New Year's Day on Lake George

At the invitation of Captain Dangerous, I joined with a band of Adirondack Pirate Paddlers to welcome 2012 on the waters of Lake George, NY.  On New Year's Day we launched our flotilla of 9 kayaks at Million Dollar Beach and headed up the lake's left side passing the location where some 1300 folks would later take a Polar Plunge.  Looking uplake the clouds and fog were hanging tough...

Eventually, we reached Diamond Island and paddled around it.    On its north end stands a monolith...

It bears the following inscription:
Peace      Here      The Conqueror of Many Wars      1666 - 1777
According to Scenic and Historic America, the monolith is of native gneiss and was brought from the top of nearby Prospect Mountain by Edward Shepard in the early 1900s.
We took in the view of more islands in the distance...

Then, we paddled back to the hubbub arriving just in time to watch the first wave of Polar Plungers hit the water...

Hopefully, their display of optimism will bode well for the coming year.

Other folks watched from a much bigger boat...

It was amazing the way the sun emerged from the clouds just in time for the festivities.
 
On the way back to Million Dollar Beach, we passed three of the lake's big boys at dock: Lac du Saint Sacrement, Mohican, and the Minnie Ha Ha...

The sun stayed out for quite awhile and Adirondack Pirate Ellen seemed quite content with the way 2012 was beginning...

Only a few pieces of trash were encountered.  Two containers from Diamond Island and a styrofoam cup from Million Dollar Beach.  Do they really make a coconut hot chocolate?