Canoeing the Adirondacks with Nessmuk: The Adirondack Letters of George Washington Sears

by George Washington Sears

"She's all my fancy painted her, she's lovely, she is light. She waltzes on the waves by day, and rests with me at night. But I had nothing to do with her painting. The man who built her did that. And I commence with the canoe because that is about the first thing you need on entering the Northern Wilderness. "--Nessmuk

Thus opened Nessmuk's first commissioned "letter" for Forest and Stream in 1880. For years thereafter, George...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0815625944
• ISBN13: 9780815625940
• Release Date: August 1993
• Publisher: Syracuse University Press
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.54 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.5" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Excellent Journal of 1880's travel through the Adirondacks

This is a compilation of stories written by George Washington Sears (a.k.a. Nessmuk) for Forest and Stream Magazine in the years 1880-1883. He paddled different custom built ultralight Rushton canoes each year, starting south of present day Old Forge, through the Fulton Chain to Raquette and reaching as far as Long Lake, Little Tupper Lake and beyond. His chronicles are enjoyable, easily readable tales of life and travel in the wilderness of the 1880's Adirondacks. It is full of details which are interesting to the student of Adirondack history. For instance, he allowed me to pinpoint the year of construction of the Grove Hotel (later known as the Deerland Hotel) on Long Lake, and to give me background on it's original owner.