Never let an opportunity to tell a story go by.
We moved to Upstate NY in 1972, and with four boys, I was very involved in Scouting. Not only was my troop involved in camping and hiking in the Adirondaks, we also did many canoe trips, from 3 days, to ten days. A great experience to see boys grow into men... away from home, and with only what we could carry.
Scott, my youngest, was 8, and couldn't participate, so to make up for this, I planned a two day canoeing camping trip down the Schroon River... Just to be safe, because I didn't know the river, I checked it out, and found that it was relatively calm, with only one section of class II waters... easy enough to navigate.
It was May, and when we put in, the water was high, but calm. For a while. A portage around the bridge and back in... Then... strange... some loud highway sounds, even though we were miles from the highway. Then, around a bend in the river... not highway sounds... rushing water. Whoa!... a 6 foot fog of spray. No way to get to shore. Rocks, drops, whirlpools that I had never seen. Scott in the bow... "Paddle hard Scott!" We were in the middle of it. "Dad... there's some guys over there on the rocks." Sure enough... Two guys, helmets, knee pads, elbow pads... up on the rocks, with half... yes, half of a Old Town Canoe.
Above the roar of the water:
"Can we help you guys?"
"Are you crazy? What are you doing here".
We made it... camped that night ... everything soaking wet and cooking inside the tent... Crashing through the bushes... Must be a bear... A sleepless night lying there with my Buck knife... ready for anything, and swearing to never, never cook inside a tent.
Back home the next day, and to the library for canoeing info... The Schroon...
Class I Class II rapids... except in early spring when at high water, it can go up to class IV and Class V. (Think canoeing up Niagara Falls)
Whitewater: Paddling the Schroon River - - The Adirondack Almanack