Lost Pond Boat

Lost Pond Boat by Barry Oreck

In the Adirondack mountains 3000 lakes and ponds
connected by endless streams
are close, but hidden just beyond
An esker or a knoll,
a beaver dam or marshy flow
a place you couldn’t go
Unless you’re in a Lost Pond boat.

He called it a Lost Pond Boat
take it anywhere you want to go
To that island or secret cove
Fish are biting and the loon just dove

Peter Hornbeck built a boat
light enough that anyone can
paddle on their own
Toss it on your car, take it near of far
on your shoulder, on your head
with that slender stripe of red
Find the waters of your dreams
under your own steam
when a patch of blue comes into view
there’s a new adventure awaiting you

He built a 19th century Rushton boat,
with a 21st century Kevlar coat
Rigid and tough for the rocky ponds,
Shallow and sleek in the stream beyond
It bobs on the waves and goes with the flow
Takin’ you to places nobody else goes
Paddling solo to the farthest reaches
Lying in the sand on the beautiful beaches

Quiet Waters, Floating Free
That’s what this Lost Pond boat has given me
Peter had a mission; to update the tradition
of going light where you please
in your own little boat to the backcountry.
He called it a Lost Pond Boat

He was a painter and a teacher
an inventor and a preacher
to save the wild places
And paddle through without leaving traces

To cherish the water, to love and protect
Was the gospel according to Pete Hornbeck
He offered his opinion without hesitation
No such thing as a short conversation.

For thousands of us riding the waves
On the boats he built and the waters he saved
In peaceful gliding harmony
We thank you Pete for setting us free
repeat chorus
He called it a Lost Pond Boat
I call it a Found Pond Boat
We call it a Hornbeck boat