Arcadia, a yurt village on Massawepie Lake, is hidden from the rest of the world. It’s tucked into a bay, 10 miles north of Tupper Lake. Twelve St. Lawrence University students are living in Arcadia for the semester, but first they had to get there.
The students begin their semester in August at a university-owned camp on Upper Saranac Lake. After meeting their professors and taking a Wilderness First Aid class, the students hop into canoes and paddle toward Arcadia. Seven days later, after paddling through rain and sunshine, carrying their loads over muddy trails and dragging boats through shallow water, they reach Massawepie Lake. As they steer toward the dock at Arcadia, alums cheer, welcome them and treat them to a feast prepared in the kitchen cabin.
The Adirondack Semester began over twenty years
