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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Discussion
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Great report Ike!
I'd be interested in seeing your clothing/equipment list for this trip.
Thanks,
Ken (aka summitboy)
Thank you all for the really nice comments. In actuality, I only have mediocre skill with the camera, but above average intent.
For those that requested it, my gear list for the trip can be seen here
For Nico, I limited myself to a single 24/1.8 zeiss lens attached to my NEX-6. I had brought a 55-200 telephoto lens, but left it in the car at the last minute for a weight savings of 14 oz. I missed having it in the Eckford chain of lakes, when the loons were playing hide and seek with me but I couldn’t get a closeup. For whitewater shots and all day paddling, I used a go pro hero 3, which didn’t work out as well as I liked. I missed many good shots on the water days, and didn’t know it until I got home. The image quality from that camera was poor, as can be seen in the report. In the multipack were 2 spare batteries, a circular polarized lens, lens pen, and opteka remote.
Adam, no tarp for this one. When using a waterproof bivy in the rain, it’s all about site selection. I usually look for a spot under a nice spruce with a good canopy and lots of duff.
Awesome article and photo's Ike, the NLP is still on my to do list. I bought the guidebook with maps, after we did an Eastern High Peaks Traverse back in 2009. Bought the guidebook at the EMS in Lake Placid, loved this town too……
Wish I would have had him sign it
Ike,
Great trip report!
Did you get much condensation in your WP bivy?
Hey Ike, have you thought about participating in the 2014 Bob Marshall Wilderness Open?
Thanks for the gear list! Do you have a link to a web page for the raft? Thanks, Ken (aka summitboy)
Ike,
Your reports are always excellent, and this takes it higher. Very nice timing on the leaf change.
Really, really good.
Very enjoyable read. Thanks. It was great to see that element of route uncertainty, which always makes trips so interesting.
And yes, you should come to the Bob Marshall Wilderness Open.
Wow, what an incredible report, rich with awesome photos. Thanks for going to all the trouble, to give us a real flavor of an area of the world I haven't spent much time hiking in.
Ike, I truely appreciate your report. The pictures are worth whatever effort it took to get them (at least for me).
Maybe your next article should be "what and how to cook on a extended outing". you seem do have that dialed in pretty good.
Tad
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