Paddling through the marsh
AuSable Marsh area an extensive mix of vegetation, wildlife
By DENNIS APRILL, Outdoors Columnist
As my wife Kathy and I paddled toward the railroad bridge that spans the upper mouth of the Ausable River, one mile from where we put our canoe in, I reminisced back to 1978. As a student in Plattsburgh State professor Dr. Phil Walker’s Field Biology course, I, along with the rest of the class, walked those tracks, the only way on foot at that time, to get to the heartland of Ausable Marsh Game Management Area. Along the way, Dr. Walker pointed out some of the unique flora and fauna that inhabit this extensive and fertile wetland.
Unlike bogs, which are acidic and hold a very limited and specialized ecosystem, marshes are lush with vegetation and are home to a myriad of trees, plants, animals and waterfowl.
It was Sunday, July 7 when we set out to canoe the upper mouth of the Ausable River from the Ausable Point Public Campground. The haze in the air, the result of extensive fires in northern Quebec, gave the river and the close-lying trees that bent toward the water an almost surreal look.
Seeing as how there was no current to deal with, I let Kathy paddle alone in the bow while I set up for some fishing. Par for the course, I had left my bass rig at home and had only my trout outfit that remains permanently in the SUV during the spring and summer.
So, it would have to be a Lake Clear Wabbler and worm (I actually remembered the worms) for bass.
We moved slowly along the wide north channel, watching kingfishers swoop above the surface. A blue heron soared overhead and three young goldeneye ducks parked themselves on one of the many overturned submerged trees along the way.
At one of these trees, I landed a smallmouth bass, barely legal size, so I released it back into the water. Almost immediately thereafter, I got snagged and lost the Wabbler and hook, the only one I had. I stashed the pole; it was time to help Kathy paddle and take in more of the scenery.
Just beyond that railroad trestle, we came to our only obstacle: a large tree blocked the channel to our left and that was the route back to Lake Champlain. So we paddled a little further on to the right and discovered a gravel-choked backwater that led to the lower mouth. We got out of the canoe and I dragged it over the stones and through the shallow water.
As we paddled on this narrower south channel that would eventually lead to the lower mouth and juncture with Lake Champlain, we had to battle a few pesky flies, something we had not had to do in the wider sections.
This lower channel, like the upper, is lined with silver maples with their deeply cut leaves, cottonwoods, and elderberry bushes still in flower.
Finally, we crossed under the second railroad bridge.
Almost immediately, the river widened and deepened as we approached the lake. Above us, a bald eagle chased by an army of small birds, flew off toward the east.
Not only did the river get wider, it got noticeably rougher as well. First there were the small rollers, then came larger waves. Off in the distance we could see whitecaps. It was at this point we had to make a decision: paddle back the way we came, or brave the lake for about a mile to the upper mouth and our parked SUV.
I left the decision up to Kathy; she was hesitant, but decided to give the lake a go. We tightened our life vests and paddled out into Lake Champlain. Our biggest challenge in clearing the Point was a big tree jutting out horizontally above the water. Once that was done, I could then steer up to the northwest and put the wind and waves at our back.
With some hard paddling and encouragement from me, we cleared the Point and pushed north, the one-mile paddle taking very little time. I could sense the relief Kathy felt when I pulled the canoe over a natural gravel breakwater just beyond where the river enters the lake.
In all, we canoed about 4.5 miles on winding river channels through a lush marsh, capping off the trip with an exciting run up Lake Champlain. The entire trip took only a couple of hours, a small expenditure for the great variety of wildlife and landscape we got to enjoy.
Trip Information
We parked our SUV at a campsite near the upper mouth of the Ausable River, first getting permission from the campers there. Only two vehicles are allowed at a campsite. Ausable Point Public Campground has public parking right beyond the gate which costs $5 per-day use. Campsites rent for $16 per-day with a two-day minimum.
If you use the public parking, you will have to paddle around Ausable Point to get to the upper mouth of the Ausable. For information on the state campground, call 561-7080.