Scenes of a Flooded Hudson

I haven't heard the official numbers, but I did hear that the Hudson River has never been so high above flood stage as it went this week. As the waters start to recede, my friend Sue and I drove around to some of our riverside haunts to document what this once-in-our-liftime flooding looked like.

We started at the Betar Byway in South Glens Falls, where we could not park in the beach parking lot, because it was under water.

Nor could we sit on this deck at a bend of the river, since we hadn't worn hip waders.

We probably could have continued along the Byway in our Wellies, but we weren't quite sure exactly how deep that water was. Plus, it was running fast across the walkway.

This goose had the walkway all to himself.

These geese were wandering around like lost souls, since, according to a fellow who feeds them daily, the flood had washed away the nest they had built on an island that now wasn't there.

Because we couldn't get there on foot along the Byway, we had to drive around to the falls that gives Glens Falls its name. Normally, the falls is just a dribble over spectacular rocks, since most of the river here is diverted to a hydroelectric plant. But today the Hudson was roaring over every one of the floodgates.

We climbed down to where sluices feed the turbines and got very close to the river's roar and roil.

We next drove to the Sherman Island boat launch along Spier Falls Road in Moreau, and found the river here had made its way back into the woods, inundating a picnic area and fishing dock.

You can still see the trees out there, but the islands are well under water.

The roiling dark waters were swirling with foam, and a big heap of it had collected along a bank.

The Spier Falls Dam was going full throttle, the river plunging through all of the gates and exploding around the far end as well.

Well, I wasn't really planning to take a dip today, anyway.
I was hoping to get my canoe in the water this week, but I guess I will wait a while. State conservation officials are advising paddlers to stay off the icy cold and swiftly moving waterways, and are also asking hikers to stay off muddy mountain trails. Many roads throughout the Adirondacks still remain impassable.