Five Days in The Pharaohs

 The past few years I have been been doing my post xmas trip with Dan. I wanted to go back to the Paharaohs to check out a few more of the lean-tos but Dan has recently done a lot of exploring in the Pharaohs. He wanted to wait until spring to go nack for lake trout fishing. So my plan was to be a solo trip. Seems like quite a few of those this year. I let some friends know of my plans and as it turns out a couple joined me for part of my trip.

Day 1. 12/26 Campground to Clear Pond Lean-to. I parked next to Justin's truck leaving my snowshoes in the car. The trail would be somewhat familiar as it was the egress from last year's trip. I signed in oat the register and made my way to the first junction. I was taking it slow not only because of my pack laden with 5 days of food and winter gear but so as to not get to sweaty. The latter proved futile. The just under 2.5 miles was rather easy going, made even easier following Justin's tracks in the 3 inches of crusty snow. I arrived at the lean-to a little later than Justin expected. He had already gathered quite a bit of firewood. I took a break and added to the pile. Had a lunch break then gathered more wood. We had ourt usual great time together in the woods with a nice hot fire and cold beverages. The temp was forecasted to be in the low teens overnight; also was expected to be the coldest of the four nights. I slept soundly, toasty warm under my quilt in the lean-to. Justin had his tent pitched nearby.

Day 2. 12/27 Usually Justin is awake before me. I was glad I was up first as it meant he slept well. I restarted the fire with the remaining coals and made coffee. We took our time in the morning with packing up and breakfast. It was close to 10:30 before we set out. Justin would hike with me for a short ways before he headed back to his car. Due to his generosity, I still had my full complement of cold beverages for the remainder of my trip.At the junction Justin mentioned the hill would be my big climb for the day. I only had a bit over 4 miles to do for the day. My destination would be Tubmill Marsh Lean-to. Justin's intel about it getting little use bode well for easy firewood procurement. We said our farewells I headed North up the hill and Justin turned South back around the far side of the pond. I continued my slow hiking pace as I was in no rush. At the far side of the hill I would again be on familiar trail for the next couple of miles. I would pass by the waterfall which dan and I had paused at last year. Between Rock and Lilypad Ponds some blowdown obscured the path for a moment and since I was creating the only footprints int he snow besides the deer, squirrel, coyote, etc... it took a moment to get around it an re-aquire the path. Was neat to see all the different animal tracks and other signs. Once at Lilypad, I took a break and had a snack for lunch. I was already way ahead on food, having not eaten my dinner the first night. A weak cell signal here so I texted Emily to let her know I was ok. A c ouple of hikers came by from my direction of travel. Perhaps I would have some footprints to follow for a bit. At the next junction I headed towards Honey Pond the rocky downhill which Justin had described. The Rock Pond brook required some creative rock hopping to stay out of the water. After the crossing I expected the lean-to to be just downstream. The trail headed up the hill and around. I wondered if the lean-to was off a side trail and the sign had been removed. I was tempted to bushwhack down the hill and follow the shore line. I didn't, and gave myself a little more time. I figured I could always turn around. A minute or so later I could see the shape of the lean-to in the distance. The trail was still headed a few degrees away from it. Staying on the path, the sign and access trail was soon visible. As expected, firewood was plentiful. I gathered enough for my own use and enough to leave for the next visitor. I made an early dinner and read the shelter log book. Had a few of my cold beverages, saving a few fot the next night. I made it past 8pm before I was in bed. Another sound sleep. I could get used to this.

Day3. 12/28 The woods were visible in the early morning light while the back of the lean-to remained dark. The light eventually pulled me out of my warm sleeping quarters. Was a chilly morning. I restarted the fire and made coffee. Another short day; just over 3 miles so I was in no hurry. After breakfast I headed back the way I came towards Lilypad. Uphill of course. Nice way to warm up. At rhe junction I sent another text to Emily and also to Tony to let him know I was still on schedule. The next portiomn of trail brought back the memory of when Dan and I dropped our packs and did a quick hike up tto the top of Pine Hill. Both HorseShoe and Crab Ponds were familiar though I had forgotten about the steep section between them and the waterfall. I paused at the waterfall for a snack just as Dan and I had done last year. I had been following the footprints from the hikers but they went off in a weird direction SE of Crab Pond. I speculated they had climbed Treadway Mtn and then bushwhacked down the far side. I passed by the campsite and nodded to the bench. I planned on stopping here for my break but the waterfall was only a few minutes ago.  After Crab Pond it was an easy downhill draw to Oxshow Pond. As the day warmed, the snow became sticky; clumping up on my micro-spikes. AMde the last bit slightly annoying. I expected collecting firewood here would not be as easy, so it was good it was bearly noon when I arrived. My initial plan for this trip was lower miles between campsites to give myself time to do day trips w/o a full pack. Later morning starts, slow walking and wood gathering limited the time to explore too far away from camp. At Oxshoe, I think I walked an extra 2 miles gathering firewood as it was. The shelter log book was brand new, so only the adopter's initial entry to read. I added my own. Had a later lunch and went to gather more firewood. Found a sping while collecting wood, so no need to melt more snow. The winds were a bit more here. Possibly a result of just being closer to the water's edge. I do not think I made it to 8pm before I was in bed. 

Day 4. 12/29 Another great night of sleep. I have slightly more than 4 miles to Rock Pond with a schedule to arrive before noon to meet Tony O. Based on my pace I wanted to be on trail close to 8am to give myself plenty of time without rushing. I used my stove to boiil water for coffee and an easy breakfast to save time. I filled up my water bottle at the spring and was on trail not long after 8. Back up the gentle hill to the junction re-tracing my steps to Lilypad where I did another text check-in with Emily and also let Tony know I was still on schedule. It was colder than i thought, I had to put on a layer during my break. I was just about halfway to Rock Pond lean-to. I figured I would get there around 11am with the easy pace. The last quarter mile or so would be the only time not following my old tracks. Upon my arrival, IU swept out the lean-to and set up my gear in one corner. I was only here about 10 or 15 minutes before Tony arrived. He re-supplied me with some cold beverages; much appreciated. Even better would be the chance to hang out with Two-Ton again. I wonderied if we had even seen each other since the trip when Rob &I met him and Sdam on the NPT. Tony reminded me we were both at Paul's winter camp; which was still quite a few years ago. Was great talking and hanging out. Had to travelk even farther for wood gathering, so this took up some of our time. Among all the great coversations we decided we needed to plan a trip instead of just waiting for time and schedule to allow it like this one. We also want to try to plan something with Justin and hopefully the 3 of us will entice Rob to come along too. Tony strung up some christmas lights in the lean-to. We stayed up quite a bit longer than I had the last few nights, but it was not too late. 

Day 5. 12/30  I think it warmed up over the night. It was definitely the warmest of all. Not too much in the last morning. Just coffee, and breakfast. Tony had planned to be home by a certain time and I had a 5+ hr drive. We had no need to rush, but we didn't dawdle too much either. I have a lot of food left; it will be interesting to see exactly what is in my food bag when I get home. We started down the trail with micro-spikes but it became clear we would be taking them off soon which we did at the first junction. The ice was melting from the trees which made it feel like raindrops. Only a few miles back to the car. A few hills to climb which really warmed me up. We passed by a few hiker groups along the way. Glad I had a change of clothes in  the car. Would be nice to get out of these. Before I chnaged, Tony and I took a selfie video and we promised to plan another excursion for next year. 

I had expected at least one day of wintry mix weather which never materialized. So 10/10 on weather for the trip. First night with Justin and final night with Tony; fantastic!  

Cold River Lean2 Maintenance and quick hike to Streeter

 With 3 days to play with and having already been to the Cold River twice this year I made sure I also visited a new spot. Saturday was an easy hike in to Streeter Lake in the Aldrich Wild Forest. This would be my first time in this area making me one more step closer to backpacking and spending the night in all 48 different Wilderness and Wild Forest Areas in the Adirondacks. The hike in was quite easy following the CP-3 route. I noted a side trail soon after the initial rise going towards towards the lake as the main trail veered away. I would find out later this was a shortcut through the old potato patch. As I continued on the CP-3 route other signage for snowmobile trails intersected the trail. Quite a few different camping options in the immediate vicinity of Streeter Lake including the lean-to. The mowed field and lean-to area had a tent and an occupant, Chuck. He was awaiting the rest of his family who would be arriving on Sunday. They have been coming here for years. He gave me a lot of info on the area and allowed me to camp nearby. Due to Covid we stayed our distance but had a good time talking all afternoon and evening. Two family members arrived just before dark; they were expected around midnight. Soon after I retired to my hammock. I was up at dawn and hiked out taking the shortcut path through the potato patch. Will come back for sure to spend some time exploring.

An hours drive later to the Corey's Rd trailhead to find it already overflowing at 8am on a Sunday. Most were probably leaving today. I did find a spot in the main lot as someone must have just left. Signing in at the register I noted pages of people had signed in today. Mostly day hikers for sure. I had about 15 miles to do and gave myself plenty of time to get to Millers Falls and check on the lean-tos along the way. I stepped aside for a small group coming the other way. Then a few miles later a scout troop looking a little weary also came by. I chatted with the SM briefly. There were doing the circumnavigation loop. Good for them.  I stopped at Calkins Brook for an early lunch and checked it out for G&T. For me solo it is a quick hike to here even though it is 6 miles. I then climbed the hill and kept a lookout for the spring to fill up my water bottle. It is always a bit farther than I remember. On the way out I will need to remember to time it. 

There is beginning to be a significant amount of blowdown clearing and side cutting needed for some sections approaching Latham Pond. Took a short break for thew view of the Sewards as I passed Boulder Brook. This is often a rest spot for me in this area. The small path off the trail for a good view is getting a fair bit of use now. I recalled having morning coffee here at one time. The flooded section just before CR#3 had a herd path through the brush to avoid walking the through the muck. CR#3 was nice and clean. I had carried in a log book, but it seems G&T had brought one the last time they were here. I figured I could cross of the name on the one I carried and put it into one of the other lean-tos. After a short break and reading the entries I was off to CR#4 a quarter mile away. A little bit more trash here and the old CR#3 book somehow had made it here. I figured some folks might have been confused as to which lean-to was #3 since they do not go in order on the river. I am sure they thought they were being helpful. Anyway, I changed the name on the cover and wrote a quick note. It was only 3 miles to the Seward lean-to and it was barely 1pm. Even with taking two long breaks I was making great time without trying. As I approached Millers Falls I spotted a tent and hammock set-up in the camping area. The lean-to was oddly vacant. I went out to the river to get some water and the two folks who were set up nearby were sunning themselves up above the falls. I did not see them at first until I was headed back to the lean-to. 

A short while later Susan and John came in from their swim &sun. We talked a while and I set up my hammock nearby. John stopped back at the lean-to while I was having a beverage. I offered him one which he obliged. We talked and he told me about the family's plan to section hike the NPT. They had done some of it a few years ago on the recommendation of another lean2rescue volunteer who happens to be the adopter for the other 2 Cold River lean-tos. I made myself a huge dinner and went to bed not long after it got dark.

Even with "sleeping in" and a slow start I was moving by 8:30am. Said farewell to Susan & John and made my way back. Saw a couple thru-hikers along the way. Offered them early congratulations and recommended Wanika Falls for their final night. A long break at CR#3 to watch the sun light up the river. The morning sun reflecting on the river and rocks sparkles like gemstones. As George wrote in the log book, this is probably the best view from a lean-to in all the Adirondacks.

As I was readying to leave Susan & John arrived. They asked if the could take a photo of the Seward Steward. Susan jokingly asked if that is why I adopted it; for the name. I chuckled and said no, but that is a clever name. I retraced my route in stopping again at the spring and Calkins lean-tos for lunch. Back at the car by 3pm.

Six Days on the Finger Lakes Trail 70 miles and 9.9k of elevation (M18-M15)

Met Shannon at the twin tunnels access point Sunday morning. We dropped off our food resupply while on the way to the RT79 trailhead. I had hiked the first half of our route a little more than a year ago. So I had a vague memory of what to expect. The trail gets cganged quite a bit, and a lot of the road crossing seems to blend in with each other. As we readied our gear, a couple more cars pulled in to the lot. Local bike riders. We chatted a bit and then made our way to the trailhead. Immediately we saw the flooded section. Not sure what to do, I looked at my map. I had an older one on which I hand drew the current trail, The old route provided us a bypass around the flooded section along a dirt road. As we hiked up the road towards firetower road the opportunity existed to cut through the woods to the new trail. Not wanting to trespass, we stayed on the dirt rd and then the paved roads to where the trail would enter the state forest. Once in the forest, the trail was much nicer walking. The miles peeled off and after not too long we were approaching the Shindagin woods which would be camp for night one. Dan and I had camped here a few springs ago after a much longer day. Shannon and I did 8.5 miles. I was looking forward to washing up in the creek, but the stream was barely a trickle. A few deeper spots allowed us to get water without too much difficulty.

While at the Shindagin lean-to quite a few day hikers would come through. Very popular area, surprised no one else was camping here. Slept great. I was up well before Shannon so I made coffee and packed up. When we eventually headed out it was past 9 am. The trail would go downhill for a while and then uphill a lot. This would be our routine for the rest of the trip. Coupled with very few water sources made for some heavier packs having to carry multiple liters of water. A lot of roadwalking for the trip which in the heat was brutal. Just after lunch the second day, we were heading up Eastman hill. I remembered how steep this was. As we neared the top, I needed to take a rest. I was hot... too hot. I needed to cool down and have some water. It took a while. I was legitimately nervous for a bit that I would not be able to continue. Early stages of heat exhaustion was getting the best of me. The long rest was helpful. Took it slow for the rest of the day. Even had to climb another pesky hill, though not as steep. Filtering water from some sketchy sources was necessary. We passed by Tamarack lean-to and then it would be mostly downhill to our next campsite. Over 15 miles for the day with some brutal hills. This was our long day. It should get easier from here.

Only a half mile left of this section which I have done. Another few miles in the woods and then a long roadwalk made even longer as we never found the turn off into the woods. The markers heading in this direction are not very clear. Was getting frustrating trying to navigate a trail which was made difficult by roads. Much easier in the woods. When we finally got back on trail, it was short lived. As we passed through a field the markers did not show where it re-entered the woods. There were multiple trails and old dirt paths throughout. We took a compass bearing and followed one going in the correct direction. It started heading downhill, the wrong way. We hiked back up, and I took a bearing to get us to where we needed to go on the next road. This was getting really frustrating. So we were back on a road hiking in the hot sun. Neither of us was happy. This was not fun for me. I guess there was a reason i stopped hiking the Finger Lakes Trail except for short camping trips into the state forests. We picked up or resupply and made our way to Treman Park for our 3rd night. This was a shorter day at 10 miles. We would hike down to the park and swim (also to get water from the campground). The Lean-to is far away from a water source and is full of carpenter bees. Not a great location. Barely half way through the trip and I was really not enjoying myself. The swim in the creek was nice. I made a no-cook dinner to conserve water.

The trail out of the park was up on a ridge so it didn't really provide a nice view of the park. Once out, we had some more road walking to do. Again the trail disappeared so we added more road. We stopped at a private campground which had ice-cream in the camp store and a spigot to fill our water bottles. The folks here were very nice. The trail would go in/out of woods crossing roads. Some reroutes and more road. Some quite steep.We had to gain almost 2000 feet.  It was a little cooler than the first few days. Then it started to rain. Of course it would rain today, as this was the only planned campsite without a lean-to. Fortunately the rain would subside long enough for us to set up camp and eat. We got more rain over night. But by morning we were able to pack up without it. 

The rain the previous night had cooled things down nicely. We had a long downhill for the day and then a long uphill to the Rogers Hill lean-to. By now we were both hyper focused on the trail blazes. A private landowner had a spigot where the trail crossed his land for hikers to use. This was nice. The dirt rd up to the Rogers Lean-to was long but not too bad. As we got closer to the top we met a few gentlemen on a golf cart. They were wearing "period clothing". They were the administrators for a pre-1840 rendezvous. They made sure we found our campsite and we settled in at the lean-to. There was pond out in front which made for a nice swim. Our campsite was just outside the area in which the rendezvous was occurring. A group of kids came by to chat. All were in period gear. The multi-age group of kids reminded me of the pack of kids that would form at the folk festivals I attended as a kid. Some how all the kids would find each other and roam around with the oldest boy seemingly at the helm.  With the festival going on, they had brought in large cisterns of potable water. We were both happy to not be drinking pond water, filtered or not. Shannon went to take some photos off the hill. When she returned she mentioned the "food tent". They were going to be offering french toast in the morning on Saturday. We were a few days too early. I walked around a bit and talked to a man and his wife who were set up not far from us. The man said, "you look familiar." After a brief exchange we realized we knew each other from the paddling forums. Small world. They offered me some iced tea. Was nice to have a drink with ice in it. 

We were in bed before it got dark and up before most of the encampment. We packed up and quietly hiked down the hill. Some more road walking. This was our last day so packs were much lighter. We passed by a campsite with two ladies making breakfast. Then we started up hill. We paused to chat with a hiker coming the other direction. He was walking in  teva sandals. He had done the AT and found these to be much more comfortable for him than hot sweaty boots. Was a nice break from the climb. Made our way to the National Forest and began climbing that dirt rd. The hiker had mentioned there was no water at the Dunham shelter. We only had about 5 miles to go, I figured I could ration my water until then. The last few miles before the RR grade were through mowed field. Not very fun hiking for me. But we made it to the car. I still had a pint of water. We changed out of hiking clothes, retrieved our food storage and headed to my car. Shannons GPS tried to take us on a rd which no longer existed so we had to figure out a way using the paper map to get us back on track. My car was still there with intact windows and tires. 70.1 miles and I have barely 33% of the FLT complete. I think I will take a break from it for a while.

Trails, bushwhacks, caves and rain. Had it all. Six days in the West Canada Lakes.

Day one: Met Shannon at the trailhead parking on Haskell Rd. As we were getting ready another vehicle pulled in with six other hikers. The weather for the next few days was not favorable, after that the forecast is too far to predict. All geared up, we set out along the NPT towards Spruce Lake. Today would be about ten miles. The trail here is quite familiar to me yet I always seem to rediscover its less obvious features which were lost in my memory. Small drainages, large rocks, obscure side paths, etc... A lot of past memories come back vividly, of meeting people on the trail and other experiences from past adventures. So far the weather was perfect. Not too hot, nor rainy. We played leap frog with the other group a couple times. Seemed like more, but it was really one group and a solo thru- hiker. Some of them were going all the way to Placid for their 30th anniversary, the others were hiking with them to Wakely. I offered some hints as to nice places along the way and mentioned the flooded section just north of the Carry lean-to.We made decent time and arrived at Spruce Lake #2 by early afternoon. There were two guys who had hiked in for the day and were just leaving. The lean-to was mostly clean. Some plastic spice jars on the floor had been chewed on, and a few cans of chef boyardee on the shelf. I ate my first late lunch, set up camp and gathered firewood. Our packs were a tad heavy carrying six days worth of food. Since we were coming back this way in two days, we would secure a bear caninister with our food off trail for the second half of our trip. Made a small fire to dispel the bugs. On it we poured the oregano and garlic powder from the containers to get rid of them.Amde a nice smelling campfire. We were both in bed before the sun went down.

Day two: Since we had been expecting rain, and didn't get any I figured we were ahead of the curve already for the trip. No complaints here. Sicne we had gone to bed early, arising with the sun still allowed for a lot of sleep. We didn't need to rush either as today was only another ten miles or so. Nearby we hid our bear canister and continued North on the NPT. At Sampson Bog we passe by the hikers from the previous day. We chatted a bit and crossed the waterfall without the bridge with ease. Not long later we stopped for a snack and they caught up with us. One of the older women mentioned she was worried about the flooded section and had considered turning back. We hiked with them a short while as I re-assured her it was not as bad as she thought. Just not fun. I said I would have felt extremely guilty had she turned around. A few others had mentioned to Shannon the concern from this woman as well. Again we found ourselves ahead of the group. Took a long lunch break at South Lake. A southbound hiker was swimming near the bridge just up the trail. The bridge here is beginning to show some wear. Still structurally sound, but will need some maintenance in the near future. This would not be a fun crossing without a bridge.

As we passed by the side trail to West Lake Shannon marvelled at the sign. I had forgotten about it. We signed in at the register near the old ranger station and french louies fireplace. The reroute trail from many years ago had been quite a mess. Due to all the dry weather it was quite easy. Passing by Mud Lake I remembered last year's shorelinme search for the old campsite to no avail. A few blowdowns in the area are tough to duck under. Found an almost brand new hat on one of them. I picked it up figuring it was part of the groups ahead of us. We caught up with them at the bridge over Mud Creek. They said the hat was not their's but maybe the southbound hiker. We said we were heading to Cedar #3 lean-to, they said they were considering either #1 or #2. I told them #2 (Beaver Pond) was the nicer option. When we arrived at the fisherman's lean-to we found it surprisingly empty. It was early still though. We set up camp and I read the log book. A few entries mentioned how nice the privy was; Shannon disagreed vehemently. As it was early we put togther day packs and hiked back up the trail to the NPT and then took a bearing to French Louie's cave. It had been a few years and I have never come at it from this angle. A few herd paths going in the approximnate direction made travel a wee bit easier. As we began the up hill portion something didn't feel right even though I was now looking at my compass more diligently. We paused and I realized we were on the wrong upslop of the rise. I must have gone right past it and was now going up the wrong side of the hill. Fortunately we weren't lost, just not where we wanted to be. This side of the hill had quite a few large boulders which makes following the cvontour around difficult. A few steep sections to drop through. Both fun and annoying at the same time. As we came around the correct side, the sky changed and a few drops of rain began. We cozied up near a gaint rock which provided enough shelter for Shannon to put on her pack cover. Not wanted to fuss around in the rain looking for the cave, I took a bearing back to our starting point. The rain was just a few drops and the terrain was looking more familiar. I said, let's just bend around a little farther to look. We did this twice and sure enough there was the cave. I pinned a waypoint on my phone to share with Andy as I never had the exact coordinates. Shannon took some photos. A shot a bearing back and followed it more closely this time ignoring the herd paths. Hit the NPT six feet from where we started. Trust the compass.

Back at camp I took a swim as I was a bit dirty after two days of hiking including the short bushwhack. The water felt great. Made a nice dinner of tortelinni with pesto sauce. I put in some of my lunch pepperoni. Will have to have this one again. Aside from the small sprinkle atop cobble hill (the real one) we have had perfect weather. Shannon climbed into bed early. I ribbed her a bit for it, and 5 minutes later also climbed into my bag.

Day 3. Was a little cooler last night. No complaints. After breakfast we decided to finish the french Louie loop instead of back tracking. This would make today significantly longer by almost 60%. With very light packs we figured it was not a problem. We set out and had a couple miles of nice hiking. Soon the rains came. Not just a little rain, but buckets. Last time I saw rain like this was when Andy and I had camped near Wakely. I had to hike without my glasses as the water was too much. The rain stopped abrubtly and the sun came out. A little bird chirped moments before hinting at he possibility. I was not looking forward to crossinbg the funhouse bridge with the rain like that. The middle section is at a 45 degree angle and with rain probably not very safe. With the sun, it had dried mostly when we got to it. We got to hike almost dry to the Pillsbury lean-to where we had lunch. The sun was out drying off our packs. Noisey Ridge across the lake started to live up to its name. Clouds were low over the ridge and the sound of rain pouring over the forest could be heard rumbling. We were finished with lunch so we headed back to the trail hoping the westerly winds would push the system past us. It didn't and minutes after getting back on the trail the thunderous rains we heard over Noisey Ridge were soon upon us. Shannon's pace quickened. She later joked she was "trying to outrun it". Again my glasses were off. Due to Shannon's pace we arrived at Sampson Lake in about an hour. The rains subsided for the most part which meant I could now wear my glasses again. With two miles left to the next junction and half our daily miles behind us we were making decent time. As we hiked towards the NPT my mind wandered to whether Dan would be waiting for us, or we would arrive before him. He was hiking with Kristi the last few days in the Pharaoh Lakes region and planned to meet us at Spruce #1. A short break at the junction, then back on the trail we hiked the previous day. Momemts later two thru hikers came by. For the rains we just experienced they were in good spirits. We chatted a bit about their next few miles and inquired as to their planned destination. They said the tent site at Mud Lake. I told them I did not think that site exists having looked for it many times. Not to mention with these storms searching for a not so obvious tent site would certainly sour their trip. I gave them information about the lean-tos and sites a mile before it and recommended a couple. They had spent the night at Fall Stream and I suppose were looking to avoid lean-to areas, I hope they heeded my advice.

Over the years the trail maintainers for this section of the NPT have put in a lot of time construction bog bridges over the wettest sections. The logs wwere slippery due to the rain, the rocks were not much better. Shannon had already slipped on the logs and I on the rocks rolling my ankle. Hoping to not have it too sore in the morning. Just after Spruce #3 we gathered up our bear canister and carried it to Spruce #2 to pack them for the last eight tenths of a mile. Shannon also took a couple of the chef boyardees to have for dinner. As we approached Spruce #1 I saw a man heading towards the lean-to with an armful of wood. I called out, "hey Dan-O". He had arrived at the lean-to about an hour before. He was surprised we weren't there yet, but figured I said I would be there. Since Shannon and I were crashing in the lean-to, Dan set up his tent nearby. Not long after the rains came again. Another torrential downpour. All the wood in the area had been soaked so Dan was waiting for me to do the fire. I was not feeling like it, so he used the torch to get it all going. Took a bit of time but soon he had enough to cook his dinner. Using the fire, he dried out some wood and stashed it under the lean-to. Not being very hungry I had a small cup of soup. 3 days in and I had already skipped two dinner entrees. We stayed up later than usual, might have even made it to 9pm. It rained all night long.

Day 4. Up with the sun, well daylight. Sun was not shining. Everything was wet even the air. Dan had stashed a bit of dry wood but I wanted to test myself. I gathered wood from the soaking wet forest. I found a dead birch tree which I stripped off some bark, and a downed spruce from which I gathered some fine twigs. I made a base with some dry punky wood froma stump and built the fire. With enough small stuff to dry the bigger stuff I got the fire going using a single match. Is always good to practice for when I really need it. With the fire now going strong I heated some water for coffee. Dan and Shannon were now up. It wasn't raining but the air was still wet. Then it started raining again. Then it stopped. Then more rain. Basically this was the entire day on and off rain. Dan went fishing while Shannon and I rested after yesterday's long day. During one of the breaks in the rain I hiked back to Spruce #2 to check out a side trail and pick up the last can of chef boyardee. Dan returned with a single fish which did not survive being hooked otherwise he would have releaased it. He had the fish as a snack, I made myself some stroganoff and we went to bed.

Day 5. Dan wanted to check out a trout pond a copuple miles away and I wanted to check out a section of the outlet river from a failed bushwhack attempt years ago. I found a 1903 map which showed a trail to my desired location. I had no delusions this trail would still exist at all. Looking at the map we determined there was not way for us to bushwhack together and then break off, so we split up. Dan went to the trout pond and Shanon joined me on my off trail adventure. We paddled the glassy surface of the lake to the far corner where the old map showed the trail. Shannon tried taking photos of the newts in the water. With the canoe stowed on the far shore, we donned our day packs. Even though it was not raining we put on rain pants due to the wet underbrush. The old trail followed a generally straight bearing up to the shoulder of Spruce Lake Mtn. I was slightly concerned about our path as the map showed it running right through a marshy area. With the compass calibrated to the correct bearing we headed off into the brush. I was careful to follow the bearing after the ordeal the other day. A lot of false drainages heading in almost the right direction could easily get me off track here. First up and over a small rise and then the marshy area. I was expecting it to be alot larger. A large step over the creek running through it and we were back in a mossy spruce forest. Another climb ot the shoulder and shot another bearing which would eventually bring us to the river. The side of the mtn was quite rocky and travel was not that easy on the downslope. We did cross a very nice drainage with good water. As we continued down the river would be joining us. I could hear some rapids just off our bearing. Evetually I broke off the bearing and headed striaght to the water. We were well east of our desired spot on the river but the sound of the rapids was like s siren call to me. We had some lunch on the rocks and then headed downstream. A stillwater section came into view but the edge of the river was brushy. We ducked back into the woods to go around the obstacle and were soon on the other side of the stillwater. It was too small to be our target. I said I wanted to head downstream for another 20 minutes. Back in the woods and through some dense spruce for a short while and then back into hardwoods and witchopple. Then the true stillwater target appeared. Looked just as I though from scouting the aerial photos. We spotted an old coffee pot in the woods but no discernible place to camp. The large marshy section between the forest and the river's edge was not to bad to walk through so we opted for that. There were peninsulas of forest poking into the marsh. I kept setting my target to each of these. None proved to have a good view. I saw an eagle fly from one of the trees. Eventually on the last one, I could see the edge of the river as it made a northerly bend. It had only taken 5 minutes to cross the last marshy section so I told Shannon I just needed to get to that spot. So we trudged off through the marsh to the river's edge. Finally, I had made ot to the spot I had seen on the map and in the aerial photos. There was a great view looking down river with one of the Twin Mountains in the background. We took some photos and then with the time check we needed to start heading back. I had wanted to explore more here but it will have to wait for another time.

We headed back through the marsh. Following our tracks wasn't so bad but when we went around the peninsulas the grasses were tall and moving through them just sapped our energy. we could hardly wait to get back into the forest without the drag of the grasses and bushes. I reversed my bearing knwoing we would be taking a slightly different route back due me turning off the bearing to the sound of the river earlier. While following this bearing travel was easy. At times it felt like a trail but likely just wishful thinking. Regardless, the direction of travel had us moving through easy terrain even as we gained elevation up to the shoulder of the mountain. This route had us slightly more west and we passed by a nice cliff face. At the shoulder I adjusted the bearing to match the change in the "trail" as we did on our way to the river. As we approached the swampy section it looked much larger than it did the other way. Looking at the map, the trail was supposed to go right through the center. I wondered if earlier we had just hit a small arm of it and got lucky. Steppoing into the spongy mass the grasses here exacerbated our weariness. I knew we were just a tad west from where we crossed before so I headed to that edge of the swamp. Ducking intot he woods for abut and then out to he small section of swmp. We did not see the exact spot we crossed earlier but it must have been close. Up and obver the hill and back to Spruce Lake was all that was left. Not wanting to walk right past the lake on the side of a ridge, I cheated a bit to the east. At one point Shannon realized she lost the rain cover to her pack. We headed back up the hill for a few hundred yards looking for it. She could not recall the last time it was on her pack. We felt bad leaving it in the woods. Soon the lake was in view and because I had cheated east we were east of our target. Shannon waited here while I followed the shoreline to the canoe and paddled to where she awaited. The winds had picked up a bit so the lake was not glass like earlier but still an easy paddle back to camp. It was now dinner time. Shannon got the fire going while I cleaned myself up at the water. I commented how refreshing it was so Shannon also decided to go. We were just finishing eating when Dan arrived. We figured he would be back after us as he was planning on fishing the pond. He caught a few fish and prepared then for his dinner. We shared the details of our adventures with each other and by the time we went to bed it was close to ten. What a great day.

Day 6 was just packing up and heading back. We hiked with Dan for about 2 miles until the junction to his trailhead and we continued on to ours for another 7 miles. At the cars we cleaned up and heasded home. When I stopped for gas I texted Justin the photo of the stillwater to see if he could the location. I should not have been surprised he got it on the first try. Maybe he and I will head back there and do some more exploring.

Winter or Not? -Lake George WF

The last few years I have done a winter trip with Dan between Christmas and New Years. With 5 days, we had many options. Dan suggested a foray into the Lake George Wild Forest as it was an area neither of us have explored. This is also a heavily used area and at this time of year would see less people. Besides hiking, camping and climbing we would also go off trail in search of special trout ponds. We sent our itinerary to a few friends in case they were able to join us for part of our trip.

Day one consisted of the long drive to Lake George and then along the dirt road to the parking area nearest Shelving Rock Mt. We noticed the "no parking on road" signs all along the way, and numerous dedicated lots showing just how much use this area must get in the height of the season. We saw no cars, and no signs of people on this day. The temp was barely int he twenties as we parked the car and geared up. Tonight and the last night were fore-casted to be the coldest of the nights, with friday being unseasonably warm and rainy. As such, we had to pack for two seasons; winter and rain. That and 5 days of food made for an unusually heavier pack. The hike began along an old roadway. We noted the exquisite stonework used to shore up the edge. These old roads were much "nicer" than the old logging, or camp roads I am used to seeing. The trail, err road, wound its way up the mountain side. Soon we stopped to shed our heavy layer. A half mile shy of the summit was our trail junction, so we dropped our heavy packs and put back on our heavy layers. Towards the top, there was an area which was obviously a site of an old home, or cabin. After about 1.5 miles and 700', we reached the summit of Shelving Rock Mt. We had a nice view of Lake George looking to the South. We took a few photos and headed back down to the the junction with our awaiting packs. We paused for a snack before continuing on.

From here we would be generally going downhill. Quite steeply in places. In total losing about 600' in elevation in less than 3/4 mile to the shore of Lake George. We continued south to the edge of private land just to see the shoreline. This took us about a half mile out of our way which we would then turn around and continue for another half mile to our camping area. Our chosen site had quite a bit of cut wood apparently from off season blowdown maintenance. We collected our own from a fair distance knowing that this wood is typically for the in -season users. It was still cold, and as the sun began to set, it was getting colder. While setting up his tent, a pole snapped back and hit Dan in the eye. A few highly stressful moments as we gauged whether to abort the trip to get him some emergency help. Fortunately the pole had hit just above the eye and his eye was not damaged. We would monitor though, just to be sure. A great dinner of roast venison with rice/beans.

As predicted it got quite cold over night. Windy too. I woke up often due to the flapping of my tarp. Even with the irregular awakenings, I slept plenty. I was out of my hammock before Dan and re-started the fire. With the water almost ready Dan emerged and finished making the coffee. We ate and packed up, Today would be the toughest as we had our almost full packs and the big climb. We hiked about 2 miles to Black Mt Point all the while exploring the shoreline of the lake. The signpost here gave the mileage to Black Mt Summit as 2.75 miles with 2200' of elevation. It was still cold out, but this climb got the blood pumping and warmed us up. At the junction, 1.8 miles up and 1500' complete we had lunch to fuel us before the next 750' over the next mile. We left our packs here for the final spur trail to the summit and fire tower. As we neared the summit, a view vistas allowed us to see over Lake George and the Tongue Mtn Range. From the top of Black Mtn, we could see not only Lake George, but the other mountains in this range as well as across Lake Champlain and the Green Mtns of Vermont. A mile back to our packs and then a long quarter to our camp at Black Mountain Ponds. While getting camp set up, a two-man group stopped by. They were day hiking the Black Mtn loop. (Fred and ???) As we got our fire going, they headed out. Ground venison stroganoff for dinner. Hearty and filling to refuel after today's workout of only 6 miles, but over 2200' of elevation.

Day 3 we expected rain which came over night. Our main wood pile had glaze ice on it, but we had stashed enough under the lean-to to get a breakfast fire going. Today would be a relatively short day with a lean-to midway for a dry lunch break. As we began to pack up, I looked at my watch and noticed it was a quarter to ten. We knew we slept in, but this was later than we thought. No worries since we had a short day. We donned our rain gear and hiked down to the main trail which connects to the Pike Brook trailhead. From here we headed to Lapland Pond. We followed the shoreline for a bit until we met the trail to the lean-to. Passed bv a fishermans campsite along the way. The lean-to was messy, and the roof leaked. It was also quite low. I hit my head twice on the overhang. At the lean-to was the typical junk including some canned food. We opened a can of campbells soup and heated it up on the stove. Except for the trash, the lean-to was situated at a picturesque spot on the lake. After our break we retraced our steps back to the main trail. Dan spent a little more time looking for boats without any luck. We continued on for another mile to Millman Pond and its lean-to. This one was very nice, and not just relative to the mess at Lapland. The caretakers, ironically are Russ and Dan. According to the log book they check in quite often. The other visitors commented on the outhouse as "the nicest they have ever seen". Before we left we knew we had to at least open the door to the privy. Inside it was painted red and white. there was a nice wooden box for the tp, and the walls were decorated with watercolor paintings encased in plastic. It certainly was the "nicest outhouse" I have even seen too. It was getting later in the afternoon and we had a short two miles to go to our camp for the night at Greenland Pond. we would be arriving with a waning daylight and needed to collect wood. This reminded us both of our winter trip in the Haderondah, specifically arriving at East Pond. We gathered the scraps nearby, and eventually found some downed hardwood quite a distance away. Dan cut it up and we carried it back to the lean-to as the woods darkened. We had to get water using headlamps. even with the wet wood we got a good fire going and stashed some extra birchbark for the morning.

we had bean and cheese burritos with salsa for dinner and went to bed. It was windy over the night. Not so much it kept us up but just enough to dry out much of the wood. Starting a fire int he morning was much easier especially with the dry charred logs from our evening fire. Another short day to camp, but we would first need to find a spot. We first explored Fishbrook Pond and its 2 lean-tos before continuing on to Bumps Pond. A very nice campsite was situated on the point, but with the winds it would not work on the this trip. We continued around the pond and found a designated site at the old homestead location. The remnant chimney was still there. Dan went to look for other potential spots while I collected firewood. We spent the early afternoon setting up camp and getting more wood. We still had some time and the bushwhack to Spectacle Ponds was on our itinerary so we loaded up day packs and headed down the trail to where we took a bearing. Our path to Spectacle was rough through a lot of small spruce thickets and beaver ponds to go around. It took a little longer than we expected to get there, but we still had enough time to explore its shoreline. At the southern end we opted to take a bearing to the Bumps Pond outlet and then follow it back to the trail. This was a much better route. As the trek progressed I could feel my legs running out of gas. The last quarter mile would be climbing around a small hill and then dropping down to the trail close to where we took our original bearing. We got back to camp before sunset. The fore was ready to go, so we got it lit. As the woods darkened, we noticed the temperature dropping rapidly and the stars emerging. We expected it would be a cold night. Some soup for dinner and then a walk to the pond's shore to look up to the sky before bed.

Dan was up before first light. He gathered the dry kindling we stashed under my tarp and got the fire going. I went to get water. By the time the fire was going the woods began to brighten in the pre-dawn making our headlamps no longer necessary. We chatted and packed up. We had more miles to do today but it would be mostly downhill back to the car, this would be after we climbed Sleeping Beauty Mtn. The northern trails had a lot more snow and ice than we had been walking on the last 4 days. After climbing about 500' over about a mile, we reached a lookout and wondered how such a well marked area would not have a sign to the summit. We descended a bit and then the spur trail to the summit appeared. Sleeping Beauty overlooked Lake George and also had views to the east. we spent a little time taking photos and climbing the various rocky knobs. It was still a bit cold out, but we basked in the warmth of the morning sun. We had the summit to ourselves.

We headed down the icy trail and over the next couple miles passed quite a few groups headed up. From dacy Clearing we had a number of options to get back to the car. We made decisions at each intersection which trail to take. It was obvious these trails get very little use compared to the main trails. About a mile before the car, we stopped at a pretty waterfall for lunch. Sitting for even the short lunch break allowed us to realize it was still rather cold. We arrived back to the car and noted the lot had quite a few more vehicles. It was apparent this area is heavily used. We were fortunate to have found the solitude and steal another pre-winter backpacking trip at the end of December.

Cold River Loop 2018

I have been doing this loop for quite a few years now since the first time with my friend Ian. I have hiked it clockwise, counter-clockwise, as a 3-day trip, as an strenuous over-nighter, as well as using it as part of a figure-8 loop covering 60 miles. This time would be the clockwise loop with the last day as a short 6 miler. Two of the folks from last year were with me, Ryan and Kalie. Also joining us was my friend Andy.

We started a little after 9am, the parking lot for the Seward trailhead was already starting to fill up. We signed in at the register and noted everyone would be concentrated on the peaks, like usual. The black flies were starting to come out, I did not notice if the were the biters as they more or less stayed away from my permethrin treated clothes. As we hiked they were non-existent but would begin to swarm if we stopped for too long. We passed by a few hikers, some of whom were wearing bugnets.

We took a left at the first junction to follow the footpath along the boundary of the Ampersand property. We would pass by Blueberry and Ward Brook lean-tos. Both of which had hikers prepping for their conquest of the Sewards and/or Seymour Mtn. The couple at Ward Brook had day hiked from Duck Hole to climb Seymour, they had come in via Bradley pond. Quite a journey.

We took our first long break at Camp Four, which we had to ourselves. A recon of the thunderbox showed it to be unusable as a tree had fallen on it. We ate a late lunch and discussed the next few miles. A steady uphill followed by a downhill to the Cold River. We were 6 miles in on our 9ish mile day. The bugs seemed to have subsided, but the air felt like rain was coming.

The uphill on the old truck trail seems to be less steep each time I do this loop. Soon we were heading down towards the beaver meadow. The first time I did this loop we had gone counter clockwise and the trail across the meadow was a small beaver dam which we had to pick our way across with mostly dry feet. Since then, it had been dry, with remnants of the dam the only evidence of that first wet crossing. This time, however would be different. Somewhere downstream, the busy little rodents had done a much better job, and the trail was considerably under water. Kalie started to pick her way along the right edge of the trail, and Ryan on the left. Soon Ryan was just walking knee deep in the water and out the other side. I accepted the inevitability of the situation and followed Ryan. Soon we were all on the other side with significant water in our shoes. We only had about a mile or so to camp, and we arrived in the afternoon to both lean-tos vacant. We chose the one closer to the water, and just relaxed for a while as we had plenty of time. George and Tammy had left the Calkins Brook lean-to book for me to deliver. I was already carrying 4 others (Ouluska, Seward, CR-3 & 4. They had written as the first entry into the Calkins book, "Russ, please bring me to the Calkins Brook lean-to". I literally laughed out loud upon reading it.

With our wet socks hanging to dry, we focused on camp chores interspersed with just sitting around. Dinner was eventually made as well as a fire. A couple hiking the NPT southbound stopped over to say hello. They chose to stay at the other lean-to. I was tired. The sound of the river coupled with the fact I was up at 3am had me in bed not long after sunset. I barely remember even lying down in the hammock. I slept great.

I was up rather early as usual even though I tried to sleep in. Ryan was in the lean-to, so I did little to avoid disturbing him. Once he was awake, I restarted the fire to make a quick pot of water for coffee. Not long after everyone else was up. The couple from across the way started down the trail. I half-expected to see them again at Cold River 3 or 4. We were on the trail a little ways after 8am with a big day ahead of us. At least we would be going downstream for a majority.

The NPT between the junction and Rondeau's hermitage is difficult no matter which way you go. Constant up and downs with not easy footing. It is a long few miles with little to see along the way except for the big green tunnel. One earns these miles. The old logging camp is growing in a lot. I remember it being more field-like but the shrubs have given way to small saplings. The old implements can still be seen scattered around.

We paid our respects to Noah John, the Mayor of Cold River and headed the last half mile to the Ouluska Lean-to. A fellow hiker was here taking a break. He was doing the same loop as us counter-clockwise. There was some gear in the lean-to which he said was not his. He also mentioned the couple who was ahead of us. I glanced at the gear in the lean-to and immediately recognized the sit pad as belonging to Tammy; this was George and Tammy. I was hoping to run into them. I signed in to the register, and said "hi" to G&T. A few moments later they came down the trail. We chatted for a bit. They had spent the last two nights here and were on their way back to camp. We also had quite a few miles left for the day. A few sprinkles began to fall, but it never coalesced into a rain.

We stopped again for a longer break at the Seward Lean-to. We had a little scare as Ryan seemed to have misplaced his car keys. He was using them to open his bear canister. With a methodical search, they were found sitting on his pack. The trail between Seward and Big Eddy was a real mess in the years after Irene but has since been cleared. Some new blowdown now exists along the rest of the trail. I dropped of the register as CR-4, and we rested more at CR-3. I somewhat expected we would stay here for the night as it was later in the day than I anticipated. The group opted to press on even with the knowledge we would be climbing steadily to a higher elevation. The trail would be a lot easier though being the old horse trail, and a road in previous times. I had forgotten about the final downhill section immediately before we reached our destination, Calkins Brook. This was longer than I remembered. It was early evening when we arrived to the two lean-to's finding them both unoccupied. We were all tired as this was about a 14 mile day, and the tough miles in the beginning. I gathered a small amount of wood even though a decent amount was already there. I try to not use what others have collected without at least doing my part. Dinner was made. I strung up my hammock. Kalie went to hang her bear bag. It wasn't completely dark before I wandered off to my hammock. The three of them would crash in the lean-tos. It was a little colder this night. Partially due to the wind.

Again I was up before the rest. I quietly made a fire and had some coffee before anyone else even stirred. We only had 6 miles to go, but it would be mostly uphill. Plans were already made for lunch at the Lumberjack diner. The hike out was quiet as everyone was tired. We were finishing the last few miles of a 30-mile trip and I was already contemplating the next iteration for next year. Gotta love Cold River Country.

Very remote Adirondack Lake

It had been a few years since Justin and I had visited this remote lake in the West Canada Lakes Wilderness. Justin had spent quite some time scouting out the best route. On one of his last trips he exited via a different route. This trip would make the loop in reverse. Our buddy Dan would join us. A remote Adirondack lake with brook trout is too much for him to resist.

The weather had called for rain all day, so we were expecting the hike to be a slog pretty much the entire way until we arrived to camp. Last minute forecast appeared not so bad. The hike in would begin on an old road and then turn off on an unmarked path for a few miles. As we began, the trail was a slow general uphill. As a weekend warrior, these first quarter miles of uphill always seem to remind me I need to be in better shape. Even with a light pack, made 24 oz heavier with a few cans from Justin. It took a few minutes for us to find the unmarked path as it was not so obvious from the old road. I packed a collapsible fishing rod and reel, as did Justin. Dan carried in 3 poles and his canoe paddle. while it was nice to be backpacking in the Adirondacks without snow again, this particular path was not extraordinary; was still pretty enough though. It is always nice to see the trout lilys and trillium in these early days after the snow has gone.

We stopped shortly at the private cabin along the path and spoke with the caretaker briefly. The path would end soon after and our bushwhack would begin. Once off trail, we would be pushing though witchopple and across the edges of marshes. The terrain was not too bad, but the witchopple certainly was a pain. We paused for a snack at the last vly before regaining a trail for the last bit to reach the west end of the lake. An established campsite was here along with a canoe in very good shape. A small jon boat should also be nearby according to Justin. Dan and I took the canoe and began our way down the length of the lake while Justin walked the shore line looking for the other boat. There was a bit of wind but the paddling was easy. We found our campsite, and I began collecting firewood while Dan paddled back for Justin.

When Dan and Justin finally arrived, I had collected some hard wood from quite a distance away as the campsite is in mostly a spruce forest. Justin had walked a bit more than half the shoreline before the found the jon boat soon after Dan had intercepted him. Dan would fish, while Justin and I set up camp. It was early afternoon and we had arrived at camp with no rain for the day. I considered the trip a win at that point. I made a small fire for a cup of coffee. Dan arrived to set up camp and showed off a big brook trout he caught. Was 15 inches or so; a beauty. Dan set up camp and Justin took the jon boat out to fish. Soon after Dan and I were out fishing from the canoe. we paddled the eastern shore and up to the northern inlet. I landed the second brook trout about the same size as Dan's. We fished and paddled and explored the eastern side of the lake. By the time we headed back in we had 4 excellent fish for dinner. Right across form the campsite along the island Dan would hook and land the last fish, largest of all. Justin was on the island and took a quick video of the fight. This fish ended up at 17 inches, 1 lb 14.5 ounces. At camp we cooked up the 3 smallest trout which was almost too much for the 3 of us to eat.

Darkness soon came and my eyes were getting heavy. The early wake-up, the hike, full stomach, and the quiet lullaby of the Adirondack woods was too much. I made my way to my hammock and was asleep in no time. I tried to sleep in, and thought I did as Dan was up before me. As we were getting coffee going Justin remarked from his tent it was only 6am. The woods were bright in the morning glow of the soon to be rising sun. Out by the water, the grasses showed the remaining frost. The chilly morning was sandwhiched between the hot coffee and the warmth of the campfire. I took it all in, while Dan set out for some early morning fishing. The air was still, and the water was glass. I caught a glimpse of the rising sun as it sparkled though the budding branches along the shore.

I made some breakfast and packed up my gear in shifts. Justin did the same. Dan fished the morning with not a single hit. As he packed up his gear, I paddled west to return the canoe to where we found it. By now the winds had picked up a bit. Justin was a short ways behind me with the jon boat to give me a ride back to the campsite. With the canoe back where we found it, we looked around a bit more to see if another boat was around and also to look for the USGS benchmark shown on the map. With no luck, we both entered the jon boat and began our way east. We soon realized that our positioning would not work, so we adjusted and each used an oar as a paddle. It was slow going and the oars were heavy. The boat was also returned to its original location near the garbage pile left from the days when float planes used to be able to fly into the lake. From here we would walk the dense shore line back to camp.

All packed up and ready, we left camp around 11:30 am. Mostly bushwhacking to start but not as thick and marshy as yesterday. Also this route would pass by and along some pretty streams and cascades. It was a quieter hike out. I suppose we were all a bit tired. It seemed to take longer, but looking at the time it was about the same. The last 3 miles would be along the old road bed. Easy walking but muddy, and I was tired. The sun was shining; I had remembered to put on sunscreen but probably not enough. Back at the cars we loaded up and congratulated each other on another fine trip.

Cabin Camp in the Cold

Having a few days after Christmas to spend in the woods is always a great present to myself. I was meeting friends on Thursday in Saratoga, so I was looking for a location in the Eastern Adirondacks. I was simultaneously making plans with two other hiking buddies and it all came together to camp at a rustic cabin and hike around the Hammond Pond Wild Forest. I picked up Dan early Tuesday morning and we made our way to North Hudson. With our gear loaded into my pulk we hiked the 10 minutes to the cabin, unloaded the sled and Dan went back for the second load. Justin was already at the cabin doing some repair work. We settled in and talked about our plans.

That afternoon we hiked the trail from where we parked past Trout Pond and then to Round Pond. The pond was snow covered and the ice seemed safe so we hiked across the pond to the campsite. We kept our distance from each other just in case. We stopped at the campsite for just a few minutes and then hiked around the shore of the pond back to the trail. As we hiked back to the trail head we could already feel the temperature begin to drop. Back at the cabin, we added a load of wood to the stove and got dinner ready. I made rigatoni with tomato sauce and sausage and meatballs. We ate like champs but still had some leftover. Justin helped me with the dishes. We talked and listened to music. I went to be early before the others.

The next day was already cold, and we knew it wasn't supposed to get much warmer and the night could drop to 20 below. After a feast of breakfast we decided on our plan for the day and got our day packs set. Justin had wanted to do a loop to Eagle's Nest Lake and climb Harris Hill. We first hiked to the nearby cabin to see the view from below their deck. Then hiked on to some meadows and marshy areas on our way to the drainage that was the outlet of Eagle's Nest Lake. Along the way we walked through some stands of cedar trees, noting that there were a lot of young growth at the base of the older trees. I wondered aloud whether it was growth from the root stock of the older trees. Justin had come this way before, but only to one of the meadows right before the drainage we would then follow. We took a break near where Justin had turned around, it had been a little more than an hour since we left camp.

Dan led the way up through the drainage. There was a lot to maneuver around, over and through. Eventually the outlet was to choked in so we headed up and away from it. The Lake was close. we could see the white surface from our higher vantage point and made our way to it. We would stop here for a lunch break. we chose to sit on some logs to face the cliffs on the North side of the lake. After lunch we crossed the lake to the campsite just east of the cliffs and began our climb up. We stopped for a bit towards the top where we would turn west. There was a open area with oak trees around. We headed west gaining more elevation to eventually reach our goal, the summit of Harris Hill. The sky was clear, the trees were icy, and the view spectacular. We took some pictures and had a snack. We would continue westward to two other summits, able to see the views of the high peaks along the way. Pausing at each of the summits and other vantage points for photos and to relish in the visual experience. The last part of the hike would be almost a straight shot to the cabin and downhill through mostly open hardwoods. We headed downhill towards the setting sun and were back well before dark.

A feast of venison, chicken, swiss chard, sweet potatoes and mashed potatoes was prepared. We ate and celebrated Meat Festivus 2017. I joked the only airing of grievances I had was that Rob wasn't here. We listened to music and enjoyed each others company until it was time for bed. I wasn't the first to lie down in my bunk, but I might have been the first to fall asleep. I awoke at some point in the middle of the night and added logs to the stove. The steel was cold, but there were just enough coals to get the dry wood going. In the morning it was 12 below zero. Not as cold as we expected, but still frigid. I put the water on the stove so we could have coffee and cocoa. After breakfast we cleaned up, Justin finished the last of the repairs and we closed up the cabin. Back at the car and it was still below zero. My car had a rough time getting started. Apparently other parts of the Adirondacks were much colder. Another great trip with great friends.

A Paddle and Jaunt... (Colvin Brook Lean-to)

There is a little gem of a spot just a mile off the NorthVille Placid Trail in the West Canada Lakes Wilderness which sees very few visitors. Access requires crossing the Cedar river which usually means getting wet or coming from the south on an abandoned trail and then figuring out a way across a flooded beaver meadow. There is a lean-to at the site which is in need of some TLC. For the last few years I have been the adopter of the lean-to and a 3 mile section of trail nearby. As an adopter I am expected to visit at least twice a year for general cleanup and to report on conditions which require more extensive work. This would be the second trip of the year. Back in the spring I had noted two trees which had fallen across the campsite in front of the lean-to, so this trip would also include cutting up those trees. My buddy Justin decided to join me.

As I pulled into the parking area of Wakely Dam I saw Justin was already there. The hike in would be about 7 miles, and he had sustained an injury a few weeks back so his plan was to paddle up the Cedar River and then hike the remaining two and half miles. I decided to join him int he canoe as i had not paddled the Cedar River flow yet. Along with Justin (and Jenny) two other gentlemen were unloading. They looked familiar and one quickly identified me and where we had met. It was Tim and Scott whom I met deep in the HaDeRonDah Wilderness 2 years ago, They were also planning on going to the Colvin Brook Lean-to. We joked about how we would only see each other in little used areas of the Adks.

With boats all loaded up, we headed up the flow. The water was only a slight bit choppy, nothing too difficult and it was a warm and sunny day. We paddled up the flow and then into the weedy areas to find the right channel which would lead us to the river. It was the first day of hunting season and the area was abuzz with hunters paddling to their hunting grounds. It appeared many campsites on the flow were occupied. Soon after we turned upstream intot he river channel (was much smaller than I expected) we hit the first and only beaver dam. There was an easy take out and put in to bypass the obstruction. The river was windy, it reminded me a bit of the Oswegatchie but with less current. We stopped short of the Carry lean-to at the point where the old road used to cross the river. We stashed the canoe, with a sign letting anyone who might stumble upon it that we would be back in the AM. The old road was easy to follow for the hundred yards up to the NPT which we then followed to the SuckerBrook Trail. The collapsed bridge halfway there is now completely unsafe, hikers have nailed some of the pieces together along with some poles to make skirting along it possible. I reported the collapsed bridge soon after it broke, and my continued conversations with the DEC forester have moved the replacement up the priority list. Hopefully I can get some supplies for the lean-to delivered at the same time as the bridge materials.

Just past the SuckerBrook Junction I picked up the shovel I stashed last spring. We pressed on to the Lean-to and as we approached the Cedar River noted we would likely be able to rock hop instead of donning water shoes. At the other side we we set up, and I cut a few pieces of the tree with the saw. During a break, Tim and Scott showed up. They had decided to stay at the Carry Lean-to as it was unoccupied. Tim took Justin's axe and made quick work of one of the trees. I started in on the thick section of one tree towards its base. We all talked for a while and with most of the work done, Tim and Scott headed back to their site. We finished up with the trees and collected some firewood. Now with all the chores done which I had expected to take all afternoon we took a short walk downstream to the cofluence of Colvin Brook and the Cedar River. We hopped across to the island covered in tall dry grass. Justin made his way to a rock on the other side and spotted the remnants of the rake that used to be at the lean-to. I found a long branch and retrieved the rake. we looked around a bit more. Justin decided to lay down in the grass for a few moments.

When we finally got back to camp it was still early. I figured I would not be up late as i had left quite early in the AM. It has been getting darker earlier and earlier, and with only a sliver of moon it would be quite dark tonight. Should be clear with an opportunity to see the Orionids. Eventually dinner was made, we were using our headlamps by the end. I stayed up as late as I could, but went to bed without seeing any meteors. Justin stayed up a bit later.

I tried to sleep in a long as I could, not wanting to get up while it was still dark. When I finally made the decision, really it was my bladder I heard Justin snap a branch for the fire. Perfect timing. A nice warming fire and some coffee makes for a fantastic morning in the woods. As the daylight returned I snapped a quick picture over the river. I also got one of the dilapidated outhouse. The forester is sure he can get me a thunderbox kit delivered at the same time as the bridge supplies. Between relocating the outhouse here and three others in the high peaks I have some serious digging to do next spring.

It was about a quarter after nine when we finally were packed up and headed home. We stopped at the Carry Lean-to. Tim and Scott were just finishing loading up their kayaks. Glad we got to see them again before they shoved off. I ate a quick snack and we then moved on to the canoe which was right where we left it, undisturbed. The paddle out was nice and easy. A fellow adkforum member, MoodyBlues, passed us on his way in, also heading to Colvin Brook. Three visits this weekend is almost an entire year's worth for the little used spot. He will likely be the last visitor before I get back in the spring.

The weekend was fantastic. A gem of a campsite, perfect weather, seeing some fellow woods travelers and a great friend to share it all with. And no one knew it was my birthday!

Justin had his GoPro and made a video of the trip:

Brook Trout Ponds -Little Joe and Buckhorn

06/11/2016 Brook Trout Ponds -Little Joe and Buckhorn My buddy Dan had a list of brook trout ponds in which he wanted to try his luck None of these ponds had marked trails. We set out on Saturday and made camp at one of the car-camping sites along the Sacandaga River. Nice site except for the trash pile 100 feet away, mostly used diapers. We pre-made our lunch and packed it into day packs and headed out first to Cod Pond. This body of water had a trail and was only a mile or so in. Others had reported it was a nice pond to paddle including its outlet. The pond was pretty, the campsite was ok. We decided to save the day paddle for another time and go check out one of the trout ponds in the area. First we decided to have half our lunch and consult the map to determine the route to our next destination. There is no official trail to this pond, but like many in the Adirondacks there was a fisherman’s path. We followed the path and soon found the pond and a decent campsite. Loaded up the canoe and headed into the water. Immediately saw lots of life in the pond, newts hanging out just below the surface, and a few brookie fingerlings. Dan had a cleo on his line, I had a mepps #2 aglia. Dan got the first hit on a cast close to the shore near the campsite and landed a 12” brookie. It wasn’t long after when I had the first bump on my lure. A bump with no set, meant I had to check whether the hook needed to be sharpened, it did. A few more casts, one into deeper water and I landed my first brookie, another 12”. We paddled around the pond, dropping a line into every tempting spot. Found another campsite and had our second lunch, by his time it was late afternoon. We fished some more and kept only 5 trout between the two of us, the smallest of which was 10”. Dan switched lures around a few times trying out different rigs. He even trolled a bit with a lake clear wobbler and worm, an Adirondack classic set up. He landed one of the nicer trout on this rig. While removing the hook he noted the fish had a newt in its mouth. Must have been on a feeding frenzy. Neither of us knew that brook trout ate newts. I should note the sky was overcast and we had some fog on the lake. The air was misty at times, not enough to get us wet but we had on rain gear just in case. Great fishing weather. We packed up and headed back to camp.

At camp, Dan cleaned the fish and then himself by swimming in the river while I readied dinner. Today was our friend George’s 50th birthday. For the occasion we brought in a few beers, the brand George always brings on trips. We popped them open and toasted to George; then proceeded to drink his beer. We ate dinner close to 7pm. We ate overlooking the river. Our western view included a feeder stream on the other side with a downed birch tree providing color contrast. No pictures except for in my mind. As the sky darkened, we headed to our tent and hammock. Warm and cozy all night. Wind kicked up a bit, but we both slept soundly.

I awoke first and sat by the river for a bit, then put some water on so we could have coffee as soon as Dan emerged. He is in charge of coffee since he uses real stuff. If it was just me, I would have had instant. My hammock was all packed up before Dan finally exited his tent. He made us coffee, and we sipped it while overlooking the river and maps. Simultaneously, we planned our day’s bushwhack and our two-week summer trip to the Quetico wilderness. The destination for today would be a series of ponds in the Siamese Ponds Wilderness. Reports of brook trout prompted Dan to put his on his list. We would first need to find a place to cross the river. There was a trail marked on the map near the county line brook on the other side of the Sacandaga. We found a pull off and took a side trail to the river’s edge. We forded the stream and headed up the edge of the brook. We soon found the trail, well-trodden but unmarked and a campsite. We followed this trail for a while until we found a spot to take a bearing to head off trail. It was late morning by the time we headed out, and this would not be an easy bushwhack. We figured this trail would ease it a little, but the elevation changes would be significant no matter what direction we headed. Our bearing took us up hill a bit and after about a mile, we hit the outlet of the pond. We would then follow this outlet up gaining significant elevation. For most of it, we climbed right up the stream. This was a long cascade of small falls, channels and open faces. The water had worn the rock down enough, that even these “sliding rocks” with about a 30 degree grade we had good traction. A few climbs up some difficult sections. And then it leveled out for a bit. Here the water was joined by 3 feeders which didn’t show on the map. We followed the one with the most current which proved to be a mistake. We realized we were heading in the wrong direction and instead of heading back down, and then going up, we corrected by following the contour around the hill until the first pond came into view. Away from the stream there was much witchobble and spruce to deal with, so it was slow going whether we were in the stream bed, or parallel to it. We made it to the first pond a little past 1pm. The next, and larger would be a little farther. We pushed through the spruce here and made our way to our goal. The outlet of this pond had a natural rock dam which gently eases into the pond itself. It was pretty, surrounded by hills on all sides except for the outlet gorge. We sat on the flat rock and ate lunch while talking about the adventure so far. This spot was on Dan’s list and he didn’t think he would get here anytime soon. We were both glad to finally reach it, though it was work. We definitely earned this one. Split up, we circumnavigated the pond meeting at a little used campsite on the far side. We were hoping to find a boat to do some fishing. No boat was to be found, except for 2 inflatable rafts. One of which was torn to shreds near the campsite. The other was stored on the other side of the pond in a sealed bucket complete with paddles. It would be too small for the two of us, but we inflated it anyway to see if was seaworthy. Dan used it to fish in the middle, while I shore fished. Nothing for me, but Dan landed another 12” brookie. As it was getting close to 4pm, we needed to head out. Consulting the maps, we could find no other real option besides the way we came in, except for perhaps a slightly different bearing from the outlet stream to shave a little distance.

Down the stream we went, much easier but still a work out climbing down rocks and ensuring we didn’t slip down the sheets of rock. The woods off to the side weren’t any easier. When the stream turned, we took a bearing and pretty much went straight to our approach trail. By this time my left knee was starting to get sore. We made it back to the river and crossed it pretty much the same way as we did on the way in. From pond to car it was exactly two hours. It was now 6:20pm and we had a few hours drive to get home. I am certain to be sore tomorrow or the next day, but it was worth it.

Winter Solitude at Hidden Cove, Long Lake, NY

02/07/2016 Winter Solitude at Hidden Cove, Long Lake, NY

After this past Thanksgiving Weekend trip to Long Lake, I knew I needed to spend more time along its shores outside of the busy boating season. I somewhat expected snowmobiles to be riding the lake this weekend. Perhaps they usually do, but the recent warm temps might have made over-ice travel inadvisable. Other locales had experienced thin ice accidents recently. So I headed out to Hidden Cove Lean-to about 2 miles down the NPT.

There was little snow on the trail but I carried snowshoes anyways, just in case. The trail was icy with a light layer of fluffy snow. I had left my crampons in the car, so I donned the snowshoes for the traction they provided.. I made it to Catlin Bay quite quickly. I carefully crossed the inlet stream on the ice bridges. I was very tentative due to the recent warm weather. I stopped at Catlin Bay Lean-to #1 just to take a break and read the shelter log. I made my entry and noted a few others from the NPT Chapter and was on my way.

While the tread was obvious along the trail, it was also obvious no one had been here for a while. Boot marks had filled in with snow and the only tracks visible were mine and the animals.

Just me and the wildlife in the #adirondacks. Squirrel tracks and his lunch leftovers. pic.twitter.com/iy68LXmmNT

— DuctTape (@DuctTapeADK) February 7, 2016

I was enjoying myself so much I walked right past the unmarked trail to Hidden Cove. I didn't realize my mistake until I got to the stream crossing a quarter mile past it. I turned around and headed back. The “official” unmarked trail was a little farther back, so When the lake got back into view I headed towards it and intersected with the approach trail. I noted potential firewood gathering spots as I hiked in.

At the lean-to I flipped through the log book and began my entry. It was early afternoon and I had the rest of the day and night all to myself. If the snow machines were going to be out on the lake, I surely would have seen or heard them by now. Instead it was just me and the solitude of the lake. I unpacked a few items and went to gathering wood. It didn't take long to get a small pile for the next morning squared away. I set it aside and prepped the rest. I took breaks here and there since I was enjoying the calm day. Now and again snow would begin to fall. The real light fluffy kind that barely covers anything but looks pretty. I checked out the lake ot see if it would be easy to get water. It seemed quite thick. There was a crack near shore which showed at least a foot of ice. The light fluffy snow on top was easily brushed aside to reveal hard clear ice. Would be great for skating. As is my rule when I am solo, I do not venture on the ice ever.

Quiet solitude on Long Lake in the #adirondacks. pic.twitter.com/QVGZ1p0GyK

— DuctTape (@DuctTapeADK) February 7, 2016

I found some decent sized downed beech and maple so I brought hose back to camp. Between them and what I had previously gathered, I would have enough wood to get by. It turns out I had more than enough and left a good supply for the next people. I had a late lunch of hambuger potato soup and some cocoa. I wasn't very hungry but I knew I should eat something. I never did eat my dinner though. There were some word search books on the shelf, so I wasted a few minutes doing a page. I read “The Call of the Wild” out loud. Service's poetry was meant to be read aloud.

I went to bed just as it was starting to get dark. One of my favorite things about winter solo camping is the shear quantity of sleep I get. I tossed a bunch of the bigger logs onto the fire and climbed into my hammock. I could see the fire from my hammock if I turned just the right way. I was soon asleep. I awoke once during the night and tossed a few more branches on the fire. I was awake before the sun. I restarted the fire and melted some snow. Having coffee as the night becomes day is such an amazing experience especially when in a place like this. I thought about those longer distance trips I do in the summer when I do the same thin; have coffee and watch the sun come up. On those trips, I have already hiked a few miles. A couple of mergansers flew by, some making their grunt sounds. I thought they only did this for alarming of predators. Perhaps the coyotes were still around.

The hike out was uneventful. Mostly uphill, but only two miles. My snowshoes were loud on the ice and snow. I stopped quite often just to listen. I thought I heard voices at one point, but this was not likely unless it was carrying from across the lake. There were fresh footprints though. The trail register recorded a group 5 day hiking yesterday. They had signed in to go to Catlin Bay, but appeared to have gone almost to my campsite. I wonder if they missed my tracks when I turned off the trail. The car thermometer read 27 degrees. A nice quiet 24 hour trip into the woods.