Adirondack canoe trip Sept 25th - 29th

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Briggsy
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Location: Sarasota, Florida

Adirondack canoe trip Sept 25th - 29th

Post by Briggsy »

For our annual canoe trip we decided to check out the Adirondack Region in Upstate New York. The guys at St Regis Canoe Outfitters in Saranac Lake ( http://www.canoeoutfitters.com/ ) have a fabulous website and produce a guide book and map for the area. Most of the paddling in the region is in ponds and lakes with portages imbetween. None of our previous trips had required portages and we usually packed pretty luxuriously so we decided on a +/- 40 mile one way trip with only one 0.5 mile portage.I spent most of the summer experimenting with a food dehydrator to try to save as much weight as possible which definitely made things easier. We decided to only take one vehicle between 4 of us as it only cost $75 for a shuttle by the guys at the outfitters.

Day 1. Having loaded up the night before, we set off early for the 7-8 hr drive to Saranac Lake, arriving at the St. Regis Outfitters outpost on Floodwood Rd late afternoon. After organizing the truck shuttle and pick up location, we loaded up and set off. It was cooling off already but we had only planned to paddle a mile or so anyway, just far enough to feel we were out in the woods. All the sites are marked on the Paddlers map and most are free. We got a good fire going and had a hearty meal of beef stew....now we were camping !
Brian, Jeff and Robin
Brian, Jeff and Robin
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relaxing
relaxing
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Day 2. After coffee and eggs, packing was easy. All the dehydrated food for the trip fit into 2 x 5gallon buckets that we had used on previous trips. Seeing as how we had saved so much weight with the food we decided that we deserved to bring the luxury of the folding chairs! It was overcast but calm as we set off across small ponds linked by creeks, plenty of birdlife but no bears or moose. An hour brought us to Fish Creek Camping Area, the State run RV/tent campground, followed by the large expanse of Upper Saranac Lake. Halfway down the lake is a narrow section where we crossed to the eastern shore and continued south. The wind had picked up and it was a tough slog but there was plenty of neat "mansions" on the shore to keep us occupied. Eventually we reached the cove that led to the portage trail and it was nice to get out of the wind. A sign marked the landing, it was just before noon so we decided to "git 'er done" and have lunch after the portage. The canoes and personal packs went first, my Royalex Old Town Penobscot (65lbs)was thankfully lighter than Jeffs plastic Discovery (85lbs), but it really wasn't too bad. I kept getting a small stone in my Keen sandals and couldn't shake it out, Robin told me the old fur trappers who used these routes called them "portage stones" Really ! The second trip was all the other gear so not too bad, 1.5miles in total. Lunch at the other side tasted good.
We were now in Middle Saranac Lake which has several Islands on which you can camp. The sites in Middle and Lower Saranac Lakes (islands and shoreline) have to be booked in advance. We had booked the one site on Norway Island for 2 nights. A short paddle from our lunch brought us to our private island . It took about 15 minutes to hike the whole island. The only animal life was a lone squirrel. Not really sure how it got there, (can they swim?) but it wanted us to be its friend and to share our food.
The island was devoid of downed wood for a fire so we set off for the closest shore, 1/2 mile away ,and loaded up with 2 days worth. Just as we were having a delicious apple crisp dessert, the rain started, then heavier, then thunder, then lightening. We finished huddled under the tarp and bed early.
creeks
creeks
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Keeping out of the wind,Upper Saranac Lake
Keeping out of the wind,Upper Saranac Lake
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Nice house on a tiny island
Nice house on a tiny island
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Island caretaker
Island caretaker
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2 day firewood supply
2 day firewood supply
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Day 3. Our original plan was to climb Ampersand Mountain. we awoke to a calm, still, but foggy day. During breakfast the fog slowly burned off and by 9.30 it was clear and cloudless. we paddled ashore and spent 2 1/2 hrs hiking to the summit. The view was fantastic and still no low clouds. The hike down was 2 1/2 hrs then back to the island for some R and R.
Sunrise
Sunrise
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Morning after the storm
Morning after the storm
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Nice day for a hike
Nice day for a hike
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Trail
Trail
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Summit
Summit
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Summit
Summit
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Summit
Summit
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Sunset
Sunset
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Day 4. Like the day before, it was foggy. When it did lift enough to see it was still pretty cloudy.
We left Middle Saranac Lake on a small creek which passed through a lock. We had to operate the lock ourselves which was neat. The creek continued eventually opening up into Lower Saranac Lake which was dotted with a lot of islands. It was calm but cool and it looked like it might rain, but it was nice to out of the wind. A small river exited Lower Saranac Lake to a second set of locks, this one with a lock keeper and was operated electrically. We saw in the map that there was a lean-to style shelter on Kiwassa lake so we decided on that instead of the tent. We got there for lunch and spent the afternoon getting firewood, paddling round the lake, relaxing by the fire and sheltering from the occaisional showers.
Not so spectacular morning
Not so spectacular morning
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Breakfast made up for it though
Breakfast made up for it though
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Leaving Norway Island
Leaving Norway Island
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Locks
Locks
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Instructions
Instructions
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Robin The Lockmeister
Robin The Lockmeister
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foliage
foliage
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foliage
foliage
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foliage
foliage
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foliage
foliage
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Leaving the 2nd set of locks
Leaving the 2nd set of locks
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Home for the night
Home for the night
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Robins homemade broom
Robins homemade broom
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The chef de la cuisine
The chef de la cuisine
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Outdoor privy
Outdoor privy
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Day 5. Had a good sleep in the lean-to and kept dry. It was raining, light but steady and it looked like it was set in for the day. It only took a couple of hours to paddle to Saranac Lake town where we retrieved the truck from St Regis Canoe Outfitters. Their store was HUGE and had pretty much everything you could possibly need for trips in the region including Kevlar canoes for rent.
Despite the weather it was a great trip and we were so lucky to get a clear day for the hike.
Our total mileage paddling was only about 28 miles but it is an awesome area for canoe tripping.

Briggsy

Rainy last day
Rainy last day
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Last edited by Briggsy on Thu Nov 01, 2012 8:01 am, edited 1 time in total.
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norm
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Re: Adirondack canoe trip Sept 25th - 29th

Post by norm »

Great report and pictures Dave! Can't believe you went to Norway without Bea!

Norm
Ken R
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Re: Adirondack canoe trip Sept 25th - 29th

Post by Ken R »

Some incredible pictures, great post
KR
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Birdseye
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Re: Adirondack canoe trip Sept 25th - 29th

Post by Birdseye »

Great report and pics. Did you run into any Adirondack chairs while you were up there? :lol:
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noseykate
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Re: Adirondack canoe trip Sept 25th - 29th

Post by noseykate »

What a beautiful area! I love the photos from your peak-bagging mountain hike. I'm so glad it worked out well for you. Seems like you planned well and it paid off.

NK
cgr
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Re: Adirondack canoe trip Sept 25th - 29th

Post by cgr »

One of my friends does a trip every year in the Rangeley region. First year they brought sea kayaks with stoves, packed light, etc. Meanwhile the people at the next campsite with canoes had comfy chairs, cast iron cookware, filet mignon, etc. They've been using canoes ever since for this trip.
NorwayLady
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Re: Adirondack canoe trip Sept 25th - 29th

Post by NorwayLady »

Your photos are gorgeous, Dave. Really intresting to read that you guys had to operate the locks yourselves.....Who would have thought.

Thank you for sharing.

Bea
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Briggsy
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Re: Adirondack canoe trip Sept 25th - 29th

Post by Briggsy »

Brian has the fancy camera and actually took most of the pictures.
And yep, there's nothing like a canoe for taking everything you need, freshly baked brownies on the 3rd night in.......yummy
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kayakerjnj
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Re: Adirondack canoe trip Sept 25th - 29th

Post by kayakerjnj »

Looks like you had another fabulous trip! Pictures and scenery were amazing!
Paddle with a big smile, its contagious 8)


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Chip
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Re: Adirondack canoe trip Sept 25th - 29th

Post by Chip »

Looks like an awesome trip. Canoes definitley have their place.
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tailspin
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Re: Adirondack canoe trip Sept 25th - 29th

Post by tailspin »

Great pictures! I've been there quite a few times and it's a beautiful area.
We were there this year from the 19th to the 24th of September. Just missed each other.

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