NPT Stewardship and the French Louie Loop

Saturday: School's out for summer so my end of the year trip starts today. Meeting Carla, Dan, Kalie, Andrew, Will, Skip and Jim at Tirrel Pond to replace a footbridge. With permission from DEC to use access rd we were able to hike in the short way. Everyone was there before me, I was bringing in dinner. The bridge was almost completely installed when I eventually arrived. Rain arrived almost at the same time as I did. It eneded quickly. Besides bringing dinner my only contribution to the project would end up being nailing in boards on the bridge decking. With the bridge complete, we hung out at the lean-to and the beach. Had a few 12-horses which I also humped in. Speaking of humping... apparently this lean-to was the chosen tryst location for a couple of red squirrels. Yep, they were humping under the lean-to. Kalie even got a photo of it. Squirrel porn! We cooked up bratwust from Swans with sides of german potato salad and red cabbage. Ate like champs. Crashed in the lean-to hoping the squirrels don't take advantage.

Sunday:Andy and I were first awake. We went to the beach to watch the sunrise. Andy used his alky stove and french press to make coffee. We watched a loon fishing for her breakfast. At one point she surfaced quite close to us. 

Back at camp with everyone awake, we packed up then Carla &Dan made breakfast for us all. Soon after we made the short, albeit uphill hike back to the cars. All were going in slightly different directions. I was headed to Wakely Dam to begin the solo part of my journey which included more trail work. Pack  loaded with 3.5 days of food, fishing gear, and trail tools was heavier than I am used to. It was not the extra weight of the beer in my pack. It was late morning and already the day was getting hot and humid. I hiked down the NPT. As I approached the flooded section a family of four came by. The kids looked to be HS or college aged. The daughter was a step behind the rest and had a sour look on her face. I attributed it to having just had to walk through the  flooded muddy mess. Everytime I walk through it I estimate the distance. This time I would count my steps. 200 exactly to the bridge, then 25 more to the end of the muddy floody. I changed back into my boots and pressed on. A few minutes later I passed by Steve and Miles (about 7 or 8 y/o) they were hiking from Piseco to Durant. Steve thanked me for the trail work and appeared to encourage Miles with the idea of volunteerism and conservation. Steve is also an ADK member (GVC). I did not stop at the Carry lean-to and as I passed it I realized I hadn't mentioned the flooded section to Steve and Miles. Probably for the best as it might have scared Miles pre-maturely. Then again he is a kid and might like stmping through it all. A couple minutes past the Carry lean-to spur trail I spotted some motion to my tw-oclock. I immediately froze. A small bear soon emerged from the undergrowth about 25 paces away. He was sniffing around the ground unaware of my presence as he was upwind of me. After about 15 seconds he lifted his head upo and looked in my direction. I was standing still so I was not sure if saw me, smelled me or what. I made a large grunting sound which certainly got his attention. He then turned around and sauntered back into the undergrowth. Another bear encounter, which brings the grand total up to four.

Once at the Sucker Brook trail I removed the gloves and pruning shears to begin my trail work. Within a quarter mile I needed to get out the saw to remove a large blowdown. Not a big diameter but the crown of the tree was right in the center of the trail, so a lot of smaller cuts and moving the brush. With the shears I side cut along the trail and clearing 2 more blowdowns until I reached the Cedar River. Takes a while to cover one-mile of trail when side-cutting and clearing blowdown. There were two entries in the shelter book since my last visit. That seems to be the average. Both entries wrote about how neat and clean the area was and were appreciative of the small pile of wood. Of which there was still a starter pile. The firepit was cleaned out and rocks reassembled. It was already 3pm so I considered staying here for the night. I ate some dinner and soon re-evaluated. I opted to continue on to Cedar Lake which was my original plan. I figured the side-cutting over the next 5.5 miles woulde have me reach Cedars around 7ish. I filled up my water bottle in the spring and started to hike and side-cut the NPT on my way to the dam.The first few miles received more maintenance than the last few as I grew tired. The final quarter of a mile saw the least side-cutting. 

A small group was at the first tent-site so I continued to the lean-to. As i appraoched there were voices down by the water. A single pack in thelean-to and a hammock strung up nearby. I sat down on the deacon seat to rest. I was tired. A few minutes later a hiker came up from the beach. I introduced myself as Russ and he replied with John. Then he asked if I had a nickname. When I said I also go by DuctTape his eyed widened and in an excited voice replied, "I am hanging out with THE DuctTape... it was because of you and Rob I started backpacking and hammocking." We both sat in the lean-to and chatted until after dark. There was a brief pause as I went to set up my hammock. We shared our plans for the next day and beyond. John has only 16 more of the high peaks to climb. Quite the accomplishment so far. He also said he might be up early and head to Cedar #2 to make coffee and have breakfast there. "I like that style" was my reply "get up early and hike a bit before I have my coffee." Chuckling John said "Who do you think I learned it from?" We both laughed. Not to much later we both excused ourselves to our hammocks. It was quite past hiker midnite at this point. I hung my food and hoped the cooler temps along with my tiredness would provide some good sleep.

Monday: I did not sleep as soundly as expected. Not sure why not. It was decent, but I expected to sleep in longer I guess. I was awake at 5am and had to force myself to go back to sleep to get at leasdt another hour. After that there was no chance of dozing off again. Packed up my hammock and moved to the lean-to. John was still asleep. I made a twiggy fire to heat enough water for coffee. The sky is overcast with a slight breeze but feels like it is warming up quickly. At least the breeze is keeping away any bugs. The smoldering fire helps too. Still not sure of my plans for today, or the rest of the trip for that matter. I have 3 days to hike, fish, and explore. Need to get the food bag lighter and start eating. The temperature makes eating undesireable. A short hike to Cedars #2 should get me going. Stopped to check ouit the spring before heading to the lean-to. Just like last time, no flow from the pipe but the pool had enough depth to fill a water bottle. At the lean-to I read the shelter log. Apparently Steve and Miles stayed here. Miles, or should I say "Maniac Miles" wrote quite a bit and it is "Super Steve" according to the maniac. Appears he is enjoying the trip. Seeing my last entry made me realize it was almost exactly one month since I carried the canoe here. I suppose I should get going. No rush though. Hot and humid so I think I will take a quick dip and wash up. Water felt good. Not too many deer flies while drying off.

Even after the refreshing water, I still have less ambition probably due to a combination of the heat and being tired from yesterday's work. Instead of taking the long way to Brooktrout, I will take the short way to West and make the next decision there. Cleared some blowdown between Cedars #2 and #3. Took it slow the rest of the way to West Lake. Noticed K. Micoli signed in at the register doing a neat loop. Will need to remember to ask him about it. Looking out over West Lake I am hearing thunder to the west. Quite faint and inconsistent. The wind is picking up but the sun is still shining. I will head to South Lake to beat out the storm likely to come; only a half mile away. While at South thunderheads rolled by. Nothing too close. A few sprinkles and some wind to go with the sun. Decided to bake some yeast bread to pass the time. Also did some laundry. Will be nice to put on clean skivies. Bread is looking good. Always used a skillet before. The cookpot worked well for a single serving. 

Rain picking up again then stopping. Will make some dinner and use the large cookpot left at the lean-to to make some bath water for a shower. After dinner and my shower it was time for campfire and relaxing. Potential nice sunset with the clouds to the west. Slight rain again, the sun shining as it approaches the horizon. Then gone in a blaze of orange.

Tuesday: Slept great. Was in bed before it was filly dark and slept till 5am. Fell back asleep. Arose from the hammock at 6ish. Made coffee and watched the other side of the lake slowly brighten by the morning sun. Made breakfast. Nice cool morning but it had that "it is going to be hot & muggy" feeling to it. Another half mile to W.Canada Cr lean-to and then decide my plans for the day. Left South @8:30.

At W.C.C took a break to read the shelter book. Surprised I have not seen anyone at these lean-tos. I spent a bit of time on the bridge. One of my favorite spots on the entire NPT. Decided tp head to Sampson Lake to fish instead of going off trail today. Don't want to get caught in a pop-up storm. Will be the first time to Sampson since the lean-to was moved. Last time I carried in two gallons of stain for Pillsbury and Sampson. Approaching the lean-to a familiar voice rang out. It was John from CL#1. We chatted and summarized our previous day. He saw my fire at South Lake and did not want to bother other people. If he knew it was me he would have stopped over. John had spent the night at Sampson and was heading out today. Hope we run into each other on the trail again. 

Made myself some coffee and fished a little. Someone had left an onion (as well as other trash) in and around the lean-to. I diced up the onion and added it to my bean burrito for lunch. Carried out some of the trash and cleaned out the fire-pit.After my early lunch I read the shleter log. Many entries about how neat and clean it was. I must have hit it at a bad time. This lean-to had the same issue in its previous location. I wonder if it is the same people? A few raindrops starting to fall. Sky getting dark and then full on torrential downpour. Thunder to the west, moving this way. Once past the sun was out again. I could still hear the thunder now to the east. Still thinking about going to Pillsbury for the night. It is a long hike out from here. Going back and forth with wearing rain pants. Question of getting wet pants or hiking in a sauna. I still have time to decide. I also could stay here and just add a hour plus to my hike out tomorrow.

Whoa! Big thunderstorm came through. Reminds me of the one last year which Shannon and I hiked through in the same area.The idea of staying here is growing on me. Perhaps I will use the giant pot and take a camp shower, then make dinner. With Pillsbury so close, I can go after dinner if the sky looks clear. Might need to take another bath at Pills tho. After dinner I decided to head to Pillsbury. Sky looked clear to the west and the sun was bright. Just as I was putting on my pack the sound of a helicopter grew. Soon it was on top of me, this huge military heli did a fly by of Sampson. Wow was it loud. Even out of sight i could still hear it. The trail to Pillsbury was wet and muddy as expected. I opted for the wet pants instead of the steam bath in the rain pants. Still not sure I made the wise choice. At Pills soaking wer from the brush. Jim(?) and his son Xavier were set up. They had arrived not long before me. I asked if i could share the lean-to. They were very obliging. Xavier is headed to college in the fall. he and Dad decided to do some backpacking first. The family had always been car campers so the last year or so was a different style for them. Appeared they were getting the hang of it. Boiled some water for the morning and then went to bed.

Wednesday: Next thing I knew it was morning. I do not remember any dreams. I did not think I slept but the night passed quickly. I tried to stay quiet packing up but Jim and X were soon awake. I donned my raingear and headed out. Goal was Cedar Lake to make a quick fire for some coffee and breakfast. On trail just before 6:15. Between yesterday abd today I was reminded of how wet the French Louie trail is compared to its NPT cousin to the north along the Cedar lakes. This was an old road too. Perhaps that is part of the issue. With the previous days rain and the day just beginning the air was still damp. As I approached the junction of Old Military Rd a large shape appeared. The profile was unmistakeable; it was a moose for sure. I immediately froze. Then appeared a larger moose looking over the first one. A mama and her calf. With the humidity the camera lens on my phone I could not get completely dry. Plus I was a good distance away; for safety. I zoomed in as best as I could to get a grainy photo. Mama stared at me the entire time. After a few minutes she walked off followed by her calf. I waited a bit longer to give them time to clear the immediate area. I inched forward tentatively just to be sure. Wow that was exciting! Started the trip with a bear sighting and ending with moose. Saw countless other creatures in between as well such as mergansers, beavers, snakes, and loons. 

Crossed the funhouse bridge, well what is left of it. The middle section is now completely gone. This part of the trail is nice. A lot of bog bridging which cab be slick during and after a rain. At Cedar dam, I made a twig fire at the campsite for coffee. I arrived earlier than i though so I decided to take a leisurely breakfast as well as pre-cook my lunch to have whenever i felt like it. During coffee a few kids came out of the camping area with packs on. Followed by their counselor? The kids did not look to happy. I wonder if the rain yesterday soured them. As they were headed towards sled harbor I said to the counselor "be careful on the funhouse bridge". She said thanks and chuckled obviously knowing which bridge I was referring. 

I left the dam a few minutes past 9am. Made good time on the NPT section which I had cleared two weeks ago and then 2 days ago. Lot quicker just hiking it. From the dam to Carry lean-to in a mionute over 2 hours. Light pack and clear trail makes travel fast. Took an early lunch and rested before the upcoming swamp walk.Clouds starting to roll in. I had considered tossing a line into the river here, but with the clouds and sounds of thunder to the north I instead pressed on. Would like to get to the car befor rain. Plus there was a really annoying horsefly here. 

Just as I was changing into my water shoes at the muddy floody a few raindrops started. Figures. Water a tad deeper today, or so I thought. Rain was just a teaser fortunately. With my boots back on and easy trail left I was at the car before 2. Changed out of my wet smelly clotheseand put on dry for the drive home.

Four Day Solo Canoe -Cedar River Flow to Cedar Lake

 Friday: Arrived to the Cedar River Flow (Wakely Dam) at 10:30ish am. Forecast is for rain; had some on the drive but is currently overcast at the put-in. Hope it waits a little while longer. There are only a few people at the dam. No one is on the water. Super quiet like glass. Maybe 50 deg at most. Paddled nice and slow enjoying my solitude on the flow.  As I approached the end of the flow I watched a deer at the water's edge. She looked towards me briefly and went back to her foraging. Saw a carcass of another deer just under the water nearby. Strange bookends of the life spectrum. The bog mat gave me some minor problems navigating the channel, but I managed through it. From the other direction it is more obvious. Up the river, an easy drag around the beaver dam and some more quiet paddling upstream. A few raindrops every once in a while. If it picks up I may spend the night at the Carry lean-to instead of pressing on.

No one at the Carry lean-to and the rain is picking up. Now a steady drizzle, enough to require rain gear while I collected firewood. I stashed some dry wood immediately and went for more. A few splashes down by the river; trout? I started a small fire to get a bed of coals going in preparation for heavier rains. The drizzle is picking up now as I head to the water's edge to toss a line. Rigged up a #0 silver mepps spinner with brown tail. Second cast landed a 9" brookie. A few more casts and another smaller trout. I had heard this was a good spot, the reports were correct. Even though this spot is not hard to access it still gets little pressure with the flow taking the brunt. Took a photo of both fish with my Denn Handmade knife for scale. The rain is subsiding, but I think it is a short pause. Time for a twelve horse and some dinner.

Saturday: It drizzled all night until it turned to snow. I did not think I slept to well, but the night went quickly so I must have. More splashes down by the river. I guess there are more fish. Morning fire started and coffee is hot. Overcast skies. Hope the bugs do not emerge as it is peal black fly season and I had heard the mosquitos have been fierce already too. Still a bit cool for the bugs today. Packed up my gear for the long portage to Cedar Lake. 

3-1/2 hours later  covering 4.9 miles and clearing blowdown all the way is what I need to cover to get to the Cedar Lake dam. Tough carry with all my gear and 3-days of food. Will still need to return for side-cutting and brushing out. I had taken a long early lunch break at the woodstove campsite. This was right after I crossed paths with a threesome heading to Wakely. After lunch, the Lamphere ridge trail is more wild than the old roadway. Made the portaging a bit more grueling not to mention it was the last mile and a half. That long uphill really sapped my energy. The last quarter mile returned to the old roadway and was easier going. At the dam I was quite relieved to unburden my shoulders. At this point I am not looking forward to the return portage. I have a couple days to recuperate first. A mother-son team was across the dam taking some photos. As I put the canoe in the water the mother and I chatted for a bit. She had hiked the NPT last fall, said the colors were amazing. She asked about some of thecampsites and lean-to spots. I gave her my recommendations. I asked how they enjoyed the funhouse bridge. She said it needed some work and asked if I was going to fix it. 

me: "some day, probably".

Paddling up from the dam was very nice but as soon as i hit the main channel the winds were stiff. I was hoping to check out Noisy Bay, but the winds were swift there as well/ I opted instead to head across to Beaver Pond figuring it would be more protected. A gentleman on the bridge asked if I had "any luck". I told him about the trout the previous day but had yet to wet a line today. I stopped briefly at Cedar #2 to sign the log book. I took a photo of Andy's entry from 2018 when we hiked the NPT together. I am sure he will appreciate seeing it when I get back home. The wind is chilly even on land so I needed to wear my rain jacket just for warmth. At least the chill and wind is keeping the bugs away. BAck in the canoe, I landed on the beach next to the bridge and a quick carry to Beaver Pond. As I was putting in a group of nine crossed the bridge. They appeared to be scouts. I heard one comment about "where was camp?"

In Beaver Pond the visible portion is smallm buit after a narrows it really opens up wide with a ;large island just to the right and a rock garden straight ahead. The wind was picking up here too. I skirted by the island heading to the eastern arm of the pond using the island to block most of the wind. This pond is really neat. I spotted trash from an old camp near the last cove. Did not see any spot where one would have camped though. Just trash. Looks like the spot may be a quick bushwhack from the Lost pond trail. I was getting hungry so I headed back to the bridge and the nearby campsite. Made a twig fire and cooked some pasta with pesto. While I ate two more (smaller) groups walked past. Not sure if I will stay here tonight. It depends on the wind. Time to gather firewood just in case.

Checked out the spring to see if it was flowing. Nothinbg coming from the pipe but the pools had enough flow I could dam one up and scoop enough to fill my water bottle (mostly). There are now two ladies from VT at the lean-to. This is a practice run as they are planning on hiking the Long Trail in a few weeks. I wondered later if they had seen any of Rob's videos. The wind died down enough for me to take an early evening paddle. I did not feel like moving camp so I just enjoyed the paddle up through the narrows and poked around. The sun was at the perfect angle to be bothersome. The only major downside. I did not feel like fishing so I did not go all the way back into the last bay. Still quite chilly which means no bugs.  There was one bay with a warm spot which all the bugs were attracted to. They did not bother me though. Probably a result of the chemical treatment on my hat and clothing. I paddled slowly back to camp and collected some more firewood and got ready to watch the sunset from the bridge. 

Camp is all set up and I readied a late dinner; well a half-dinner as I was not all that hungry. Last time I stayed at this campsite was in honor of my grandfather's 100th birthday. Interestingly I brought the same "it was agood deal" beef stew as I did that last time. I planned on adding dumplings, but I knew it would be too much to eat. After I ate, I watched the sunset fromt he briodge. The ladies at the lean-to were behind me on the rocks. I hope I did not spoil their photos. The day eneded with some campfire tv before bed.

Sunday: Another chilly night, but no snow. The hammock is much warmer with the quilt compared to being on the ground. I think the hammock helps keep it tucked around me better. I slept very well. only one midnight break. Up at 5:30 no surprise. Lit the fire and put the coffee on to get ready for the sunrise on the bench. With a large cuppa I headed to the bench just as the sun was cresting the hillside. Was too bright to look at directly. Some thin clouds above would hopefully make for some nice colors. As the sun rose I contemplated what to do today. Options were to stay at Cedar with a long day back to the car on monday with a much lighter pack, or spend half a day here and then go to Colvin Brook splitting the big portage a bit but addinbg a couple of extra hiking miles. Had quite some time to figure it out. No need to decide right away.

After breakfast the winds picked up again so I decided to head back towards Wakely and adjust along the way. As I passed by Cedars #1 I noticed there were a few people there. When I signed out at the register,  I noted it was the Hobo +3. I cleared some more blowdown along the ridge. A marten was curious and watched me for a bit. He stayed put lomg enough for me to snap a picture. 

Even cutting blowdown it was much faster getting to the woodstove campsite. Fresh legs and going downhill. A few sprinkles so I propped the canoe against a tree and made some soup for lunch. Just as I was eating two hikers came cruising by, one barefoot the other wearing a disposable poncho. They had some spring in their step. 

"going the whole way", I asked.

"To Placid. Yes" said the barefoot hiker.

"Awesome! have fun" I said as they motored past.

My lunch break was a nice long one. A good hour. Was not really raining, just a few drops here and there. From the SuckerBrook trail to here took me 80 minutes yesterday. On the return it took half the time due to me not stopping to clear the blowdown. At the junction the rain began to increase steadily. Instead of hiking with rain gear to Colvin Brook. I chose to continue to don the big canoe umbrella and press on to Carry lean-to and the dry wood I stashed. Hoping it would be unoccupied (not a good bet considering the holiday weekend).

I neglected to put on my rainpants which was a lapse in judgement as now my pants were soaked from the undergrowth (which I still need to cut back next time on my section of trail). At Carry, the two thru-hikers were there taking a break. I asked if they were planning on staying here to which they said nop, just taking a break as they had more miles to do. Typical comments and thought process of thru-hikers. They invited me into the lean-to out of the rain. After I introduced myself and mentioned I also "go by DuctTape", the poncho girl (Anna) exclaimed "you're duct tape???!!! We have been reading about you in the shelter books. It is so cool to see you in person". We chatted a while. We went to the same college; they recently graduated and this hike was a celebration. I shred with them some of my favorite parts of the trail and they asked a lot of questions. I told them of my NPT-west dream. Katie was intriguged by it. As the readied themsleves to continue on during what seemd to be a slight decrease in the rain I wished them well.

Not long after they departed the rain picked up again. The steady drizzle just like on Friday. In similar fashion I head a splash by the river. So I headed down to toss in a line. Since it worked so well last ime I used the same lure. A couple casts, a small bump. Then a snag. I trudged upstream in my boots to get above it so it would release. A few casts from my new vantage point and then a big hit. Whoa, this was big one. My net is back at where I started. So I played the fish while trudging back keeping the line tight. I caught a glimpse of the fish as I moved. Definitely had some size to it, not just a fighter. At the beach I picked up my net and landed the beauty. 15", almost as big as the net itself! I guess I know what's for dinner. Hope the drizzle lets up, but I would rather it drizzle than have bugs.

Monday: The rain stopped over night. I slept soundly until 1 am, but for some reason was wide awake. I did eventually fall back asleep. I had covered my eyes so I could sleep in. Still up early, a little after 6am. All is quiet except for the sounds of birds. Speaking of which heard a barred owl with her distinct call last night. I can make out at least 4 different bird species but am not able to identify any of them. I am reminded of the ornithologist kid I met at Duck Hole years ago who was able to Id birds by their song; even whistle them himself. That was cool. This is the warmest morning so far but the fire is still welcome as is the hot coffee. Having extra time this morning and a ton of extra food I will try a cooking experiment; always good practice over the fire. I will repurpose my dumpling mix into a biscuit dough and see if I can use the cookpot to "bake" it. Will probably have to flip it to get the top side brown. Anyway it will be fun to try.

Let's call this a success. No butter or jam, but I have olive oil. Not bad. But camp bread (yeast) is till better. Looks like it is going to be nice, so I will pack up and paddle as far upstream as I can go. I made it to the first rapids and the campsite. Nothing special. Turned around and slow paddled back downstream and to the flow taking the opposite shoreline back to the dam. Once back on the flow the wind was really stiff coming straight at me. I guess the easy paddle out would be some work. Still very few people at the dam, but the black flies were here. Hovering just over my head while I packed up the car. 

To recount: 4 days, 3 trout, (almost) zero bugs, infinite enjoyment.