I had pored over the squiggly blue lines for hours, trying to make them connect. Packrafting changes the way you look at a map for sure. Now my eyes were always first drawn to the waterways, those wilderness superhighways. What would they look like? Could they be paddled? And how could I link them to make a route?
Even before I had started packrafting, this trip had been on my mind. With over 30,000 miles of waterways and an ample trail system, the Adirondacks were a packrafter's dream. Having grown up not far from Northville in the southern portion of the region, I was well acquainted with its potential. I had originally planned on a trip during the spring snowmelt, but work had gotten in the way. Still, it seemed like something great could be salvaged, and I decided to make it happen this fall. For this trip, I would traverse the Adirondack region from south to north, spending the first two days on foot until I hit the West Canada Lakes Wilderness. The next 5 days would then be predominantly packrafting, with hiking segments as needed to connect the various rivers along the route. The route length would total approximately 150 miles.
ARTICLE OUTLINE
- Introduction
- Day 1.
- Route: Hike from Upper Benson to Buckhorn Lake Outlet along the Northville Placid Trail (NPT).
- Day 2
- Route: Hike from Buckhorn Lake to First Cedar Lake.
- Day 3
- Route: Paddle the Cedar River through the Cedar Flow, past Wakely Dam, and down to Sprague Brook.
- Day 4
- Route: Paddle the Eckford Chain of Lakes (Blue Mountain Lake, Eagle Lake, and Utowana Lake) down the Marion River and through Raquette Lake to its outflow
- Day 5
- Route: Paddle the Raquette River from its outflow on Raquette Lake, through Forked Lake, past Buttermilk Falls, and into Long Lake. Paddle/hike most of Long Lake.
- Day 6
- Route: Paddle Long Lake from Plumley Point to the Raquette River. Paddle the Raquette to Stony Creek. Intersect the Ward Brook Trail and hike to the Cold River.
- Day 7
- Route: Hike from the Cold River, past Duck Hole, along the NPT to Lake Placid.
- Acknowledgements
# WORDS: 4250
# PHOTOS: 48
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Traversing the Adirondacks by Foot and Packraft
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Fantastic report, Ike! It looks like you caught the fall colors at the perfect time!
Ike, A really nice report. I was planning a trip out this fall but got tied up with other things…dam-it. This was a different route. I have done bothe the NPT and NFCT but not up the Cold River. Yeah, the beaver ponds were full of small brookies.
Enjoyed reading the article!
Absolutely outstanding Ike :-) trips like this make mine look like a walk in a big garden.
Nice to see another trip report about the ADK mtns. Are you carrying a tarp along with your bivy as well for when it rains? How was the fishing along your trip? I was in the western ADK region near Canada lakes and in the Cold River section of the NPT quite a bit this year as well, nice to see it from another perspective!
Thanks for taking us along on the journey Ike!
Really liking the photos from this trip. The fall colors are beautiful and there's some great shots of you hiking/packrafting with taken from interesting perspectives. Looks like you must've been using a low tripod like a gorilla pod or something?
Would be interested to see what your gear list looked like for this trip, including camera equipment.
I've been up in many of those areas, but hadn't seen anyone with the packraft…and fantastic photos to boot!
I'm always hungry after reading your trip reports!
Wow, you ate better than I do at home. I have no clue how you foodies do it
Anthony
Try fishing rod ferrule lube/wax on your paddle next time. Any wax will do.
Ike; Thanks for the great trip report. You obviously know a lot about outdoor photography. Your composition, exposures and focus are all excellent. And you obviously took the considerable extra time and effort to set up a mini-tripod and check the composition, exposures, etc. before placing yourself in the frame.
As a former magazine writer, photographer and editor I recognize and appreciate your talent. I hope you are using those skills in your career. Believe me, your talent is far above average.
George
I don't know how you do it, but this one is better than the last article. Whew!
I really enjoyed this report and your beautiful photos. I'm glad you did not encounter any aggressive bears. Thanks for sharing!
Really good read and lovely pictures. I need to do more multi-day trips!
Excellent TR and pictures. Two thumbs up!!
I just have to echo the poster who said, "Now that is how a trip report is done."
Great article showcasing a place I thought was simply flat lakes.(Ack! make that flat lands)
Excellent Ike! Thanks for taking the time and putting in the effort to do a proper trip report. I haven't been up that way since the '70s Real enjoyable read.
That sausage does look delicious too.
>"flat lakes"
Are there any other kind?
*I too, was impressed by the white-water action shots.
"Take my breath away….(*dun, dun, dun)"
I have a new man crush.
Ike, I loved the hell out of this TR.
I will add to the pile of positive comments. Thank you for this trip report. Way to go on getting out into the wild and exploring and wandering.
Great article. Flor those of us who grew up with the adks this was not only well done but a trip down memory lane. I see the dam at cedar lakes must be getting worse as the water level looked low. Keep the stories coming. Thank you
Thank you for sharing your adventure. Beautiful photos, such eye candy for this desert dweller to see. Great job.
Articles like this make me homesick for the place, despite loving the last almost 40 years of tramping all over the Rockies. My wife says I get a faraway look when I get my copy of Adirondack Life, and I had the same look when I read this article. Retirement may bring me back for more muddy footed adventures where I grew up.
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