A Line in the Clay

     It's a quiet day at Lock 12. One of the better preserved remnants of the old Champlain Canal, it feels unusually subdued. Normally busy Route 4, just a few feet away, has little traffic now. And you'll often hear frogs, see a few ducks and geese or maybe some turtles sunning themselves here. But not today. Life seems to be sheltering someplace else.
     But if you remain still, quietly listening, the lock may speak to you. A little imagination helps but I think I hear the clop, clop, clop of a team of mules pulling a canal boat. Then the teamsters salty language egging them on. And the creak of the wooden lock gates opening followed by the rush of water.

Web image

     Between 1823 and 1913 (when the wider Barge Canal was built) this little ditch was a busy place. Lime and potatoes, building stone and coal - it proved easier to float heavy loads rather than cart them over rough roads. From when this commerce was at its height to the years after it faded, America has seen countless wars, epidemics and economic upheavals. The canal was here when some people thought the moon was made of green cheese and you can still see parts of it long after other people have walked on that same moon.

     I spend a little time here every spring. I like history that you can not only read about but also walk beside. I'm impressed by the solidity of the massive limestone blocks. Their persistence is somehow reassuring. I'm drawn to places that endure, that stay the same. If I hear the cliche "Embrace change. Change is inevitable"  one more time, there could be trouble.
     From old Lock 12 it's a short distance to Lock 6 of the modern Barge Canal. The Hudson River serves as the canal up to Fort Edward but there are places at Stillwater, Northumberland and Fort Miller where locks and a dug channel are needed to bypass rapids. Even the 'new' canal is over a hundred years old so it's been here all our lives. But lately I've been wondering, will it always be here or is it just one more thing we take for granted but are in danger of losing?

Lock 6 in Fort Miller

     In some ways the canal seems a dinosaur whose days are numbered. There are almost no commercial barges and even small pleasure boat traffic seems light. The canal is well maintained but it must be very costly to operate and upkeep in relation to its use. New York State has a large budget deficit. There's never enough money and there will be less in a virus choked economy.
     There are also ecological concerns. By its very nature the canal provides a link between the Hudson, Lake Champlain and the Great Lakes. This mingling of waters has provided an open door for invasive species that are wrecking havoc. Most of us have heard of Eurasian milfoil and water chestnut, of zebra mussels and spiny water flea. There are dozens of others, each causing disruption in their own way. Some scientists think closing the canal and breaking the connection is the only way to prevent ever worsening infestations.

     My boat of choice weights a little over 30 pounds and is powered by a paddle. I don't use it on the canal all that much and never go thru the locks. The heavy soils from Fort Edward to Whitehall leave the water muddy from suspended clay particles and the straight, trough-like feel doesn't make for the best canoeing. But I do like hanging out at the locks and especially enjoy seeing kids fishing for catfish and bullheads.

     Perhaps the Empire State Trail, currently under construction, will be the future of the canal corridor. Certainly walking and biking are within economic reach of more people than a cabin cruiser. It would be great if a path along the canal became an integral part of a network of equestrian trails in Washington County. If, at some point, the locks ceased to function and the canal was closed to thru traffic it might still be possible to paddle parts of it. It could even be more attractive to canoeists and kayakers than it is now.

Empire State Trail pedestrian bridge over Slocum Creek in Fort Miller

     It's so easy to become complacent. To take things for granted. Health, security, political stability, peace. Freedoms. Being able to go when and where we want, to assemble and socialize with whoever we want. If any good comes out of these dark times it may be an enhanced sense of gratitude. An awareness of how good life here has been. A knowing that in other times and other places simple existence is far from guaranteed. There are days when a sense of foreboding creeps over me. Not just for the canal, but for America as well. 

Looking for light at the end of the tunnel

Deeper into the canal...

     There are numerous guides and memoirs to both the old and new canal. With local libraries closed indefinitely, you could try the Washington County Historical Society's online bookstore. I remember enjoying a book by Captain Fred Godfrey that I believe they stock. And here's a link to an online PDF that has lots of useful canal info, much of which is helpful to paddlers. Finally, this post's theme song has to be by Joni Mitchell. As we're all finding out, there are a lot of Big Yellow Taxi's out there waiting to take away the things we love.