Thanksgiving 2017

My annual Adirondack Thanksgiving trip ended up just outside the blue line in the Wolf Lake State Forest. This little gem of a forest is located near Potsdam, NY. Most of the state forests are reclaimed farm land, and this was no different except for the fact that it also contained 3 decent sized ponds and lakes. Eric and I arrived Thursday morning to a very crisp day. The 2 and half mile hike in to our goal at Huckleberry Lake went quickly. The trail started out on an old road and then a well defined footpath. The register box was located a half mile in at a swampy section now flooded by beaver activity. The trail went around the water and markers seemed to be rare. We headed uphill towards huckleberry and then skirted the lake high above on a rocky ledge. The footing was slick, and the dropoff into the lake was at least 30 feet. Skim ice was already starting to form.

The lean-to was soon reached and we set up our home for the next two nights. Gathered firewood and ate lunch. The day was mostly spent gathering wood and sitting around the fire. The lean-to was located on a rocky outcrop. If there was a lot of wind and rain, the site would not be great. The forecast called for cold, but otherwise favorable until the last day. We both fell asleep early since we had left before the sun came up. I arose the next morning just as the sky was again getting light. It was a chilly night but already one could tell the day would be warmer than before.

We were expecting Kalie at some point today. We had saved our thanksgiving meal for when she arrived. Eric and I borrowed the stashed canoe (it was left to fill with water) and paddled around the lake using brooms as paddles. The wind had picked up a bit, so we used it to our advantage and then the islands as a wind break as needed. We snacked on the far side of the lake at a fishermans camp. The lake here is beautiful, a lot to enjoy. Apparently good fishing too. Back at camp we awaited Kalie's arrival and gathered more firewood. After kalie arrived, we cooked up our turkey, stuffing and gravy and had a great time eating and drinking. It was significantly warmer today. Eric and Kalie took the canoe out for another paddle. As they were getting back to shore, eric fell in the water exiting the canoe. Good thing it was warmer today. Eric got out of his wet stuff and got into his sleeping bag to warm up. We stayed up as late as we could.

I did not feel like making a real breakfast the next morning. We sat around and slowly packed up. Reading the shelter log, an entry described a shortcut for bringing in kayaks. Interestingly it was made by the same people whom Eric had run into this past summer when he first visited and suggested the location for our thanksgiving trip. The weather turned south on us as expected, so we sat around waiting for a window with less rain. When it finally arrived we headed out.