Limekiln & Harris Lakes; Moose River 8/7/13 – 8/14/13

This year’s annual camping trip with Adam & Jacqui and Kaden took us to new places.  Our first night was spent at Limekiln Lake Campgrounds, just outside of Moose River Wild Forest.  We had a spot near the water, and had to keep a constant eye on Kaden, who is two years old and into everything.  He is a very busy little guy, and moves quicker than expected!  The site was nice and roomy, plenty big enough for all of us to share.  Adam & Jacqui rented a pop-up camper for the weekend; we used our regular tent for the single overnight, as it sets up and tears down pretty quickly.

Catch Up & Review: 2012 Part 2 – Moose River; Lewey Lake

Our summer vacation consisted of stays at two of our favorite places – Moose River and Lewey Lake.  In Moose River we took a spot next to Sumner stream, and were later joined by The Amy & Dan Clan (which includes them, their son Daniel and their dog); they took the next campsite up the road.  They told us they’d heard reports of moose sightings at Helldiver Pond, so we walked in to the pond to check it out.  The moose is there in the early morning hours, though, so no luck for us.  On a future visit we’ll have to set an alarm so we can go see him!

Catch Up & Review: 2011 Moose River ; Wanakena/Five Ponds

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.

Catch Up & Review: 2010 Part 3 Moose River

For our final camping trip of the year we spent one last weekend at Moose River at the end of August. The campsite we chose had been oddly decorated off to the side. Someone put a lot of effort into this rock arrangement, and they arranged some long grasses on the ground and in the trees. It was very strange, and I have no idea what it means, if anything.

Catch Up & Review: 2010 Part 2 Forked Lake; Lewey Lake

Our next trip was at the end of May to Forked Lake in the Adirondacks.  It is a primitive campground, and all the sites are walk-in or canoe-in.

Catch Up & Review: 2010 Part 1 Central New York; Moose River

We did a couple of day hikes near Syracuse in April, one at Highland Forest and one at Morgan Hill.  After a long winter spent indoors we get a bit stir crazy, so even seeing the little common things gives us a thrill.  We did find a clump of frog eggs in a mud puddle, and also saw a flock of turkeys in the woods.

Catch Up & Review: (the rest of) 2009 Moose River; Lewey Lake

I thought I’d re-start this whole thing with a couple of brief recaps from the last few years.  We’ve had a few really cool trips, totally worth sharing!

A Little More Primitive: Forked Lake Campground

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

Pictures-only version: click here

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!

First Camping Trip of the Season: Piseco Lake; T Lake Trail

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

Pictures-only version: click here

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.

Back For More: Bald Mountain

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.

How It All Began: Blue Mountain

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.