DAY 9, by ANDREW
PISSANELLI
Today
was one of the early days.
We
woke up at 6:30 and got what I would call a very early start. We left Apple
Tree Bay heading towards Grand Isle State Park where we were to camp for
the night. We meandered up the east coast of Grand Isle to where we would
cross Keeler Bay just north of Kellogg Island.
The
wind was coming from the south and helped us out immensely, but never a
problem to this point. We gathered right in front of the bay at a little
point and made the decision to keep going across the bay with the consideration
that our destination was right in front of us a few hundred yards away.
When we got in the middle of the bay the wind picked up before we even
knew it, a classic example of what Lake Champlain can do. It only became
interesting when we had two winds coming at us, one from the southeast
and the other from the southwest, creating a type of “V” behind us. After
about five or ten minutes of that we pushed closer to the shore, and docked
shortly after. I think the best way to describe the atmosphere was when
Mr. Hooker got us all together after all of the canoes were up on the shore
at Grand Isle State Park and said,” Everyone on three give me a loud ARGH...
one... two... three... ARGH!” I think after that moment we knew that we
won and Lake Champlain couldn’t stop us with a little wind. We set up our
tents and put the tarps on because it was supposed to rain and then proceeded
to the Nature Center on the camp grounds where we got a biological lesson
on Lake Champlain and what is going on inside of it. The problems the Lake
face along with the necessary cooperation between two states and a country
are very serious, and it was good to learn what types of solutions they
have in mind for the future. We learned why too much Phosphorous is bad
for the lake, what negative effects the Sea Lamprey, Water Chestnut, Zebra
Mussels, and Alewives have on the lake. After discussing those issues we
relaxed for the evening and watched the Princess Bride, a classic that
was great for unwinding. The Nature Center had a VCR and television that
made it all possible. Then we went back to camp, made a huge fire, and
CRASHED!
NEXT
DAY
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