Highgate Cliffs, when we reached them, were as lovely as we'd hoped they would be. The water was warm and still, but knowing what I did about the water, I wasn't about to go swimming. Stepping out of the kayak and wading into a rocky beach near the base of the limestone cliffs, my lower legs looked like the rocks along the water's edge-coated with a layer of green algae. I wiped down my legs with my bailing sponge, and decided to look for a shady place to lounge in my camp chair. Amid the rocks on the beach, I saw a big frog that was the same color as the lake algae. It stood still long enough for me to get a good look at its bright green spots and a chance to count its legs. I don't normally count legs when I see a frog, but I'd read in the Paddlers' Trail Guidebook and some other places about how the shores of Lake Champlain had an unusually high percentage of deformities in frogs and other amphibians. Scientists haven't figured out why, but pollution in the lake is one possibility. After we stared at each other for a while, the frog hopped into the shade of the shoreline shrubs. It had the appropriate number of legs.

Algae blooms, thick weed growth, frogs with extra legs-even though I'd read about these things, I'd rarely come face to face with such strong evidence of serious environmental problems on a paddling trip. I was disturbed to see such a lovely place showing signs of ecological distress.