Lost Pond Boat

 
Lost Pond Boat
Barry Oreck
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“In peaceful gliding harmony, we thank you Pete for setting us free”

I’ve been paddling my 15lb Hornbeck canoe for more than 30 years, exploring countless lakes and streams in the Adirondack Mountains. Its designer and builder, Peter Hornbeck, was a vocal and powerful enthusiast, activist, and inspiration for the exploration and preservation of wild waters in the Adirondacks and elsewhere. He did more than build and sell his boats. He built relationships. You’d go to his shop, try various boats and in a few hours of conversation (and maybe lunch) you’d feel like a special friend. Everyone I’ve ever talked to about their time at Pete’s feels that way. Thankfully the company is still going strong after Pete’s passing; Pete and Ann’s daughter Leigh and her husband Josh carry on his ethos and environmental leadership along with their outstanding boats.

 

CREDITS

Barry Oreck – vocal, guitar

  • 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

     

 

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