Arrival of Winter in the ADKS

There was a little snow on the ground when we pulled into the parking area just off Route 28. I arrived only a few minutes after Justin. We anticipated more by the end of the trip. As we loaded Justin's gear into my car, our friend Bill arrived. He would be day hiking nearby and we let him know of our plans, so he could join us at our campsite if the time allowed. At the trailhead we opted against snowshoes. Justin started with microspikes. The hiking was easy along the old jeep trail. Some bridge repairs had been made. They were not as big as I thought. It also looked as if they used vehicular support to bring in materials. We stopped at the hunters campsite I had found a few years ago. The tent was not set up this time.

Soon after the trail junction we took a general bearing and began to follow alongside the drainage to try to locate the position of an old camp we noted on the 1903 topo map. It was thick, and mucky so we began to move up and away from the drainage to higher ground. After some exploring and poking around we were quite sure we had found the general area. Justin headed down towards the stream and I poked around a bit more inland. We took a bearing for a more direct route back to the trail. This would prove much easier as it was open hardwoods. We popped out on the jeep trail just past the junction and the drainage.

We stopped at Middle Branch Lake just to look around a bit and momentarily lamented we had told Bill we would be at Middle Settlement Lake as both of us would have been happy to make camp here. I ate my lunch. Onwards we went to Middle Settlement, this would make tomorrow a much shorter day too. The distance between the two lakes isn't great, but it sure feels like it. The trail is a series of ups and downs and some wet areas as well as a stream crossing. It is a rugged little section of trail. Beavers had made a mess out of a few areas, two which required finding a way across the flooded section. The stream crossing was not as bad as it first looked. We were able to rock hop it. At the outlet of Middle Settlement Lake we somewhat expected to see footprints as there were cars in the parking area as we passed by on the way to our trailhead. Crossing the outlet is always an adventure here. As I made my way, Bill arrived. Justin and I were quite a bit later than we expected and Bill a tad earlier. It would work out well with 3 of us collecting wood.

We dropped our gear at the lean-to and began collecting firewood. With the 3 of us, we soon had a decent pile. As the sun set, the sky had a nice pinkish glow to it, and the lake was just beginning to have a thin layer of ice. We got the fire going and hung out. I was tired and ended up not even eating my dinner. I went to bed early and slept soundly. Snow came through the night. Not as much as we expected. I re-started the fire from the remaining coals and took a photo of the now snow covered lake. After breakfast we packed up and begain our hike out. The snow was gently falling for most of the hike. Bill led the way mostly. At this point I was glad we had done the extra miles the previous day. We all loaded up into Justin's car and dropped Bill off at his car, and then me at mine. A fun little adventure. Justin's video of the trip: https://youtu.be/OzFES3wGeeQ

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.