While the last days of summer wane in late August we looked for a paddle/hike combination. We found it by launching our kayaks on Putnam Pond. We made our way westward across the pond looking for trail signs, beached our boats and traded the water shoes for hiking boots.
We started up the trail to Treadway Mountain which starts in the woods but soon follows a wetland. Within a short climb from the wetland, the trail opens up to three rocky false summits. The sudden change in landscapes was certainly unusual in the Adirondacks, especially for a peak so low in elevation.
When we arrived at the summit, we enjoyed views of Pharaoh Lake and Mountain as well as the high peaks to our north. We followed the well marked trail back to our boats and enjoyed the evening on Putnam Pond.
At the end of the driest summer that we had ever experienced, we couldn't help but wonder how far we could walk across the old rail bed that heads across Bulwagga Bay. Normally, the rocks that were the foundation of the railway are underwater, but we had seen them quite exposed this year.
We started our journey from Fort Crown Point. Armed with GPS, we started following the birding trails on the western side of the peninsula for an access point to the beach. Once we found it, we started following shoreline which went from sand to rocks. We slowly meandered on our path because the footing was tenuous and because we were looking for fossils (of which there were many). I even found a wrought iron rail spike dating from 1869.
Once we looked up from our feet, we noticed that we were halfway into the bay! It was the furthest that we had walked into the middle of a lake! We could see up the lake to the north and into the belly of Bulwagga Bay. After more fossil hunting, we made it back to the fort, satisfied with our small adventure of the day.
As one of our "last hurrahs of summer," we strapped our cedar strip guide boat to the car and watched heads turn our way on the highway as we headed to the lower dam on the Bog River. It was a long drive from home, but an area that we have been waiting to explore for years. When we arrived at the parking area, we met our friends Jeff and Lisa Cornell who were already packed and ready to go.
We assembled the floor of the boat and set our oars resting on the gunnels before ungracefully boarding the vessel. This was our first time using this particular boat for an overnight and we would be learning as we went along. We shoved off and began rowing before finding some rocks under the surface about one hundred feet upriver...we shrugged off the scratches and enjoyed the meandering river.
The river widened considerably when we got to Hitchins Pond and we kept following the channel. We started to get glimpses of Lows Ridge - a series of cliffs that overlook the Upper Dam. There is a trail to tan overlook here that we will save for another day.
Jeff helped carry our boat over the carry to the upper dam with only one break. We repacked our gear and continued rowing upstream as the river began to straighten. We found ourselves stuck behind one of Lows Lake's famous floating bogs. We were able to float and carry around the sides while Jeff considered inventing a new sport: bog running.
We made it to our campsite after 7.5 miles of rowing to set up on our promontory and make dinner. We chatted away the evening until the mosquitos drove us into the tent.
Up early the next morning, we were itching to explore the lake. We ate a hearty breakfast, packed our lunch and continued rowing westward, where the lake finally opened up. The folks camping on site 18 didn't seem to mind that we had to carry our boats over their beach at one point.
We followed the shoreline past Boone's Landing and into Grass Pond where we stopped at a beach for snacks admiring the craggy cliffs to our east. When we shoved off - I played some trumpet at the cliffs and interacted with my echo. Much applause was received from the friendly site 18'ers that we met earlier.
We then headed south to Virgin Timber Landing where we cooled off in the lake. It was amazing that a lake this "busy" with paddlers offered such a feeling of solitude.
The rowing led us into a pickle with the larger floating bog. Jeff and Lisa decided to ford through the small opening, we rowed back around to meet them on the other side.
Snaking around islands, we made it back to our site for another evening of chatting and excellent food. We were tired but contented with the amazing solitude and unique scenery that Lows Lake had to offer. Many of the people we talked to that day were on return trips and we could understand the draw of this place.
The next morning, we followed the river west to pack out. Our rowing had improved considerably and we were able to navigate through the bends of the river much more effectively. It was a successful trip and a wonderful first camping trip with the guide boat. We had some of the best scenery a paddler (or rower) could hope for and great company.
On the drive to the village of Schroon Lake, we eyed a sign for a short hike up Severance Mountain. We returned the next day with Tom, Mike and Ben (who would provide the on trail hilarity). We made our way up the trail with Ben stopping to plant acorns along the way. He also seemed concerned about the rocks sticking out of the trail...
When we arrived on top, the adults admired the view while Ben immediately grabbed a sippy cup of juice and started looking for legitimate dragon holes. He found a few!
The descent was easy, and we enjoyed making echoey sounds in the tunnel under the northway. It was a perfect hike for a four year old!
Looking at the map one day, it occurred to me that we should attempt a through hike from Tahawus to Adirondack Loj. We could have followed Indian or Avalanche pass, but we wanted some great views along the way so we plotted a course over Skylight (one of our favorite mountains of all time) and Mount Marcy.
Dropping the car at the Adirondack Loj the previous night seemed like an an exercise in the absurd. It took an hour and twenty minutes to drive to the starting point, connecting the area that we would WALK the following day. Nervously laughing about it, we went to bed in Newcomb to awaken before sunrise and scarf some oatmeal we had made the day before while driving to Upper Works trailhead in Tahawus.
Heading on the trail, we noticed quite a discrepancy between mileage on the signs...sadly for us, it turned out that the longer distance was the correct one. The trail to Flowed Lands made a good warm-up with its slow but steady incline. We stopped at Calamity Pond to see the monument to David Henderson - who accidentally discharged a gun into his leg in 1845. We marveled at the size of the monument so far in the woods, wondering how it actually got there...
Flowed Lands offered great beauty as always and we took a quick break at the Calamity lean-to before heading to the Lake Colden Dam. It was there we had a real meal and took off our boots while admiring Mount Colden's reflection in the water. It is one of my favorite places on the planet, but we eventually had to tear ourselves away to start making the ascent.
We stopped for many views into the Opalescent River Gorge along the way before finding ourselves at Lake Tear of the Clouds. Considering how dry the summer season has been, it doesn't appear to be lacking for water. We ate a snack and continued to Four Corners.
There we climbed Skylight first for one of the greatest panoramic views. After hiking the forty-six, we vowed to return to this mountain. We shared our lunch with a pair of wayward travelers whose lunch had been consumed by a bear the previous night....or do they tell that story to everyone just for free cookies?
After hiking down Skylight, we started the ascent up Marcy. This was untrodden territory for us and we quite enjoyed the Schofield Cobble and trek above tree line. This side of the mountain seemed more open and more rugged than the other. Arriving at the summit, we met two other hikers who snapped our picture and a summit steward. They all made their descent and we had the summit to ourselves - truly a rarity on this peak!
Being a bit behind the clock, we didn't dally and started descending to Adirondack Loj. It was exactly what we remembered from our first hike up Mount Marcy - a long and steady decline for seven miles. Other than a quick stop at Marcy Dam for sunset pictures, we made it in one shot. We arrived at our spotted car just after sunset and celebrated our hike at the Noonmark diner before collapsing into our bunks in Newcomb with sweet dreams of panoramic mountain views.
Since we needed to pick up our car at Upper Works, we decided to spend the next day paddling on Henderson Lake. We always enjoy the stunning mountain views from this lake and had a great day except for one mass deer-fly attack. After our obligatory view of Wallface Mountain, we car topped the boats and headed out of the high peaks wilderness. This adventure was one that we will remember for many years and will act as a yardstick to compare other days in the woods.
With a stiff south wind we looked at Lake Champlain and decided to embark on an adventure that we had been gabbing about for years: a paddle from Fort Ticonderoga to Fort Crown Point. We car-topped the kayaks and launched them on the LaChute River, just below the kissing bridge in Ticonderoga. The river was pleasant as we meandered under bridges towards the mouth. When we were about to leave the mouth of the river we put on spray skirts in anticipation of the rollers that we would see on the lake.
When we entered the lake we looked up to see many cannons pointed our way. Fort Ticonderoga was prominently situated above us with an American(?) flag flying proudly overhead. We started surfing the waves, at times struggling to keep our boats pointed straight with the tailwind.
After crossing the path of the Ticonderoga-Shoreham ferry, we ducked into a bay for some lunch. It gave our steering muscles time to recover!
The path north led us past the International Paper Mill which dominated the scenery for the next two miles. The scenery improved as we found ourselves surfing towards Crown Point. As we approached the orchard - our floppy, throbbing arms dictated that we should pull the kayaks out there rather than proceeding to the Crown Point Fort. It was a wonderful day and great paddle....time to buy a rudder for my boat.
For a bit of a different trip into the Adiondacks, we packed our bags and loaded up our niece and nephew for a camping trip. We started with michigans at Gene's in Port Henry and climbed Belfry Mountain in Moriah for a fantastic fire tower view with only a .4 mile hike to get there. We then headed to Rollins Pond for two nights where we rented canoes and the kids were happy as fish splashing around in the pond. They were doubly happy when we took a side trip to Donnelly's for ice cream!
After we parted ways with Tom, Amy, Ben and Hank, we headed to Adirondack Loj to hike Mt. Jo. The trail was short and steep and we were sweating bullets in the humidity. On the summit, the steward helped us identify peaks while we nibbled on cookies. The view was spectacular - especially for such a short hike. The surrounding mountains were imposing and we especially enjoyed the views of Wallface and the slides on Mt. Colden.
We made a loop by following the long trail down (whereas we had taken the short trail up). We headed to the orchard for a dinner in our new gigantic skillet! Mmmm...pork.
