3 days on a busy Raquette Lake -canoe trip

 

After the NPT trip, I loaded up thr car with canoe and fishing gear and headed up to Raquette Lake. There are two lean-tos close to each other in Lonesome Bay. The parking area was quite full, I did find a spot and hopefully the car will be there without a ticket when i return in 3 days. 

I paddled up the western side of the lake past the bustling summer camps and the quiet lakeside cottages. At the former, kids were running, playing and swimming. At the latter adults were sitting quietly lakeside reading, playing cards and other relaxing activities. Not many boats active on the lake. Those that were seemed to be for transport. A few tour style pontoon boats were slowly cruising around the different bays. 

In Lonesome Bay a few small craft with people fishing near the weeds. I spotted the first lean-to and found it vacant so I set up camp. The lauch area was steep and eroded, but near the lean-to was wide and flat. Some wood was nearby so I collected it for the small fire later. I wandered around a bit noting artifacts from older camps in days gone by. The 2nd lean-to was accessible if one opted to cross over a wet swampty section. It would be more desrireable to paddle which I would do the next day.

So for the next 2 days I relaxed at camp and stayed a night in each lean-to. The first night I listened to taps being played over the loudspeaker at one of the cam,ps across thr lake followed by "lights out". I complied and went to bed. While at the second, a family pulled up in a pontoon boat on a quest for a geo-cache in the area. They found the location, but the cache must have been removed.  Later in the evening a fisherman landed a decent bass in the weeds just off the bank near the lean-to landing.

Morning of the third day, I set out early on the calm glassy lake to head back. A loon was my guide for the first 50 yards. The lake was eerily quiet as I seemed to be the only one awake; quite the contrast. The draw of the paddle and the small wake from the canoe were all that disturbed the surface of the water. As the sun rose inbt he distance I made my way back to the launch to my awaiting ticket-less car.

40 miles on the NPT "1920s Vintage Style"

Prologue:
About a dozen or so years ago after one of my NPT thru-hikes  I realized the trail would be 100 years old in the not so distant future. To celebrate her birthday, I planned on a vintage trip using gear and food only available in 1924. Over the next years I would spend countless hours reading and researching the ways of backpackers in the early 20^th century. They did not refer to our hobby as backpacking, instead there were multiple terms used such as tramping or pedestrian camping. One of my first takeaways was the obsession with pack weight of these trampers. It is often mentioned in the backpacking community about heavy gear and the new concept of lightweight backpacking. A common refrain of lightweight backpacking is the lightest gear is that which you do not take. The old-timers were the O.G.s of the lightweight backpacking. G.W. Sears aka Nessmuk wrote, "Go light, the lighter the better, so that you have the simplest material for health, comfort and enjoyment." Materials for tents were recommended as "balloon silk" or "fine egyptian cotton". Eider down sleeping bags were even available for those willing to pay for it; just like now. The compulsion to reduce weight is probably best captured by Stewart Edward White's book "Camp and Trail". He dedicated almost an entire chapter on the concept. Here is what he wrote in 1907:

"When you have reached home after your trip, turn your duffle bag upside down on the floor. Separate the contents into three piles. Let pile No. 1 include those articles you have used every day—or nearly that often; let pile No. 2 comprise those you have used but once; and pile No. 3 those you have not used at all. Now, no matter how your heart may yearn over the Patent Dingbat in No. 3, shut your eyes and resolutely discard the two latter piles. "

Besides gear, my other main part of research was cooking and food. All of these early writers had chapters on food and cooking. Many also included recipes for wild game. A few even included the weight savings of different types of provisions like the benefit of dried fruit vs canned. These were simpler times and we have much more variety even in our grocery stores than they did. The main takeaway regarding food was to take simple ingredients and utilize them in a variety of ways to create a multitude of different dishes. A surprise to me was the availability of powdered milk and eggs. The latter of which was often described in not-so pleasant terms. Like now, these woodsmen had their favorite "brands" which they would recommend. It was amusing to read the terminology for items most of which were obvious although some required additional research, For example, julienne (dried vegetables), dessicated fruit, portable soup (boullion). I also spent time researching prepared foods which were available in 1924 such as O'Henry and Baby Ruth candy bars, Underwood Deviled Ham, and Oreos.

Edward Cave had a nice breakdown for a 3-day trip. I started with this list to create my own.
Pack Sack Grub for 3 days
Flour 1.75 lbs
CornMeal 1.25 lbs
Rice 6 oz
Bacon 1 lb
Lard 4oz
sugar 12 oz
Coffee 4 oz
Tea 0.5oz
Baking Powder 2oz
Evaporated Cream 7oz
Salt 4oz
--------------------------------------
TOTAL 6 pounds

The final result of my research and planning resulted in these two lists; gear and food.

Gear List

wooden pack frame canvas pack canvas shoulder bag wool blanket waxed cotton tarp cheesecloth (bugnet) homemade cotton hammock canteen Compass match safe rope twine sewing kit Leather gloves

Aluminum pot steel skillet aluminum "bread pan" ceramic cup folding knife sheath knife spoon waxed cotton bags for food Pendleton Wool shirt lightweight wool shirt wool socks (x2) silk pajamas wool underwear cotton bandana

Clothing worn: linen shirt wool underwear wool pants wool felt hat wool socks LL Bean Boots silk scarf

Food List

Cornmeal Flour w/baking powder & salt added Oatmeal beef jerky bouillon cubes dried mushrooms dried vegetable medley deviled ham

powdered milk coffee O'Henry candy bars Oreos brown sugar raisins dried apples nuts waxed cheese

As far as the trip itself, the thought crossed my mind to hike the original trail as it existed in 1924. But after hiking the existing trail numerous times I am keenly aware of why the trail has been re-routed. Most of the time it was to bypass large flooded sections, in a few cases to reduce paved road walking, and in at least one instance to avoid private land. The last of which would mean it was impossible to hike the original trail even if I wanted to. I also chose to hike SouthBound starting from the Lake Placid Train Station as that is my preferred direction. 

When I was fully packed and set out, my pack with 4 days of food and water was just under 30 pounds.

An incomplete bibliography:
The Boy Scout Hike Book by Edward Cave 1913
Camp and Trail by Stewart Edward White 1907
The Campers Handbook by Thomas Hiram Holding 1908
Camping Out by Warren Hastings Miller 1918
Camp Cookery by Horace Kephart 1910
Hints for Camping and Walking by John Mead Gould 1877
Woodcraft by G.W. Sears 1884

My Journal:

Epilogue:

Much thanks to my good friend Ian for the rides and all my other friends and family for the support and encouragement. Love you all.

Start of the Summer -Lake Lila

 

With 5 days at my disposal, I made plans with D.Denn to paddle Lake Lila. He was available for 3 nights so I would shorten my drive by spending the first night along the Raquette River near Jamestown falls. Just a drive up campsite but it would be my first time camping in the Raquette River Wild Forest. It was rainy the entire drive up as expected and really came down hard when I stopped for a late breakfast near Star Lake. When I arrived at the campsite the rain had stopped. It would come and go in little bits all afternoon and evening. Over night it poured. I slept well in the hammock.

An early wake-up with the sun allowed me to stop for breakfast on the way. I let Dan know I would probably be a bit early which would allow me to dry out the tarp. The road into Lila was long. I forgot how ong it was to get there. Forty-five minutes on a dirt road with a max speed of 15mph. There were a few cars at the put-in, the register showed most were leaving today or tomorrow. I unrolled my tarp and laeyd it out to dry. I carried canoe, paddles and fishing gear the 0.3 miles down to the beach. By the time I returned, the tarp was mostly dry, so I packed it up. While I was readying the last of my gear Dan arrived. 

He brought his canoe down to the water and I the rest of my gear. The lake was choppy and the sky dark to the south and west. While Dan was making his second trip, the sky opened up. I stood under a tree which blocked most of the rain. It was short lived. The lake was still choppy as we set out. We first planned on site #3 in a protected cove since #4 was occupied and the lake was choppier towards the west. Even some whitecaps. I fished a little in the cove and appropriated some firewood from the resident beaver lodge. The occupants of #4 departed so we moved in. They left a lot of trash. At least the stiff breeze would keep the skeeters away. 

With camp set up and a small smoky fore for when the breeze let up we settled into camp. Since both of us were up early we knew it would be an early bedtime. Another rain storm over night but I slept soundly.

In the morning the skeeters were relentless. With a the fire going we were able to smoke most away, but any distance from the fire was miserable. The lake was rather calm so we ventured out for some exploring and fishing. Dan took towards rhe islands and I the Northern shore. No luck fishing. I found the lean-to un-occupied. Even after this trip I still have to spend the night in this one. A good reason to return to the lake. The shoreline where Chris and I had made landfall to hike Frederica mountain years ago was not as obvious as it was more than a dozen years ago. The sound of trucks and thr glint of the sun reflecting off the chrome gave a way just how close the dirt road contniued around the lake to the private land.

As it neared lunch time I paddled towards the islands figuring on the leeward side for my paddle back to camp. As I passed near Spruce Island I ran into Dan who had made an executive decision to move camp to site #20. This would be closer to Shingle Shanty Brook and was protected by the island. However the site was on a peninsula which allowed the wind to pass through it. A beautiful spot in a pine forest. I headed back to #4 to pack up my gear and moved in to #20. The afternoon winds picked up which kept the bugs away. 

Near camp was a small cliff overlooking the lake to the west. This would be a good vantage point for the sunset. There were two landing spots, one on each side of the peninsula. The campsite is one of the best on the lake. It was early enough in the season that getting firewood was not too difficult. As a late lunch, I tested out a recipe for Chef Corso; "Bagel and Lox Dip". Was definitely a winner, although probably more of an appetizer than a full meal.

The recipe has been posted to Outdoor Eats: https://outdooreats.com/recipe/bagel-lox-smoked-salmon-dip/

With the winds picking up, we stayed in camp relaxing in the chairs with some beverages. It is possible I even took a small nap while sitting there. After dinner we moved the chairs up to the cliff to watch the sunset. Moments after the sun dropped below the horizon, the skeeters arrived. We quickly moved back to the smoky confines of the campfire. Surprised I was able to stay awake as long as I did.

The nights sleep was glorious. Only awoke once in the middle. Cloudy so no stars which also meant the comet P13 "something" would not be visible to the North. Unfortunately every night was clouded over, so we never did get to see it. In the morning I tried to stay vey quiet. I did not realize Dan was already up. He had coffee down by the beach. After breakfast we set out on the lake again. The water was like glass. The lake was quiet in the morning. The silence only interupted by the sound of the paddle cutting through the water. 

The morning paddle was serene. No luck fishing except for a small one near the Harrington Brook inlet. I spotted the portage trail to the left of the rapids. Another truck came down the orad and stopped momentarily at the bridge. I paddled into a shallow cove with a beach. I considered a swim, but the water was so shallow I would have needed to lie down just to get submerged.Instead I took a short break on the beach. Continuing on around themost westerly island, Dan had come from the other side. We chatted a bit before we both took our separate ways back to camp for lunch. 

Later that day, we paddled down the peninsula towards Shingle Shanty. A beaver dam blocked further progress unless we wanted to exit the canoes to get around it. We opted instead to check out the rest of the cove. A loon was in the area. We had heard her earlier in the trip. She popped up not far from my canoe but dove again soon before I could ready my camera. The eastern shore of the lake was not deep but rather rocky. I sharp eye was needed to not bottom out. The bass like these structures. We caught numerous small rock bass in the shallows, and few decent sized smallmouth. I had a really nice one about 11-12 inches. It was nice to finally feel the tug on the line.

Dan's water had run out so he was heading back to camp, so I joined him. It was getting close to dinner anyway. We counted out our remaining beer ration. We had a spare 4-pack at the car for an emergency if needed. We pulled out the maps to try to plan our trip for next year. Made dinner and relaxed by the fire. Stayed up as long as I could for the last night. Again I slept great. 

Coffee in the the morning but no breakfast. We did not need to leave early, but we did. A quiet, slow paddle back to the put-in. Talked to a guide from Raquette Outfitters whio was waiting on his clients. We talked a bit about lean2rescue and some of the Rangers/Foresters we both knew. The the long drive back on the dirt road.