Highland Forest County Park, Fabius, NY 5/31/09
Main Trail 9.2 miles
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So, we’ve been wanting to try a longer hike and see how we do with greater distances. We couldn’t have picked a nicer day for it; the weather was perfect. Highland Forest is becoming a main attraction for us. There are so many trails to follow, and it is beautiful. I doubt it will ever get old on us. Along the way, we crossed several streams, and encountered a fair share of hills, as well as some mud here and there. We didn’t run into a lot of people, which, of course, is fine with us. We did meet a group of three mountain bikers, who had started their journey several miles away and were pretty muddy themselves.
Forked Lake Primitive Campground (DEC), Adirondacks 5/23 & 5/24/09
Highlights: fishing; our new screen house; canoeing; freeze-dried food; bear lockers; loons singing after dark; coyotes in the distance
Not-exactly-highlights: black flies; the outhouse; rain; packing up wet camping gear; leaving early
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We’d heard about Forked Lake from a couple different people, so the first weekend in May we drove up to scope it out, and chose the perfect site to reserve, # 75. While planning this trip, we developed grandiose ideas of how we were gonna “really rough-it” this time. Oh yes! We were going to hike in about ½ mile to our site, with all our gear on our backs, and not much gear at that… just the bare essentials. We wouldn’t need our stove or the propane, as we would cook on the campfire. This campfire would not be lit with a modern lighter, or even matches. No, no, only a magnesium fire starter would be used. We wouldn’t need a cooler, either, as we’d be bringing only freeze-dried meals and other dry food items. What about something to drink? Well we’d be camping right next to a lake, for God’s sake! We can gather water from it and boil it over the campfire, rendering it perfect for drinking and cooking. We even bought a mess kit to cook with, thereby eliminating the need for our usual pots, pans, and tableware. This would be a lot less stuff to hike in with. We were also planning a hike along a snowmobile trail, possibly 15 miles round trip, depending on how quickly we tired. It was to be the mother of all camping trips!
Little Sand Point State Campground, Piseco Lake, Adirondacks 5/15 & 5/16/09
Hike: T Lake Trail 3.5 miles (7 mi. round trip)
Highlights: fishing; Common Mergansers (ducks); hike to T Lake lean-to; red-spotted newts; toads; Purple Trillium (a.k.a. “Stinking Benjamin”)
Not-exactly-highlights: black flies; rain; packing up wet camping gear; leaving early
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In spite of what we’ve heard about the black flies in the Adirondacks from May through mid-July, we decided to go camp there anyway. We prefer to camp away from the crowds. See, we’re not drinkers like most campers seem to be, and as a result their drunken antics and loud behavior tend to be annoying. The whole reason we enjoy camping is because it’s relaxing, and if you’re quiet enough, you’ll see some pretty cool wildlife. Loud drunks tend to interfere with all of that. So we thought we’d enjoy some solitude and take our chances with the black flies. We did our homework, bought 100% Deet, and got bug nets for our heads. I was hoping we wouldn’t really need the nets; they do look silly.
We arrived at the site and it wasn’t two minutes before we were putting on the bug spray… and the bug nets in five, after spraying them as well. Those flies were all over us, and they concentrate around your head – go figure. We set up camp, ate lunch, and took off in the car to tour the area. We located the trailhead for the next day’s hike, and scoped out another campground at Lake Durant, which was beautiful.
Highland Forest County Park, Fabius, NY 5/9/09
Westwind Loop Trail 3.0 miles
Since acquiring all our new gear, we decided to test it on a nearby short hike before going out for “the real thing.” Highland Forest is a place we’ve always loved and returned to many times for various activities. There are miles and miles of trails for hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, and snowmobiling. For our test run, we took the Westwind Loop, which is about 3 miles long with some hilly sections. We encountered a garter snake shortly after getting started, and of course I had to take pictures of him. He was less than thrilled with our presence. We also saw a small toad later on, who wasn’t bothered by us at all.
Early Summer 2009
Summer is here, which means we can get back to the outdoors in relative comfort. We’ve been anxious to resume our camping and hiking adventures, and we’re going to approach it a little differently this year. Ken and I tend to go from one extreme to the other; adjustments are necessary, after all! We will set out over-prepared, as opposed to completely unprepared the way we were last summer on Blue Mountain. In reality, one probably can’t be too prepared when out on the trail, as anything can happen, and sometimes does.
Bald Mountain, Adirondacks 8/22/08
Distance 1 mile (2 mi. round trip)
Elevation change 400 ft.
So, we’ve decided that we like this whole hiking thing, and we’re ready for more abuse. For now, though, we’ll be taking our abuse in smaller, more manageable doses. Bald Mountain is another rocky trail with plenty of roots, and beautiful along the way as well as at the top.
It all started with an innocent camping trip at the end of July 2008. We shared a large site on Lewey Lake in the Adirondacks with Adam & Jacqui. We’d been camping plenty before, but not yet in the Adirondacks, which would bring a whole new aspect to camping for us. First of all, they have Black Bears there, which means you must keep your food in your car when you’re not cooking or eating, and definitely overnight. This includes pots and pans, and anything else that has touched food. We followed the rules and saw no bears. That’s ok with me. We also rented canoes and got a closer view of some of the wildlife.
