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| The crew - Bill, Chuck, Erik, Mike, Jeff and Tommy |
For years, I have been coming up with reasons
why I couldn’t go with Mike, Chuck, Bill and the rest of the crew on one of
their canoe camping adventures.
I did do the Androscoggin and North Branch of the Ammonoosuc with them a
couple of years ago, but that didn’t involve camping. This time, I decided it was time to take the plunge. We
would be paddling a section of the Northern Forest Canoe Trail from Long Lake to Saranac Village – 5 days, 4 nights.
The
crew included Mike, Chuck, Bill, Jeff and Tommy. We put in at the Long Lake Boat Ramp on Monday morning. It was sunny and warm, and we had the wind to
our backs. The scenery was
amazing. We paddled from Long Lake
into the Raquette River and camped at the Deep Hole lean-to near the Cold
River.
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| View of the mountains from Long Lake |
We
awoke Tuesday morning to a cloudy day.
Rain was expected, so we broke camp quickly and continued down the
Raquette River to our first portage – Raquette Falls. Rain started shortly after we took to the river, and it was
poring heavily by the time we reach the portage. This portage is about a mile long with rocks, roots and
hills which make using a cart difficult.
Most of the crew started down the trail with packs. I followed Jeff’s lead, attached the
portage yoke to my boat, and headed down the trail with my boat on my shoulders and
my large pack on my back. It was a
tough haul, but I made it through.
On my second trip, I was able to carry the rest of my gear. I took a hike to the Raquette Falls
while the rest of the crew finished the portage.
Our
campsite for the evening was only a mile downstream at the Palmer Brook
Lean-to. We set up camp in the
rain, and settled in for a long, soggy evening. Fortunately, I was able to keep all my
gear dry.
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| Jeff and Chuck in Stony Creek Pond |
The
sun came up Wednesday on a beautiful day. We paddled down the Raquette River and up Stony Creek to the Stony
Creek Pond for our second major portage – the Indian Carry. This is a 1-mile portage that would
take us into Upper Saranac Lake.
Fortunately, we were able to use carts for this portage. We put in on Upper Saranac Lake and
paddled about a mile to our next campsite on a point jutting out into the lake.
Mist
covered the lake as we awoke on Thursday.
It was just beginning to burn off as we paddled the mile to our next
portage – the Bartlett Carry, which would take us to the Saranac River and Middle
Saranac Lake. Once again, the day
was sunny and warm, and the scenery was spectacular with mountains surrounding
the lake.
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| Morning mist on Upper Saranac Lake |
Below
Middle Saranac Lake, we continued down the Saranac River, through the upper
lock and into Lower Saranac Lake. After
passing through Lower Saranac Lake, we stopped to camp at a lean-to site on the
Saranac River above Oseetah Lake.
