So I took the plunge and did a 3 day hike of the Northville - Lake Placid trail. The weather was supposed to be cool (daytime 50's and nights 30's). So Friday, Randy took me up to Piseco Cold Bridge trail head where I registered to begin at 8am. He took some photos of me registering, just in case, he said, that these would be the last photos of me. What a sense of humor! So, off I trudged. By 10am I was just about to Fall Stream when I met up with a thru hiker coming south. He said he had left the Spruce Lake area, where I planned to camp for the night, 2 hours earlier. He must have been really cooking cause that was still 6+ miles away. So, I get across Fall Stream, rock hopping. The trail so far had been pretty easy. Fairly level but covered with a fresh layer of yellow and bronze beech and maple leaves. So, about 1015, a stick gets trapped between my feet and one of my new carbon composite, light weight hikeing poles. Both stick and pole broke. Also by now, I can feel a blister on my left big toe starting. So at 1030 I stop and have a snack, pack my broken pole to carry out (and hoping I can get a replacement) and take care of my blister. All that done, I hike on. I stopped for lunch about 12 and ate a sandwich I had brought. Since the trail was fairly easy, I got to the 3rd Spruce Lake lean-to by 2:30 pm, pretty early but I felt it was too far and too difficult a trail to the next lean-to to try it at the end of the day. So I unpacked, huddled into all my clothes, and was in my sleeping bag at 6:30pm when it got dark. I got up once at midnight and the sky was clear and full of stars. A great view but really cold. I got back into my bag as soon as possible. I had done a little over 10 miles on Friday.
Next morning I did the usual cooking of breakfast, getting clean water, packing up, etc., and was on my way by 8:30am. This second part of the trip was the most difficult. Several of what I called "water hazards" were in this section of my hike and I wanted to be fresh for those difficulties. Sure enough, at 3.5 miles, I got to the Sampson Bog bridge, which has been washed out. The hiker goes downstream just a little way and someone has set up a pole across the wide outlet. Thankfully the pole wasn't wet and slimy but it was still pretty narrow so sucking up my courage, I balance beam across the thing without incident. I got pics to bring back to show Randy. Two miles later, I get to West Canada Creek which also has had the bridge washed out. A lot of rock hopping gets me across this body of water too. Two miles after that, I get a lunch break and stop at the West Canada Creek lean-to. A very well maintained lean-to with a pretty view. I was there for 1/2 an hour then pressed on. About a mile on, I get to an area, I think, between West Lake and an arm of Mud Lake. This is a huge expanse of marsh area that has the hiker crossing on boards. What is holding the boards up is anyone's guess but they were not stable and at times were covered with water and slippery. Of course, Saturday was very, very cold, with a cold wind blowing pretty hard, at least across the water of the lakes. I cross the boards and eventually get to a bridge. The wind was blowing too hard (and too cold) for me to stop and take pictures. Off the bridge, more boards to finally, firm ground. Not the end of today's rough trail. Next I have to follow the newly cut trail around beaver activity. The trail goes through an area the last glaciers dropped billions of rocks and around which trees have grown. So, I stumble along over rocks and tree roots hoping I don't trip and break my ankle. From this point the rest of the day's trail is actually pretty good, not counting the omnipresent mud pits in the middle of the trail to be found anywhere in the Adirondacks, even in the driest years. The day continued to get colder and by 3pm, it was sleeting. I had missed the side trails to the Third Cedar Lake lean-to and the trail to a lean-to on First Cedar Lake. Since it was getting on to 4pm, was sleeting and getting dark, I was starting to worry. Also, because I was getting tired and my feet were starting to hurt, I was beginning to wonder if there really were any lean-tos. All ended well when I topped a small rise and saw the lean-to roof in the distance. When I got there, a couple was there also, who had hiked in from Pillsbury Mountain, about 4.5 miles. They were very friendly and we shared the lean-to, hiking stories and a great big fire. I actually slept better that night than Friday night. The lean-to and the whole area was covered with snow the next morning. I had done a little over 12 miles on Saturday.
So again, the next morning, I do all the morning chores, packed up my pack and was off by 8:45am. Everything was covered with snow and the 1st part of the trail was closely grown with balsam and hemlock coated with snow. So, I didn't have a rain suit on and the snow brushed off onto my clothes. It was so cold Sunday morning that I left my long john pants on. I was wearing boots and wool socks, long johns and technical hiking pants, an under shirt, tee shirt and fleece (all wicking). The trail wound thru another area of rocks and roots with trees closing in onto the trail. In an hour I was soaked to the skin. Where the snow brushed onto me and melted, from the wet snow (the sun poked out for about an hour and a half) dropping on me and the melted snow water raining down from the branches, I was totally wet. Thru this rocky/rooty area, I managed to trip and bang my right knee up pretty good though no skin was broken. Finally, about 1030am, I got to a casual fishing camp, next to the Cedar River where a little sun was shining in and some fishermen had built a small bench. I sat in the sun, where the water was steaming off of my clothes and had a snack. I adjusted my pack, tightening up the straps holding my bear cannister and trekked on. The hardest part of the trail was done. There was a bit of a climb up Lamphere Ridge but not too bad. I stopped for lunch at the Carry Lean-to (also called the Cedar River Flow Lean-to) but the wind was cutting right thru my wet clothes so I only stopped for 15 minutes. I trekked on cause there was only 4.4 miles left of the hike and as the guide book promised, a very easy hike. Along an old grassy road thru stands of pine/hemlock and stands of maple/beech, it was picturesque scenery. Since the hiking was level and easy, I was moving along at a pretty good clip. I met 2 hunters about 2.5 miles from Wakely Dam with muzzel loading rifles. At 2 miles, Randy met me on the trail to hike out with me. When we got to the car, he had brought clean dry clothes, some cold roast chicken to snack on and a thermos of hot coffee. What a great husband.
Lessons learned. 1. The skin of my hands and feet had gotten so dry that the skin was cracking open. I need to use some type of lotion or something every day on the trail to keep from having problems.
2. The last day of the hike I was wet thru. While my clothes were drying from body heat, I would have had a problem if I had to camp that night. I had no dry long johns, pants or fleece. I'll have to think about how to handle that as my pack is pretty full already. Perhaps an extry pants and long sleeve shirt to wear with my jacket (which I had with me) while I dry stuff over a fire.
Otherwise, a very successful hike. I finished at a little over 32 miles covered.
