Paddling the Watershed, and I Mean the Watershed

Mary Hegarty

Watersheds nest within larger watersheds. Cascadilla Creek watershed lies within the Cayuga Lake watershed, which then lies within the Seneca – Oswego Basin.

The last lock spat out Bill and his 11-foot canoe toward the vast waters of Lake Ontario. Driving rain and waves initiated him to the “Pouring Out Place,” the Native American meaning for Oswego. Paddling to stay afloat, weary and hugging the shore, Bill landed on rocks, and found a little patch of sand to pitch his tent. It stormed all night, waves crashing upon rocks too close to his tent. The next morning, blue sky and sun shown brilliant. The lake outside of Bill’s tent could not have been the same lake of last night; it was calm as glass.

That is the end of the story; let me start at the beginning. Bill Huston has called Ithaca home since 1998, and prefers to live a simple life — in touch with nature. He plans and packs very little for his periodic canoe trips, and relies on the sun for a timepiece. Bill was inspired by a movie he saw as a child, called “Paddle to the Sea,” a 1966 Canadian film by director Bill Mason Therefore, when my friend Bill said he was going go to paddle the watershed, I knew he was ready to paddle THE WATERSHED.

	Bill Huston paddled an eleven-foot fiberglass solo canoe that weighted 24 lbs.

He began his canoe trip on Sunday, August. 26, from Cascadilla Creek in Ithaca. Averaging 16-17 miles per day, Bill completed his voyage six days later in Lake Ontario. That first day, Bill had lunch at Camp Baileywick, and camped on the east shore of Cayuga Lake, just north of Milliken station. The second day he caught a small mouth bass and had lunch north of Long Point State Park, an area he considers the most beautiful part of the Cayuga Lake. Taking advantage of the noticeably clearer water there, he took time to snorkel a rocky outcrop. That night he camped on Frontenac Island, off-shore of Union Springs, Cayuga’s only natural island.

Lunch on the third day was at Mudd Lock, at the outlet of Cayuga Lake. Bill notes that it was exciting to get to the north end of the lake because the ecosystem begins to change; feeling “a bit like a swamp.” Birds, turtles and other wildlife become more visible, as well. The size of Cayuga can make it lonely for a small craft, and Bill’s first human contact was at the lock. He brings a whistle on his trips because the lock workers cannot see or hear small canoes, but they can hear the whistle.

About five miles north of Mudd Lock, Bill arrived at Howland Island, where he encountered local men who told him they had just put up a plaque commemorating the island’s history as a WWII German POW camp. Camping about 20 feet from the canal, Bill heard coyotes that night.

The fourth and fifth days brought him past Cross Lake, where Bill felt the Erie canal give way to the original river; meandering past a more natural shoreline with many lily pads! Bill was nearing his destination on the sixth day of the trip when the storms blew in. After hiding under a bridge for two hours, it came time to approach the next lock, where he was shocked to see large freighters! Having never been to Oswego or to Lake Ontario, he was in even greater shock when he saw the lake. By this time the storm was kicking up again. As our story began, Bill hugged the shore. Knocked about by the waves of Lake Ontario, Bill could still feel a sense of mystery on the water — and enjoyed a whole new view of THE WATERSHED.