitation vacillated from snow to sputtering hail.