A Classic Adirondack Paddle: Including a Visit with Noah John Rondeau the Hermit of Cold River Flow

In June 1946, a troop of Boy Scouts from Wayne, Pennsylvanian began planning a canoe paddle that none would ever forget. Paoli Troop 1’s route took them on what is today the Adirondack Ninety-mile Canoe Classic from Old Forge to Saranac Lake. This is also the first section of today’s Northern Forest Canoe Trail, considered the waterway equivalent of the Appalachian Trail, which extends via rivers, streams, lakes, and carries to Fort Kent, Maine.

Three of the scouts, Herb “Hobey” Henderson, ...