Day 1 (Wednesday June 28th) I arrived at the launch on Little Clear Pond a few minutes early. This would allow me to change my clothes and get my gear all situated before the predicted rainstorm. The parking area was empty, it likely will not be so when we return Sat AM. Dan arrived a few minutes after I finished getting my gear to the water's edge. All I had left was to change into my water shoes. As Dan readied his gear I gave him the deer shed I found in my woods. I fgigured he would be able to make it into a few nice knife handles. He returned my cooler from last summer. Inside he and Carla had gifted me some freeze-dried goodies they put together. As we finished up a woman and her dogs came by just hiking. The dogs to play in the water. She was fascinated that we were heading into the woods to camp for a few days. So far the expected rains have not appeared.
Asd we set out across the pond (note: Little Clear is a DEC fish Hatchery and thus no fishing or camping is allowed) a few sprinkles of rain made their appearance. Not enough to put on raingear in this warm humid weather. It was about a mile paddle to get to the portage trail. The take-out was a nice sandy area and the trail wide and smooth. We double carried it, leaving our packs about halfway before going back for the canoes. The mosquitoes were fierce in the woods when we stopped for even a second. The put-in was at the end of a long boardwalk which became like a dock jutting out into the creek. As we loaded the canoes, Dan stepped into the muck and went almost waist deep. The paddle from here into the pond was calm.
As we entered the pond there was a decent headwind.Once on St. regis I made a few casts and trolled a bit as we headed to our campsite. Our goal was the lean-to site on the western peninsula. With the impending rain, the lean-to would provide a gathering place for us to hang out instead of sitting under our own tarps or laying in our hammocks. I needed to spend the night in this lean-to anyway for my "challenge". This would be #143. So far we have not seen any other people. It would appear we had this entire pond to ourselves. We were also quite ahead of the game in regards to weather. We expected to be paddling in significant rain already. With the weather cooperating, except for the wind, we set out to paddle a bit. I fished as the wind pushed me along a small island though the deep water and eventually to the lee side of the next larger island. No hits, but it was nice and relaxing. The water was quite warm, so any fish would be in the deeper cold areas. Maybe tomorrow I will be able to get a little deeper. We paddled into the stiff wind to get back to the lean-to. But not before we stopped at an old beaver lodge to gather some firewood.
Back at camp, we had a few beverages (Dan carried in a case) dinner and conversation. Before long it was evening and some fish were popping up to the surface. Dan dropped a fly into the area and landed a whopper; an entire 1.5 inch sunfish!
While air had been on & off misty all afternoon and evening we so far had avoided significant rain. The wind also kept the nugs away. Great first day!
Day 2 (Thursday) Not surprising I was up before the sun. I tried to fall back asleep and may have stolen a few extra minutes of sleep. I did not feel like I slept that great. I will set up the hammock today and hopefully get a better nights sleep. Dan was also up relatively early. We made coffee and lazed around before having breakfast. We had the entire day to fish and explore since we were not moving camp. We eventaully put the canoes in the water and paddled towards the outlet. From our site it was like a small bay on the western side of the pond. I fished along the way. No luck, bit it was very pretty and a gentle paddle. As we approached the outlet the pond shallowed. There was a bidge over the fish barrier dam; built to maintain the fishery by keeping out unwanted species. We apddled back to camp following the far shore. We paused at the campsite across from us with prominent rock ledge. From here it would be a perfect spot to watch both sunrise and sunset. Nice campsite too.
Back at camp we had lunch and st our chairs near the shore. I fell asleep for a bit and apparently Dan did as well. We set out again to explore. This time the inlets to the North and the campsites along that shore. We also stopped at the de-commisioned site on the island. It was really nice but rather close to ours.The other campsites were inferior to the lean-to and the rock ledge campsite. The inlets did not provide any paddling access nor any cooler water to entice fish. While the fishing was a let down, it was a very nice paddle around the islands. Also a couple of canoes have made their way to the pond, we expect a lot more as we get close to the holiday weekend.
A couple more beverages at camp and dinner, then some sitting in the chairs near the shore. This lasted until the bugs arrived. A small smudge fire extended our evening only slightly as we made our way to the hammocks with the mosquito netting. Hoping for a better nights sleep.
Day 3 (Friday)
Slept like a champ! That was great. This morning the fog on the lake was thick. Could not see the other shore a quarter mile away. The island was also not visible. It reminded me of the one morning on Lake Superior when we had to navigate by compass across the channel from battle island. As the fog lifted, we could see the water was like glass.
After coffee we packed a day pack with lunch for our day's exploring. There were still quite a few features on this pond we needed to explore. First was thw small tributary which would empty into a small unnamed pond. The paddle across the pond was quiet with only the sounds of our paddles dripping into the water. As we entered the small connector, it was beautiful the way the sun illuminated the flora growing on the logs. Dan was ahead of me, so the I captured a photo of him backlit by the morning sun. The pond itself was serene. So peaceful with the remnant fog still hovering over the water in the shaded areas not yet awakened by the rising sun. We quietly paddled around the outside edge of the pond. Sadly the camera could not capture the full effect of the fog and sunlight. A boat beer would have to suffice. The campsite tucked away in the far corner looked ok, and would have a fantastic view the downside would be the bugs. There was little air movement in here.
We left the small pond and continued around St Regis to the short carry into Green Pond. The pond was aptly named as the water's green tint was remarkable. We would see the quick drop off into the deep. With no obvious inlet, this was likely spring fed. A tried my best to find any fish in the depths to no avail. There were three portage trails eminating from this small pond; the one we used, one from Little Clear Pond and the last to Little Long Pond. The campsute on the southern shore was nice. Though being set into the woods would be buggy. This would prove true as the skeeters did eventually find us as we explored. Back into the boats and continuing to paddle around the pond. We would save the portage to Little Long and the rest of the area for another trip.
We carried back to St Regis and chose a lunch spot on the peninsula under the white pine. This was another closed campsite. The landing was sandy with remnants of turtle shells. The ground ws soft under the pine and prided some shade. A few fisherman were trolling the deep area of the pond between us and the island. After lunch we paddled back across to our campsite where we spent the remainder of our day. We saw a few more paddlers today, but not as many as we expected heading into the holiday weekend. After dinner we paddled out again into the calm waters to watch the red sun set created by the smoke from the Canadian wildfires. We were hoping for some more nice colors in the clouds. It was pretty nonetheless and relaxing to sit in the boat on the water.
Sitting by the campfire, the lightening bugs made their appearance and soon we headed to our hammocks. Rain is expected tomorrow as we head out.
Day 4 (Saturday) Another fantastic nights sleep in the hammock. No rain overnight so I packed up the dry tarp and the rest of my hammock as soon as I arose. The morning sunrise was searing through the overcast skies and the wildfire smoke filled air. I made an extra large cup of coffee and packed up most of my gear. With the impending storm approaching we wanted to get an early start. The water was again peaceful as we set out in the morning. We paddled slowly to enjoy the last few minutes on the pond. Close to the poratge we ran into Mike (Assistant Forest Ranger). He was very nice and professional inquiring if we needed anything or had any questions.
We double carried again from the boardwalk landing to Little Clear. I used the yoke this time which added a few minutes to my carry. The bugs were terrible at the put in so Dan waited for me out in his boat. The wind was beginning to pick up and not long after we pushed off we were paddling directly into a stiff headwind. Dan had the garbage bag on the back on his canoe, so I stayed a bit behind him in case it blew off. Passed a few boats heading the direction from which we came. Hope their trip is as fun and relaxing as ours. We were certainly fortunate with the weather.
At the take-out a water steward was their to inspect boats and educate paddlers about invasive species. He gave us each a DEC emblazoned micro-fiber towel to "clean & dry" our boats between waters to mitigate any spread of invasives. We loaded up our boats, had a final beverage before heading home.
Great trip. Looking forward to our next one together.
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