Allegheny Reservoir paddle trip,

After having scouted this location last year it was time to bring the scouts here; and what better time than after a cross-over. On Friday afternoon we left Rochester and headed south, driving through rain and low hanging clouds. We arrived at the put-in to a reservoir filled fifteen feet higher than last fall. We took our boats off the trailer, brought our gear down, and loaded up. After a short one-mile paddle with light rain, we arrived at Handsome Campground. We selected our three sites, put our fees in an envelope, and dropped them down the pipe. We set up camp and some scouts headed out on the 66F water to work on watercraft skills: capsizing, boat over boat emptying, and swimming a swamped canoe to shore. After that it was time for dinner, clean up, and awaiting the second contingent to arrive; they set foot on our shores just as the sun went down.

Saturday morning, we awoke to a wet camp from overnight rain and a hazy view; the wind had shifted, and Canadian wildfire smoke filled the air. After breakfast, we set out on the reservoir paddling north to a peninsula, or so we thought. The high-water level had turned the peninsula into an island which happened to be inhabited by snakes; we aptly named it “Snake Island”. After a short break, we boarded our crafts and with the wind at our backs and the current in our favor, we paddled and sailed back to our site for lunch. The afternoon we taught Totin Chip and Firem’n chit, kayaking, canoeing, working on advancements, and getting a U.S. flag ready for retirement. After dinner and a beautiful sunset, we gathered at the campfire for our flag retirement ceremony, followed by a nighttime paddle.

Sunday morning, we woke up to a few low clouds and peek-a-boo sunshine, the wind came from the east, and the smog was mainly gone. Time for breakfast and a paddle out to Sugar Bay for some, while others continued to work on the Canoeing merit badge. It was a beautiful scenic paddle along rocky shores with a beaver lodge in one of the little coves. After having done almost eight miles of paddling in a little over two and a half hours, we were back at a mostly packed up campsite. Time for a quick lunch, final packing, group photos, loading the boats, and heading back to the put-in through a rather strong cross wind.