Hitchins Pond and Low's Ridge

October 13, 2008

On Columbus Day we had great weather and really wanted to go on a nice day trip. We decided to head back to Hitchins to spend the day. This time we paddled directly to the old homestead at the portage spot between Hitchins Pond and Low's Lake/Bog River. We hiked up to the top of Low's Ridge which provided us with some gorgeous views! Claire was really impressed! She was a great hiker and did not ask to be picked up once. She practically ran up and down the 1.1 miles each way. She insisted on wearing her "backup" wonder woman crown to which paddlers on the way out from camping over the weekend commented incorrectly "what a beautiful princess" - she corrected them of course. We made some hot food for Claire to eat on the way out and headed out at sunset. We were a little nervous paddling in the dark, but the full moon came out from behind the clouds and we were able to see quite well to get back to the car. Beautiful day!

More pictures here: http://picasaweb.google.com/kseleen/HitchinsPondLowSRidge#

West Branch Sacandaga River

September 29, 2008

Claire and I headed out on what is likely our last Mother-Daughter adventure in the kayak this season... we will see! We had very fall-like weather - threatening clouds that turned to full sun in minutes and everything in between! We put in at the southern Route 10 bridge and first paddled north to the Trout Lakes (~2 miles). We had a little picnic at one of the campsites on Big Trout, though it was difficult to find a spot to get out that wasn't deeply mucky! We tried to get to Little Trout but the channel just got too shallow (low water at this time of year). We could see it from the boat though. After our snack we paddled back towards the put in which is actually upstream from the Trout Lakes.

We checked out a little stream that went off to the east on the other side of Trout Mountain but didn't get very far in the very very narrow channel before coming upon a very tall beaver dam. The channel was nearly as narrow as our boat so it was tricky paddling backwards out :-) We then tried to get to Chub Lake, a place we had visited earlier in the summer, but alas the water was too low to get through although we were so close to the deeper water - it was only a few feet in front of us... I had to literally paddle through deep muck for several yards to get back out (sore shoulders the next day). Claire thought all the flying mud was great though!

So after all of this (several miles of paddling and lost count of how many dams after 6 or 7) we decided to go past the put in and continue upstream to Good Luck Lake. We only had one dam to get past and the channel was nice and easy paddling. Good Luck Lake is beautiful and we saw at least 3 campsites that all looked great, albeit well used. We had a short hop out at one of the campsites and ran around, climbed trees and rocks, etc. Had it been earlier in the day we would have checked out some of the trails. But since the sun was setting we decided to head back to the car. We didn't see another person on the water all day! More pictures here: http://picasaweb.google.com/kseleen/WestBranchSacandaga#

Camping on Middle Saranac Lake

September 19 - 21st, 2008

We headed out about midday after a short pit stop to have our nearly flat tire fixed on Friday. Put in on South Creek was quite straightforward and we headed straight north across the lake. Shortly after getting out in the middle of the lake we were greeted at eye level by a beautiful bald eagle flying directly toward and passing right in front of us. We had site 81 which had a lean-to. It was nice to have the shelter to hang out and cook in because it was a tad windy and quite chilly the first night and early Saturday morning. We set the tent up next to the lean-to and all stayed quite toasty to our surprise! Claire of course had a blast regardless of chill factor! It warmed up significantly mid morning Saturday and stayed pretty warm for the remainder of the trip.

We explored Weller Pond Saturday. Checked out the lean-to on Weller which was sheltered and nestled in a forested cove and then went to a nice sunny campsite for a picnic lunch and some play time. We saw one small motor boat on Weller and a couple of groups of people as well as one couple camping on an island site. Some folks hiked the trail from Upper Saranac Lake to Weller and were admiring the nice views across the pond. This trail is right across from the lean-to so we thought that the lean-to site might not be a terribly secluded experience. Heading back from Weller toward our campsite on Middle Saranac we ran into the wonderful man who sold us our boat!!! It was very fun to see him, his dog Walker and the entire crew of students from UVM.

We enjoyed some hanging out time at the campsite in the late afternoon as well as some of the usual camp activities - i.e. firewood, food prep, swimming and washing up, and exploring the surrounding shore area and forest behind the site. Our campsite was on a little peninsula with nice views on nearly all sides. Loons were ever-present and wonderful to see and hear throughout our stay. We did see a handful more motor boats Saturday late afternoon/evening. Really decided we didn't so much like the motors even these smaller, less obnoxious boats were still so disruptive in such a wild and serene setting. Even looking at the buoys started to bother us.... wilderness snobs perhaps???

Sunday morning brought a calm and foggy lake. Claire says "it's a little soggy out there" instead of foggy which brings the right imagery to mind as well! Also have some pictures below and in a web album here: http://picasaweb.google.com/kseleen/MiddleSaranacPlusRaquette#

We had nice campfires which we don't often do during the summer so it was fun for Claire to get to zone out on the fire before heading into the tent (where she sleeps so soundly I'm tempted to put it up in the backyard!). On our last day I talked the girls into heading across route 3 to paddle on the Raquette River from Axton Landing down to the falls. We got a later start leaving Middle Saranac because some powderpuffs decided they couldn't paddle all the way back to the ranger station and wanted a ride from South Creek parking area. Ultimately we didn't make it all the way to the falls because of this little delay, but it was a nice paddle and we defintely got a sense of that section including the western shoreline that is part of a large tract just purchased by TNC. Claire was tuckered out by the time we arrived back at Axton!

Hitchins Pond - Bog River

September 15, 2008

We always celebrate our anniversary on the full moon in September (today!). So we all headed up for a paddle to Hitchins Pond via the Bog River. It was a fairly drizzly day, but so beautiful it was hard not to completely enjoy ourselves! Claire had a blast climbing on rocks and playing with sticks (that were butterflies, complete with proboscus and antennae as she explained to us). We checked out campsites along Bog River and Hitchins Pond, a couple of which seem very promising! We stopped to run around a few times and saw a pair of bald eagles as well as an osprey that hovered right over our boat for a minute. It had a very remote, adirondack feel and so may be a place we return to camp. It's definitely high on the list! Check out pictures in the webalbum - http://picasaweb.google.com/kseleen/Hitchins#

Kunjamuk River (and Cave!)

September 10, 2008

Claire and I had an amazing adventure today. Beautiful weather that started off quite cool... We headed to the Kunjamuk River, leaving from Lake Pleasant in Speculator. It was a blast - we stopped to find the Kunjamuk Cave (big hit with Claire) and then continued up to Elm Lake before heading back. We only ran into one other party on the river - a group of 3 boats, all women in their 60s! You go ladies!!! Actually they are the reason we got into a little trouble with our timeline! They encouraged us to make Elm Lake saying it was not far and they seemed so tireless and without any sign of fatigue that I was adamant that we'd make the lake :-) Claire was really enjoying the day and kept asking if we could stay there longer so hey we did it... I think we put in after noon and didn't end up arriving back at the car until 7:30... ok so we did the little hike to the cave and then there was the swimming at 5pm that I gave in to. Needless to say, beautiful beautiful place, fun times with Claire and a very sleepy girl at the end of the day. We had to take a very sparkly (mica) rock to the cave so that the golden butterfly would be protected (not sure where she gets this :-). It was fun. Check out the web album for more pictures, long day so lots of photos - http://picasaweb.google.com/kseleen/Kunjamuk#

Hudson River - Moreau State Park Stretch

September 4, 2008

Claire and I headed down to Moreau State Park to paddle the stretch of the Hudson River that is surrounded by the park. We went to the Sherman Island put in (between the dams) and arrived as a kayaking group was leaving the water (we came after lunch). We had the glassy, calm water to ourselves for 4 hours! We picnicked at a campsite and on one of the islands and on a rock on the eastern/southern shore. We had a great time and it was beautiful. As we paddled back to leave at around quarter of 6pm people began to arrive for a nice evening outing so we seemed to have timed it just right for catching some solitude in a beautiful place that usually is much more frequented than our experience. We saw Great Blues, a kingfisher, some chipmunks and squirrels going nuts over nuts :-) And we saw chestnut tree mature enough to bear fruit (which I foolishly tried to grab poking holes in all my fingers!). Interesting mix of trees including chestnut, chestnut oak, possibly swamp white oak, mixed with pretty standard northern hardwoods and hemlock. Beautiful cardinal flower too!

More photos here: http://picasaweb.google.com/kseleen/HudsonRiverMoreauStatePark#

Lens Lake

September 3, 2008

Claire and I spent the morning at Lake Luzerne beach with friends and headed out after lunch to Lens Lake for an afternoon paddle. Lens Lake is just southwest of Stony Creek. It was a very nice little lake with gorgeous bog plants including pitcher plant, sundew, all kinds of sphagnum mosses and cotton grass. Beaver activity was quite evident, creating sinuous channels almost like following a small stream. Open water, large rocks, sandy bottom... nice surprise! It felt very much like being in the heart of the Adirondacks! We saw great blues, wood ducks, a beaver slapped her/his tail at us and a plethora of dragonflies and damselflies. Beautiful afternoon.

Other photos here: http://picasaweb.google.com/kseleen/LensLake#

Cedar River Flow

September 1, 2008

So the whole family went out on Cedar River Flow on Labor Day. Wakely Dam put in had 5-7 cars but with the size and the variability in shoreline and inlets and neat areas to explore it certainly did not feel at all crowded. Sandy bottom! Pretty easy to pull up to shore and snack and swim and explore. It was a bit windy when we got there so we decided not to try to head all the way down the Cedar River to the lean-to for fear that it might be too much of a struggle to get back against the wind. Instead we opted for checking out Buell Creek, which is only navigable for a short distance, but is very fun and had nice sandy bars and deep pools to play in. We saw frogs and newts and fish. We saw great blue herons and loons on the Flow. There were several nice campsites and seems like a great place for an off season camping trip. Claire fell asleep in the canoe and slept for 40 minutes until we pulled ashore on a little beach where she immediately wanted to swim and jump off the big rocks... Fun was had by all.

More photos here: http://picasaweb.google.com/kseleen/CedarRiverFlow#

Fall Stream

August 28, 2008



Claire and I went on a wonderful paddling adventure up Fall Stream near Piseco, NY. It was absolutetly gorgeous and we didn't see another soul all day. We forded 6 beaver dams and were keeping company with a beautiful osprey most of the trip. It was a pretty narrow channel most of the time, with alder thickets and a pretty mucky bottom. We got to the very southern tip of the channel to Vly Lake and lost track of the navigable path. Only figured it out in hindsight looking at the aerial photos and in talking to some other folks who had paddled it earlier that week. A great trip and definitely one we will do again! We need to make it to Vly Lake where there are some nice places to get out. There are not many easy picnicky spots along most of the way so I was incredibly proud of Claire for enjoying the 5 hours in the kayak without complaint!





More photos here: http://picasaweb.google.com/kseleen/FallStream#

Schroon River

August 25, 2008

Our great friends Mauri and Mari went on a kayaking adventure with us a week and a half ago to the Schroon River just south of the lake. It was flat water but there was a significant current. We spent much of our time in some backwater marshy areas and the creek directly across from the put in which was sinuous and narrow with overhanging trees. The girls and I went swimming in a rather questionable, high current area, but had fun and all was good. We saw turtles and some female mallards, beautiful cardindal flower and pickerel weed. Good times! Aside from forcing Mauri to get out in some lovely mucky bottomed areas, we all had a blast :-)

More pics at our web album here http://picasaweb.google.com/kseleen/SchroonRiver#

We're Back

So i t has been a while! With vacations and just general summer hectic schedules, we have been limited in organized outdoor adventures. I'm going to post a few pictures with limited text for some of our recent trips. Always fun - lately it's been all on the water in our little recreational kayak from LL Bean!

The Lost Butterfly Trail - WWPP

So our quest was to see the Federally Listed Karner Blue Butterfly. We had no idea what was in store for us....

My friend Sarah Clarkin, Executive Director of the Wilton Wildlife Preserve and Park, got us started on our butterfly hunt by showing us pictures and talking about where the butterflies like to be and described the flowers they frequent for nectar. Thank you Sarah!

The story is epic from here... We journeyed into the preserve on the BLUE trail.... We came to the first opening in the trees and - Whoosh - there was a KBB (Karner Blue Butterfly) landing on Claire's leg.

We continued on and saw several more KBBs - Yippee!

Contemplating the road ahead....

Then, around the bend and into the woods we found.... the prettiest Eastern Hognose Snake I have ever seen! Thanks for the photo Hollie!

Very cool snake... pretty afraid of us... and some of us afraid of him (or her??). Here is where our paths diverted... a few of us lingered while the rest moved onward. Blue was no longer taking us where we wanted to go but alas the map holder was lagging behind....

We saw male and female KBBs on butterflyweed as if posing for a poster. I counted 11 KBBs myself. I'm sure in total we saw more than that! We saw swallowtails and monarchs and beautiful dragonflies and damselflies and tiger beetles. One damselfly that Hollie and I were bound and determined to remember was the Ebony Jewelwing - emerald green body with black wings - Thank you Hollie!

Ultimately our 3/4 mile trip turned into a 2.3 mile hike. Luckily it was a beautiful day and there was much to see along the way. What started out as a butterfly walk turned into a butterfly expedition! Nice job everyone! I think it was harder on the adults than the kids!


The bullfrog tadpoles in the pond were HUMONGOUS and there was a nest of baby phoebes that had fallen out of a tree that we came across too. It had clearly happened recently and we heard momma bird was in the vicinity. Joe and Claire were really interested in them... and then well, interests turned to trying to feed the fish and the tadpoles (with rocks and plant material from shore).

So what the heck is that butterfly sitting on anyway???? Ok - gross.... coyote or fox poop based on the hair content.... nice. Everything really is part of the "web of life".







Thanks for the adventure everyone... next time maybe walkie talkies?

Inman Pond - May 16, 2008

Great Hike! Beautiful spring flowers in bloom - jack in the pulpit, red nodding trillium, painted trillium, foam flower, lots of different violets, bellwort, starflower, indian cucumber root, baneberry & trout lily. We heard wonderful forest birds - black throated green and blue warblers, vireos, ovenbirds, winter wrens, blackburnian warblers, great crested flycatchers, & scarlet tanagers. We found an eastern american toad that Mari, Joe and Claire had fun touching and watching. We compared woodpecker holes - sapsucker holes (little dots in rows), pileated woodpecker holes (humongous, oval-shaped) and downy & hairy woodpecker holes (small, round).

We stopped at the bridge for a snack (1/3 of the way in). There were two short stretches of uphill (about 400 feet total change in elevation). We took the left fork in the trail at the outlet of Inman pond and went up to the campsite along the southwestern side of the pond. Nice place for lunch and some play time. Beautiful views at the pond - rocky shores on the north and west and boggy at the outlet. Kids went "exploring" at the picnic spot among the hemlock trees. This was Claire's favorite part! We stopped again at the bridge on the way out where the kids scrambled around on the bridge and in the small stream looking for sticks and playing in the water.

All the hikers did great - kudos to both our youngest hiker (Joe - quite an amazing little adventurer!) and our most pregnant hiker (Sara - seriously nice job mom)!

We were on the trail for about 4 hours including breaks and lunch. Total mileage - a little over 2.5 miles roundtrip.