Sad news arrived the other day, news that will delay my departure by a couple of days but which will enable me to celebrate the life of Sophie Jean Cooper, 95. “Mrs. Coop” passed away during the 4th, and I’ll join her family for services on Thursday and then depart for the row. 

Mrs. Coop has left a beautiful legacy in memories and family. One of her favorite expressions, “Get going! Nobody feels good in the morning!” was a real motivator. Through sickness, exhaustion, or malaise, she employed that phrase to great effect, and it will be in my head as I roust myself out of my sleeping bag starting next week. When we can retain the voices and the spirits of those who have added so much to our lives, we carry an incomparable gift, I think. Love ya’, Mrs Coop…

Last night I phoned those of you who had offered a port for me along the way through the first week, and each of you has generously adjusted your schedules and left the Welcome mats out. What a wonderful crew I have aboard! Here’s the schedule as of this moment, to the degree that a soon-to-be 71 year-old can adhere to a schedule from a rowboat:

7/14 Drive from Lake George to Conesus

7/15 Row Conesus, Hemlock Lakes

7/16 Row Canadice, Honeoye Lakes

7/17 Row Canandaigua Lake

7/18-19 Row Keuka Lake

7/20-21 Row Seneca Lake

7/22-23 Row Cayuga Lake

7/24 Row Owasco Lake

7/25-26 Row Skaneateles Lake

7/27 Row Otisco Lake

7/28 Sleep in….

Close to home, I’m getting a bit of a sinking feeling about the state of my home waters. I know that ongoing sophisticated scientific monitoring tracks the status of Lake George’s water in ways that my eyeballs and taste buds can’t process, but while I’m underway in my morning “training” rows, I coast over lake-bottom that I’ve known for well over half a century. I see vegetation and growth that I’ve not seen before, “coatings” and plant matter that in places obscure what used to be familiar rocks and clear sand. In some places I’m not seeing the bottom over ground that was clearly visible in my youth. Given how hard the lake is being used, it isn’t surprising; boat traffic is intense, the sheer numbers of people on, in, or near the water is an order of magnitude greater than it was when I was a kid, and I should probably be more surprised and heartened at how well it is all holding up. But there’s no question that humankind is on offense here, relentlessly, and that the work of the Lake George Association, the Land Conservancy - and many others- has never been more important.

What a precious resource we have. A one-of-a-kind, really. And I hope to hear the same kind of love and determined optimism about others’ home waters from those I’m going to meet along the way….

Finally, after a “training” row the other morning, I popped a Thomas Corn Toastie into the oven and couldn’t help but notice the similarity of the patina of the Toastie to the back of my hand. 

Maybe it’s time to be a bit more aggressive on the sunscreen? Or, just add butter?