ADK Canoe 2016

I’d been thinking about an overnight Adirondack canoe trip with the girls for a while. Jen had always said we’d have to wait until they could swim. Considering this summer they swam the best they ever had and Abigail had a nice Monday off in October, I started lobbying for a fall trip with Abigail, Craig and myself. Once I started working out the details, Jen became more interested and we decided we’d all go.

The plan was to head up to the St Regis Wilderness area NW of Saranac Lake, NY. We’d leave Friday after Abigail got out of school, drive the 6 -7 hours, camp along side the access road, pick up our boat rental Saturday morning, paddle in, camp Saturday and Sunday night, then paddle out and head home Monday.

Craig headed up super early Friday to try and get the lean-to on Saint Regis pond. Unfortunately it was already occupied, so he found a great campsite instead.

Our drive up after getting Abigail was terrible. It was pouring down rain almost the entire way. It took us 4 hours to get to the NY border, which is normally 2. At some point early on I decided camping out that night after the drive wasn’t going to work. Jen went to work with her phone and found a great place to stay that night with the dog.

Saturday morning we were up, to the outfitter to pick up the rental boat and at the put in on Little Clear Pond by 11am. Craig met us around 9:30 paddling back out to the cars after staying the night by himself in the wilderness.

We rented an 18′ Wenonah kevlar canoe, because it’s super light (40lbs) and brought Jen’s kayak. Craig had his own 18′ kevlar canoe. Three days for a family of four and a dog is a lot of stuff to bring.

The girls were super excited for the trip and helped any where they could. The trip had a half mile portage, so I had packs setup perfectly for them to ensure they could carry their own gear.

Craig and I took a kid each and I took Gretchen.

It was beautiful. We were a week away from the height of the leaf season up there.

Gretchen was kind of a mess. She definitely wasn’t a fan of the boat. Fortunately after a very shaky start, she settled somewhat and I had more confidence that we’d make it without her dumping us.

The scenory really was amazing, and we were lucky enough to see a bald eagle a couple of times on our way in.

The portage occured about 30 – 45 minutes after we started. We’d told the girls all about it ahead of time, so they were ready and eager to get it done.

Here’s Jen carrying her kayak. Pretty sure she won’t be doing that again. Kayaks, though hers is very light, aren’t really meant for portages. You can see the girls already headed back for the second trip.

The end came to this nice dock on Saint Regis Pond.

The beginning of the paddle into Saint Regis is woodsy and narrow. Very different feel from the wide open lakes.

It was only a 20 minute paddle or so from the dock to our campsite.

Craig had opted for a tarp to sleep under in case it rained. He’d start out under the stars and next to the fire each night, but each night it would start to rain and he’d crawl back to the tarp.

We got a new family backpacking tent for the occasion. It was quite cozy for the 5 of us.

The girls by the fire the first night. In anticipation for the trip they kept calling it their first “Hard Core Camping Trip.” They were right. It had all the elements of real camping.

Each night and into the mornign it would rain some before clearing up for the rest of the day. The rain and overcast skies only added to the coloring of the leaves.

Mmmmm. Hot chocolate to warm the dampness.

There’s a waterfall in this area that requires a bushwack to find. We know about it from reading about it in our ADK ice climbing guide. Because of it’s remote location it’s rarely climbed. Prior to the trip I had located it’s likely position with my GPS, then used it to track to the spot. Unfortunately the trees and shrubs were entirely too wet and soaked the girls as they pushed their way through. We never made it to the waterfall. But we did see many cool things along the way like this deer skull.

And this beaver chewed log. Not sure what the beaver was thinking chewing it into so many pieces.

The lower areas were old beaver dams. Most of what we saw was no longer active and filled in with very thick mud. You had to walk very carefully through here so that you didn’t lose your shoe.

Morning adventure done, it was time to head back to camp for lunch.

Craig really enjoyed paddling the girls around. Obviously they loved being paddled around.

Some coffe and lunch before heading out on another adventure.

We paddled to the end of the pond where there was a dam. There was a sign saying that the purpose of the dam was to keep invasive species out of Saint Regis.

To access the dam from the outside world, there was this cool forest road that we hiked down a ways.

Back in the canoe and headed back to camp. This is looking east, so I suspect that’s White Face or part of the White Face range in the distance.

Boat selfie.

Relaxing by the afternoon fire.

Sun setting over the water and forest.

Craig fried up monster dinners each night on the fire. After so many years of backpacking, I’ve completely gotten away from this practice. I’m glad he hasn’t. Camp fire fried meals are delicious. You can also see the battery powered LED lights on the tarp string in the background. To help make the site more festive and comfortable for the girls, I had gotten a few strands to put about the camp site. There was another one wrapped around a tree and one in the tent.

The girls chowing down on freeze dried beef stroganoff. They loved it so much that they had it both nights.

Relaxing by the fire before bedtime.

Asleep ad cozy in the tent.

Monday morning it was raining quite a lot. Abigail learned quickly how to manage the puddles collecting on the tarp.

Despite the showers, we all did well staying dry and comfortable.

By the time we packed up the boats it had stopped raining.

See the reflection of the trees in the water?

Paddling back into the narrows before the dock. On the way out Craig took both girls in addition to his gear. I took Gretchen and all our gear. Overall each of our boats were heavier than when we paddled in and they handled much better.

Prepping for the portage out.

Cute shot of Abigail and the dog (with her portage pack) on the dock.

Abigail heading off for her first trip.

Craig moving the boat.

Time to carry.

And back in the water to finish it.

It really was a great trip. The girls didn’t want to leave. They were begging Craig to turn around and head back into the wilderness.

The hardest part was not leaving town until 4 or 4:30 and not getting home until 11 or later. Since I had a flight to Boston the next day, I had to unpack everything that night and get it hanging in the garage to dry while I was away. Didn’t get to bed until after 1.

It was all worth it. The trip was awesome. Can’t wait to do it again next year.

– b