June 2-4, 1999
Sally Olson: Senior
After leaving Grand Isle this morning, our canoeing crew paddled onward towards our next destination on Lake Champlain; Burton Island. We paddled for close to an hour before we stopped at a historical site. We walked 9/10ths of a mile on a road to see the Hyde Log Cabin. This was yet another of the many superlatives of the trip, since it is the oldest log cabin around. We were not permitted to go inside, but we could peek in through the windows and see the furniture and material possessions, arranged as they might have appeared in that era. The rest of the paddle to Burton Island was a premonition of the island's atmosphere that we were soon to encounter. The lake was covered with a thick fog, which made it very difficult to gauge exactly where the island was located. This segment of the journey was relatively short - about 5-6 miles in total. We arrived, through the fog, on Burton Island arounf 1:00 in the afternoon. Upon arriving, we wheel-barrowed our gear to the campsites in Gardenway Carts, which was a nice change from having to carry everything on our backs for long distances. During the afternoon, I went out to the marina and started a watercolor of an abandoned cabin that was visible near the Southern tip of the island. Two of our expedition members, TJ Hooker and Tom Garofano, caught perch and bass, which served as a nice supplement to that evening's dinner of ramen/veggie stirfry. That evening, a group of us walked out to the marina. The weather was extremely strange. Although it was very heavy and humid, the wind began to pick up and a thunderstorm threatened in the distance. The entire atmosphere at Burton Island is very erie. There are payphones, but they are not installed yet for the summer season. There is also a store, but that's not open regularly. The island is also home to many spiders, mosquitoes, and horseflies. It is so abandoned feeling here, but that only adds to the excitement of the expedition.
The next morning, June 3rd, we didn't get up and moving around until
after 7:00. We planned to stay on Burton Island for another whole
day anyways. After breakfast, we went on a nature walk to Eagle
Bay. It was facinating to observe the many alternating forest variations
and the vegetation successions. We also learned, while standing
on the shore of Eagle Bay, that several thousand years ago we would
have been completely covered by water, indicating that in relatively
recent geologic history, Vermont was covered by a vast marine body
of water. However, the weather began to look threatening again,
so we headed back to the campsites. The afternoon went similarly
as the previous. During lunchtime, we were lucky to observe
an island snake devouring a frog by its hind-limbs. This kept our
resident herpetology enthusiasts occupied for a while. I journied
to the marina again to finish the watercolr that I had started the day
before. Our expedition leaders, Mr. Hooker and Mr. Peterson,
as well as some of the students, decided to go out in the canoes
to look for deformed frogs. They braved very rough waters and high
winds. Dinner was chili (again), reconfirming that besides the bagels,
kidney beans are a main staple food of our expedition. Tomorrow we'll
leave Burton Island and paddle to the Carry Bay Campgrounds on North Hero.
Waking up this morning, June 4th, our group reached a concensus that paddling to Carry Bay would not be a wise decision. We decided to spend yet another day on Burton Island, due to the choppy lake conditions (waves 2-3 feet high, winds 20-25 mph, currents 10 knots). This paddling conditions were anything but ideal. During the morning we went on another nature trail. This time we went to the Southern Tip of the island. We had first seen this part of the island from the lake on wednesday, upon our arrival. The hike there was very beautiful, as we walked underneath tunneled-canopies of sumac trees. Then, we walked along the rocky shoreline back to the campsites. That evening we all retired to our tents early, anticipating waking up at 5:00 to make up for the mileage lost because of the extra day on Burton Island.
Although the Burton Island store was rarely open during our stay, there were pamplets advertising the Burton Island Bistro menu during the busy summer season. The cover was covered with several pieces of amusing poetry. I selected one to write here: Come in the evening, Come in the morning. Come when expected, Come without warning; Thousands of welcomes you'll find here before you, and the oftener you come, the more we'll adore you.