LOCALadk Magazine

ROOSTERCOMB INN A DOG FRIENDLY INN PEOPLE FRIENDLY TOO! MAGDALENA JANAK DUSAN JANAK 315 - 657 - 4839 WWW.ROOSTERCOMBINN.COM 3 Market St. Keene Valley, NY Follow the river to an enchanted place. 7,000 sq. ft. of gallery-quality rustic furniture, designer accents, mountain resort wear, accessories, trinkets & pure joy! 292 Main St., North Creek, NY Abode interior service: Let us do the work to pull it all together, a little or a lot! 518.251.4461 Open daily at 9:30 am HudsonRiverTradingCo.com 21 LOCALadk It should be noted that overland travel through trail-less wilderness does require a certain mindset All traces of the old lean-to were gone, but we did find a few pieces of enamelware, a cooking pot, and even an old but still recognizable can of Dinty Moore Beef Stew. It was fun to examine the site and imagine the camp as it might have appeared over fiy years ago. e interior was undoubtedly very rustic, but still would have provided a comfortable refuge as a late-November snowstorm swirled outside. On Day 3, our route took us first to another very remote lake, and then downhill for a few miles to a large, not-so-remote lake where we would camp for that night. Aer crossing the lake, we shouldered our packs and boats and began a long bushwhack through what would prove to be some exceptionally rugged country. As previously mentioned, when traveling on land we carried packs and boats. Each of us had different methods of doing this, however. Anne and John preferred to carry their boats overhead, resting on their packs on shoulders, while I had developed a preference for just slinging my boat over one shoulder with my arm sort of wedged between the center thwart and gunnel. In my other hand I carried my paddle and fishing pole, while John and Anne typically stowed their paddles inside the boat. Regardless of individual preferences, this manner of outfitting—backpack with a solo canoe—has proven to be an extremely effective way to see and enjoy the most remote areas of the Adirondacks. And although the trip was definitely physically challenging, the fact that each of our boats weighed about 20 pounds made this sort of travel possible. It is a wonderful, liberating feeling to know that you can travel through trail-less country and navigate both water and land with ease. With the possible exception of a sheer cliff, there's really nowhere you can't go with such a set-up. Because Day 3's itinerary was mostly downhill, we thought it might be an easier day. However, once into the hike, it became evident that this day was to be no picnic. Dense undergrowth, steep drops, and huge moss-covered boulders made travel in this section very difficult. Even with our somewhat lighter packs, this third day was to prove the most physically challenging of the trip. Here again we were reminded of the tremendous difference between following a marked trail and going overland while route- finding. We all acquired the necessary skill of "steering" the bow of our boats through the best opening in the undergrowth as we walked, all the while dealing with clouds of blackflies and very uneven ground. It is probably not an exaggeration to say that the energy expenditure for this type of travel is easily five times what a comparable distance would be on a marked, cleared trail. However, the country we traveled through, although rugged, was exceptionally beautiful. And because some of this area had actually never been logged, it was a special feeling to experience a landscape that very few people had ever trod upon. One highlight was encountering a small gem of a pond that we viewed from above and mentally filed as an objective for a return trip. Eventually, we did arrive at our campsite, and aer pitching tents, either swam or paddled on the large lake where we would spend our last night. On Day 4, our final itinerary was to paddle and hike back south to Stillwater Reservoir, where we had arranged to be picked up and taken back to the Stillwater boat launch. We could have paddled out under our own power, but Stillwater Reservoir is notorious for big waves in the aernoon, the time we would be arriving there. As it was, we were able to enjoy the wait for our ride by sunbathing on one of Stillwater's many beaches under yet another cloudless blue sky. When our trip concluded, and we were discussing it, we each questioned whether we would do that particular trip again. e truth is that it was physically arduous, the blackflies were atrocious, and the sun unrelenting day aer day—and the fishing was terrible. However, seven months on, as I write this, my memories of the trip are mostly fond. e passage of time has dulled the pain of blackfly bites, dehydration, and exhaustion. I do think I'll make that trip again, but next time I know an ice-cold spring where I'll stash a couple beers for the reward at the end.

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