Day 7 (cont.) - Day 10: Stuck in Plattsburgh
- May 23, 2017
- 2 min read
Day 7 cont.
Our hope was to call Calvin’s friend Pete for a pick-up. We were thankful we at least had that option. Still no cell service though. Miles down the road, we came upon homes. We stopped at a house to use their landline. A quick call, and Pete was on his way. What a guy!
We told him that we’d meet him in Clayburg for our pick up which was still a few miles away. We walked, in the rain, along the now paved highway, completely soaked. About a mile from Clayburg, a guy in a truck offered us a ride, but we declined even though the offer sounded nice.
Pete arrived about twenty minutes after we reached the intersection in Clayburg. It was now late afternoon. A hot shower and food back in Plattsburgh was about the best thing ever.
Day 8
The next day, we began to tackle how to get back on the river. We called around to many places about boat repair or getting another boat, and replacing my paddle. The store where we had bought our boat, Mountainman Outdoor Supply Company in Old Forge, NY, helped us get in touch with Swift who would be able to do the repair. The problem was that we’d have to send our boat out and it would be months before we got it back. Scratch that option. We also talked about buying a secondhand royalex canoe. It was frustrating trying to figure out the best option.
We walked around Plattsburgh that afternoon to clear our heads. Down by Lake Champlain, we stopped into a marina to see what they had for repair supplies and if someone in the boat yard could actually do Kevlar canoe repair. They at least put us in touch with someone to meet up with the next day who might be able to help.
Day 9
Pete helped us bring the boat to the boatyard and the guy took a look. He gave us some tips and basically said that we could do the repair on our own. Our hopes of getting back out on the water were looking up. Calvin had been working with epoxy lately, making some canoe paddles, so he at least had prior experience. Not to mention, I think Calvin can do pretty much anything. We bought some epoxy and fiberglass supplies and spent the rest of the day fixing the boat. It still wasn’t a “cheap” option, but it was a good one.
Calvin had to cut away some of the Kevlar layers so that we could patch the foam core support that had cracked. We worked together to lay a big section of fiberglass together. Pete spent the day driving around to help us get everything we needed. My new replacement paddle is on its way to a friend in Vermont who will hopefully meet up with us there. We are lucky to have such good friends.
Day 10
We put a final coat of epoxy on and spent the day getting prepped to head out tomorrow. We’ll start from where Pete picked us up last. Our canoe, Chip, is looking pretty good even after all it’s been through.
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