In the summer of 2011, our vacation was spent mostly in the Adirondacks, after visiting some family. First leg of the camping trip was at Moose River Plains Wild Forest; we spent three nights there. It was awesome as always. One of the campsites we’ve always wanted to stay at but is always occupied was finally vacant, so we grabbed it. It’s a really pretty spot by the water.
We rented kayaks in Old Forge to try it out, and although it was really fun, canoeing is more suitable for us. This was not whitewater, just a nice calm meander up and down Moose River. For our uses a canoe is more practical, as we don’t do any whitewater, and we like to carry gear – a lot sometimes – and a canoe is much bigger and more stable.
The next day we decided to hike down a section of road near our campsite which has usually been open in the past, but for some reason this time was blocked by a gate. We really hate that! Sometimes we just like to drive around in there exploring the roads, and obviously you cover more ground in a vehicle. But if we really want in, we’re going in one way or another! So we grabbed our packs and off we went.
Oh, and along the edge of the road was a ton of berries growing! Then we looked at the scat again, and realized it was fresh – like maybe only minutes old fresh! It was time to leave. We headed right back the way we came. We could have kept going, but we would have to come back past this obvious feeding site, and chances are good that the bear would also return, or didn’t go far in the first place. He might have even been in the woods, watching us and laughing the whole time! Avoidance is probably the best way to ensure that no mishaps take place when dealing with nature. We like to give everything its space and not encroach whenever possible. Upon arriving back at camp, it started to rain, so it was just as well that we weren’t out hiking. We took a nap instead, maybe out of necessity or maybe because we were cooped up. I’m thinking we need to start bringing a deck of cards with us. Anyway, we woke up to find water in the tent and damp gear, so we had to take everything out, tip the tent on its front side to drain, and put whatever got wet inside the Jeep with the heater running to dry out.
Not cool. Here is where an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. The tent needs its waterproofing refreshed, and we need to do a better job at laying the tarp under it such that water doesn’t drain down the sides of the tent onto the tarp and get funneled under the nylon floor which it soaks through very readily. We were just finishing that process when our friends Amy & Dan, their son Daniel and their dog joined us as planned. It worked out great because this particular campsite was big enough for all of us to share. So we hung out with them that evening, and left the next morning. We had to go back to Syracuse to switch out some of our gear, get cleaned up, and replenish a few supplies.
The second leg of camping was spent backpacking overnight in Wanakena/Five Ponds Wilderness Area near Cranberry Lake. This was a section of the Cranberry 50 Trail, which we’d like to do all of in the future.
We carried about 45 pounds each on a 20 mile loop, and spent one overnight. We started at 1:30pm Sunday, finishing at 6pm Monday; actual hiking time was about 9 hours. Not bad for rookies. It was incredible, and boy were we hurtin' by the time we finished! The pain and swelling in our legs and feet was indescribable. Halfway through the second day, we would stop to relieve the pain in our feet, resting for a few minutes, and when we’d start up again it almost felt worse. On top of that, Ken was using a military style backpack which didn’t distribute much weight to the waist straps, and the result was incredibly sore shoulders. It was after this trip that we researched and purchased a proper backpack for Ken, making sure it fit properly. The hike itself was gorgeous every step of the way.
We stayed overnight at a beautiful site on a river, where we also gathered and sterilized the next day’s water supply. We did not filter the water, but sterilized it using our SteriPen, rendering it free of biological pathogens.
The second day we hiked in to High Falls and spent an hour or two there taking in the views and having lunch. This place made all the pain and suffering worth enduring.
After lunch we continued along, and this is when the pain in our feet and legs really started kicking in. We had planned on hiking out and back on Cat Mountain Trail, but that was before we knew how sore we’d be. We’d also planned a second overnight at a lean-to shelter at Janack’s Landing, but after realizing we wouldn’t want to put those heavy packs on for a third day we decided to just hike the rest of the way out.
There was still quite a bit of ground to cover, but we finally made it back to the Jeep. The first thing I did was remove my pack (of course) and the second thing I did was remove my hiking boots. Oh, man, did that feel good! We stopped at the little store in town for a fresh cup of coffee and a snack, and headed back to Syracuse for a night before going home to Florida. We got normal food, a shower, and a soft bed, just what we needed. My feet were noticeably swollen for four or five days after this hike! I’ve never had that happen before – it was so weird. My legs from hips to toes were extremely sore as well, to the point that every time we stopped on the drive back to Florida, I had trouble getting out of the car and walking. Everything stayed stiff from sitting in the car. I would loosen up a bit after a few minutes walking around in a rest area or gas station, and then I’d get in the car to stiffen up again. I was walking like an old cripple! I don’t ever want to be an old cripple, ‘cause it sucked! We had a great time though, and saw lots of cool stuff. The awesomeness of nature is what keeps us going back to it, good and bad all taken in stride and learned from. The photo album for this trip has lots more pictures, many with additional commentary in the captions beneath them. Take a look! Moose River; Wanakena Backpacking 7/27/11 - 8/1/11
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