Snow

It is supposed to be 55 degrees in New Jersey today.  Sigh.

Brrr

It is 18 degrees outside.  Sure wish we were in New Jersey.

House Progress

Paddling Floodwood to Polliwog

Today we led one of our favorite paddles, from Floodwood Pond to Polliwog, where we had spotted a car.

Quilt #27

I keep accumulating Adirondack prints.  So I decided it was time to use some of them in a quilt to keep on the sofa.

Neither Rain, Nor Snow ............

Well, at least it wasn't snowing.  About 20 of us braved the rain today and paddled the Bog River from the lower dam into Hitchins Pond for our traditional Columbus Day picnic.  That is, most of us paddled.  There were a few hikers and one intrepid bicyclist.

Essex Chain Reflections

My last post was getting too long to add these, but I can't resist posting some more photos I took on the Essex Chain.  The reflections in the still water were too neat to pass up.

Paddling the Essex Chain of Lakes

We were so pleased when Jim and Cindy invited us to go along on an explore of the newly opened Essex Chain of Lakes.  The state recently took over the land and opened it to the public on October 1st.  There were already 3 full pages of sign-ins when we got there just 11 days after opening and a ranger we met said there had been a regular parade of folks driving in to paddle.

To get there, drive into Newcomb on 28N and turn right onto Pine Tree Road.  Then turn right onto Goodnow Flow Road and follow it down to the flow.  Make a right onto Woody's Road and follow the signs to Deer Pond Access.  The drive from 28N is about 10 miles.  Goodnow Flow Road is paved as is part of Woody's Road but the last several miles of the drive are reminiscent of the rocky road to Lake Lila.  I don't recommend doing Lila and the Essex Chain the same week, as we did.  It was a bit too much driving on rough roads.

Once you get to the parking lot, you still have 3/4 of a mile to go to get onto Third Lake.  The red lines on the following map mark the carries.  It is 1/4 mile from the car to Deer Pond, and another 1/2 mile from Deer Pond to Third Lake.  Fortunately, most of the carrying is on dirt roads.  But the immediate access to the lakes is steep and the put-ins are single file.

After all the work to get there, you'll want to spend the day, and it is definitely worth it.
It was cloudy when we started out but as in the last few days, there was absolutely no wind.  This was our first view of Third Lake.

We headed up Third Lake and down the creek toward Fourth.

We were surprised to find a nice picnic table for lunch on the northwest shore of Fourth Lake.

Then we proceeded up the lake toward the culvert into Fifth Lake.

Then onto Fifth Lake and the channel into Sixth.  The channel is full of mud islands but we managed to maneuver around them.  I was so busy navigating I didn't take any photos in the channel.

Then onto Sixth Lake, or is it Seventh?  Different maps call it different things.  On the map above it is called Sixth.

Then we retraced our route and continued down Third Lake into Second and the end of the line.  This impressive 3-4 feet high beaver dam at the end of Second Lake, toward First, is what holds in enough water to allow you to paddle among the lakes.  We can't imagine what the area would be like without it.

We didn't have time to walk down to First Lake, though it is possible to carry your boat around and paddle First Lake as well.  We'll have to do that next time.  Instead, we headed back through Second Lake

and back into Third under blue skies for a total paddling distance of about 8 miles.

2013 Paddling Summary

Bog River to Hitchins Pond
Browns Tract
Dead Creek
Essex Chain of Lakes
Floodwood to Polliwog
Hoel, Turtle, Slang Ponds
Jessup River
Lake Kushaqua
Lake Lila
Little Tupper
Long Pond
Lower Osgood
Massawepie Lake
Middle Saranac Lake to Weller Pond
Rainbow Lake
Raquette Flow
Raquette River from Crusher to Moody
Six Carries
South Inlet to Raquette Lake
Tupper Lake to Bridge Brook Pond

Hiking from Forest Home Road to Lower Saranac

We joined an ADK hike on a mostly unmarked trail from a small pull out on the south side of Forest Home Road to the north shore of Lower Saranac Lake.  It was advertised to be 2 miles in each direction, but we added on quite a bit more looking for the trail in places.  With all the leaves down, it was not nearly as obvious as it had been when the leaders attempted it previously.  But it was a nice walk through the woods and we got to eat lunch on some big rocks on the shore of the lake.  This was our first "hike" this season because my knee has been acting up.  So I was very happy to be able to do it.

Paddling Lake Lila

We had a wonderful paddle today.  We drove the ~6 mile rough road into the parking lot for Lake Lila and carried the boats 1/3 mile to the shore.  But all the effort was really worth it.  It was a gorgeous fall day without a breath of wind.  This is the view from the shore before we started out.

The paddlers.

The view from our lunch stop.

Moose tracks - we stopped at one of the beaches where a moose had walked by sometime in the last couple of days.  My booted foot gives an idea of the size of the track.

Home from Oregon

I got home yesterday from a trip to Oregon to help with the final steps to move out of Dad's house.  The closing was completed a couple of days ago.  It was a successful but tiring trip.  There were some highlights, like a beautiful sunrise at breakfast.

Plus, I finally got to Fabric Depot in Portland and bought fabric for 3 projects.  And of course I got to visit with Dad and my brothers.