The final home stretch — from Fish Creek Campground to the shore of Riverfront Park — was canceled on Sunday, Sept. 8 because of high winds and hazardous conditions, according to the Northern Forest Canoe Trail officials who organized the event.

An unofficial event was put on by long-time paddler Brian McDonnell, who organized the 90-Miler starting in 1999, before ownership and operations were transferred to the NFCT in 2021.

When McDonnell heard that the final day was canceled, he wondered if it was possible to get a group of paddlers together for an unofficial “cruise” to complete the full 90 miles.

“Adam Wheeler, Matt Strickland and I were talking and we decided to merge our different friend groups together and reached out to several people,” he said on Monday. “(We) were like, ‘Hey, we’re going to do this thing next weekend would you be interested?'”

McDonnell estimated that there were about 20 boats, which included several four-person canoes, some solo recreation boats, solo canoes and a couple of kayaks. While it was mostly locals, there were participants who traveled from Rochester, the capital region, Potsdam and Canton, as well as Hamilton College students.

The paddlers who took part in the cruise had previously voyaged just 65 miles during the official event and received pins for completing the entire 90 miles. They still earned plaques for placing inside the top three in their respective categories. McDonnell said there are a lot of people who believe that the mileage is more important than a plaque.

“The pin that everybody gets is based on 90 miles, so if you don’t get finish the third day, that’s 25 miles of the 90 that you get a pin for,” he said. “It’s that whole need to complete, to feel like you’ve actually done the 90-Miler as opposed to the 65.”

There was a mixed group who took part in Sunday’s event, some were first timers and others were veterans like Saranac Lake resident Donna Walsh, who wanted to make sure she earned her 30-year finisher pin. Chas Billingsley and Roger Gocking paddled to make sure that they earned their Gold Canoe Club status — which is awarded after completing the 90-Miler 20 times.

“It had that 90-Miler camaraderie spirit of the day because the weather was fantastic, the company was fantastic,” McDonnell said. “In all honesty, there were no times kept. Boats took care of themselves if they wanted to, but the idea was to paddle the last day of the 90.”

While McDonnell said it was a cruise and it may not have been as competitive, it wasn’t necessarily leisurely.

“Anytime there’s two boats on the water, it’s a race,” he said.

For those who paddled on Sunday, it was more of an opportunity to enjoy the scenery of the final 25 miles.

“There were several people that paddled yesterday, and they were like, ‘It’s so beautiful here,’ and they never get a chance to take pictures,” McDonnell said. “Several of the paddlers were taking pictures during the event.”

The official 90-Miler race started in Old Forge on Friday, Sept. 6, and the day ended 35 miles in Blue Mountain Lake. The second day started at Bissell’s on Long Lake and finished at the state Raquette River boat launch on Routes 3/30 outside of Tupper Lake.

At the start of race day on Sunday, Sept. 8, there were high winds, and temperatures were in the low 40s.

“You’re dealing with 275 boats, and so there was multiple reasons why the event was canceled on the last day,” McDonnell said. “We have a really supportive group of safety boats, but there was no reason to put the canoers, kayakers and guide boaters into harm’s way.”