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The Northville Placid Trail – A Soft Path Through the Airondacks Part 3 of 3 – by Doug Fitzgerald

8/5/2012

Part 3 – The philosophical stuff; wilderness travel, how we did, what it felt like being out there, coming back to civilization; you know, all that idealistic stuff.

Sawtooth Mt. from Moose Pond

There is so much more to a trip like this than what is seen and done. How you feel about the trip while it is happening and what you are left with when the trip is over are more likely to determine whether the experience is considered a success of not. In my final blog about the NPT I will attempt to convey some idea of these intangibles.

Leo enjoying the trail

Wilderness Travel
Traveling in the wild places of North America has captivated me for years; there is little that can compare to it. After a few days of travel, you fall into the elemental simplicity of a trip like this. Life becomes easy as you get into the rhythm of the daily routine. Between adventures I tend to forget about this aspect of wilderness travel, but it comes back to me once I am out there and moving.
In the wilderness nature reins supreme and being engulf by it is an extraordinary feeling.

West Canada Lake

Places
The places that the NPT passes through had a great effect on our experience. I had never been in the Silver Lake or West Canada Lake Wilderness Areas. I expected these areas to be special and they were. Exploring new territory is always exciting and I was not disappointed on this trip. Without a doubt, the last section of the trip was the most spectacular. For this reason alone I would recommend hiking the trail from south to north. Finishing up the trail by hiking along the Cold River and through the Western High Peaks left us with a remarkable final impression.

Duck Hole looking up stream from the breached dam

In this section we stopped for lunch at the site of Duck Hole Dam, which was washed out during Hurricane Irene last year. I had been to Duck Hole three times by canoe from Henderson Lake, twice before the dam was breached and a month after it happened. When I was there in September it was amazing to see, but the water was still draining out of the exposed lake bottom. This time the once drowned lands were still brown, but dry. The vista here has always been amazing and the contrast of browns and greens with a stream flowing through the center and the mountains in the background is truly striking now. I look forward to watching this area as forest succession starts anew.

Duck Hole Dam before the washout

Duck Hole Dam now

Wanaka Falls

Probably the most beautiful place we visited along the trail was Wanaka Falls.

I was so struck by the beauty of the place that I felt like I was in Eden.

A successful trip begins with good planning and preparation

Expedition Behavior aka Group Dynamics
Unless you travel alone, group dynamics has an affect on every trip, even those in the front country. In the backcountry how members of a group interacts with each other plays an even bigger role. When living and traveling in close proximity to others it is easy to key in on their actions and attitudes, thus letting the little things bother you. The best trip to the most magnificent place can be ruined if people don’t get along. No trip is immune to this, but experienced outdoor travelers know that it can be controlled. In the backcountry the term we use for this is “Expedition Behavior”. Working to make a trip successful starts well before heading out, good route planning and communication are essential. Understanding other people’s expectations for a trip is important, so it helps if all members of the group know each other before hand. Sometimes that is not the case, so the pre-trip work is even more critical. Good food planning is vital as everyone has
likes, dislikes and unique dietary requirements. This issue alone has a huge impact on a trip.

Doug & Leo reach their goal

Leo and I have known each other for 39 years. We met on the first day of school at Paul Smith’s College. We have traveled together on numerous occasions, so we have an advantage over most wilderness travelers. Even so, we communicated often before this trip and had a well thought out plan of travel with reasonable expectations. We developed a menu plan that both of us were pleased with and we shared the load of group equipment, not duplicating gear that could be shared. Along the way we enjoyed each others company and also enjoyed the solitude that the wilderness provides. I previously mentioned that we used solo tents. This allowed each of us our own space to relax and recharge. Sometimes we would hike close to each other and chat, other times we would have some distance between us and get into the rhythm of the trail and beauty surrounding us. It just happened for us without much thought. We are fortunate to have a friendship that works so well. From my experience many wilderness travelers are not as lucky.

Piseco, resupply

Civilization
I have a friend that claims there is no real wilderness in the Adirondacks. The claim is that in the Adirondacks you are never more than eight miles from a highway or other form of civilization. When you compare this to travel in the Far North where you are hundreds of miles from civilization, then the claim is true. Other people believe wilderness is in the eye (or mind) of the beholder. I certainly experienced the feeling of wilderness on this hike, but it is impossible to escape the contacts with civilization along this trail. Instead of viewing this as a negative aspect of the trip, we embraced the opportunities it provided. We enjoyed the contrast between these two worlds along the trail. We easily flowed from one to the other.

The Chubb River, last day on the trail

Towards the end of any trip the thoughts of returning to civilization start to creep into the mind. We always try to keep this to a minimum and practice “staying on the trip” until it is actually over. This also plays a role in expedition behavior. The last night of a trip has always been a conflict for me. I look forward to seeing family and friends and to enjoying the creature comforts of home, but I also don’t want to leave the backcountry. I want to keep hiking or paddling; I want to see what is around the next bend
or over the next hill. Having been on many trips in the past I feel like I am finally coming to terms with the feelings I experience during the last days. If the trip has been successful, it is a time for reflection and celebration. Fortunately, on this trip that is how it ended for me.

Celebrating our success

Once we were back to civilization Leo and I continued the celebration by stopping at the Waterhole #3 for a cold beverage. This was the site of many evenings during our college days and it is still special to be there together. After showers and a little rest we had a nice dinner with Jan and her sister at the Shamrock, another establishment that was operating during our college days.

It is now over a month since we left the trail. The experience has left us with a different perspective of the Adirondacks and a stronger friendship. I am still enjoying the benefits of being in better shape and hope I can stay that way for awhile. This trip has left its mark on us and we will build on it for future adventures.

Leo and Doug in Yellowstone

Closing Thoughts
After a trip like this people often ask what’s next. There is always a short answer that satisfies the question, but the longer answer is usually a little mysterious. In this case, for me, in a few weeks I’ll be headed to the Boundary
Water Canoe Wilderness Area in Minnesota with Jan and other friends. Leo has returned to Connecticut and adventures with his grandchildren, he and wife Linda will travel to Yosemite next month. The two of us have not fixed ours sights on a future adventure, but there are ideas floating around and it won’t be long before we get something on the books. In the meantime we will savor the NPT for awhile and dream of what might come.

To the blog readers
I have received so much positive feedback on these blogs. The encouragement has kept me motivated to continue writing. Sharing a trip with others by writing about it or giving a presentation helps keep it alive for me. Thanks for reading; I look forward to sharing my future adventures with you.

To keep in touch with what is happening, be sure to “Like” Broadwing Adventures on facebook and check the website for updates. Please share this post with anyone that you think might like to read it.

Link to part 1
Link to part 2

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The Northville Placid Trail – A Soft Path Through the Adirondacks Part 2 of 3 – by Doug Fitzgerald

7/24/2012

2 Comments

Part 2 – Trail experiences; what we saw, who we met and what we did along the way.

The trail surface was easy on the feet

So what is a “Soft Path”? My definition would be the Northville Placid Trail. Although the trail is 90 years old, the trail tread shows little signs of wear and erosion. Leo hikes extensively in the White Mountains of New Hampshire and he noted how different this trail is compared to the well worn, hard surfaces of the older trails in the Whites. A similar comparison could be made to some of the hard surface trails in the Eastern High Peaks. There were places we hiked on the NPT where the tread was still covered with undisturbed leaves and needles from last autumn.

This bridge at South Lake makes the trail passable

Trail Conditions
There were many water crossings. Most had some kind of bridge or trail improvement that aided us in crossing. Without these structures the trail would be extremely difficult or impossible. Many wet and muddy areas had boardwalks or bog bridging, but there were just as many that didn’t have anything. These areas were difficult and the trail was a mess from hikers trying to avoid the deep mud. This is a dry year in the Adirondacks; we couldn’t help but speculate how wet the trail must have been last year. We also experienced a significant amount of blow down (trees across the trail), especially in the West Canada Lakes Wilderness Area and other southern portions of the trail. The section between Long Lake and Averyville had the least blow down. I believe that section likely received a thorough sweep after Hurricane Irene. Beaver activity was extensive along the entire length of the trail and made travel difficult. Overall, the trail could use more care and attention than it appears to be receiving. After my 26 years of employment with the DEC’s Region 5 Division of Operations I know how severely resources for work like trail maintenance have been cut. The NPT appears to be a casualty of this. Just to be clear, there are new bridges, including a replacement of the West Canada Creek bridge currently underway and some areas have new trail hardening structures, also the section between Wakely Dam and Stephens Pond has been totally relocated and is a vast improvement. The DEC has been able to complete specific projects using the Student Conservation Association, volunteers and by contracting with the ADK pro trail crew, but in general routine maintenance is lacking. We did meet a couple of SCA Backcountry Stewards, in the Moose River Plains, but their function seems to be education, not maintenance. Perhaps in the future the DEC will have them emphasize simple maintenance such as blow down removal. Well, enough about that.

A must crossing

Blow down hampers progress

Ouluska Pass lean-to is all but gone

Campsites
It becomes evident that the goal of the early trail developers was to provide enough lean-tos along the way for hikers to simply travel from one to another. We did stay at lean-to sites for eight nights, although sometimes we chose to tent nearby. Sites with lean-to adopters were generally in better shape than those without. It is always amazing to see the junk that people leave behind under the premise that someone else might be able to use it. Some people just don’t understand the principle of “Carry it in, Carry it out”. Due to the Wild River designation of the Cold River the DEC may allow the lean-tos in that area to fall into disrepair and eventually be removed. In my opinion that would be a shame, they certainly do not affect the wild character of the river corridor. The Ouluska Pass lean-to is already so far gone that it is not salvageable. If DEC doesn’t change their minds about this, let’s hope they develop some nice tent sites in this area to replace the lean-tos.

AFR at Cedar Lake

People
We saw 11 other people on the trail; we did encounter others at trailheads, the campground and of course in Long Lake. We met one Assistant Forest Ranger at Cedar Lake and shared a lean-to with him for the night. He is currently a Paul Smith’s College student and a former Operations employee, so we had some common ground. There were only 3 other hikers specifically hiking the NPT, we met all of them in the last section. One was a section hiker finishing his last section; the other 2 were through hikers each completing the trail in 7 days.

"Blisters Dave"

Of note was the hiker we nicknamed “Blisters Dave” he arrived at the Ouluska Pass lean-to in the evening and the first thing he asked was if we had any moleskin. His blisters were the worse either of us had ever seen, the skin of his heels was worn off down to the muscle and infection had set-in. Leo put his SOLO Wilderness First Aid skills to work and did a great job of patching up Dave’s feet enough to enable him to hike out under his own power. He certainly required further medical care once he was out. We took pictures for future training purposes.

Happy hour at Lake Durant Campground

Touching Civilization
We spent three nights in front country locations. At Wakely Dam a family invited us to dinner with them. It was a virtual feast after trail food. Jan took most of our gear from Wakely Dam to Lake Durant Campground were we enjoyed one of our pre-frozen meals, some beers and hot showers. The campground staff didn’t seem to understand that through hikers weren’t quite the same as their other customers. I felt they were missing a marketing opportunity. Our most significant break from the trail was the day we hiked into Long Lake and stayed at the Adirondack Hotel. Last year we had also stopped at the hotel during our canoe trip from Blue Mountain Lake to Upper Saranac Lake, so we already had friends there, including the bartender. The hot showers, soft beds and cold beers were a real treat. We had a nice breakfast with Jan the next morning. She stopped to meet us on her way to Albany. We appreciated the food drop and the ride back to the trailhead.

One of many trees growing on rocks

Trees
Being Paul Smith’s College forestry alumni, both Leo and I were fascinated by the abundance of large trees along the entire length of the trail. Most were Yellow Birch and Eastern Hemlock, but north of Wakely Dam we walked through the most magnificent stand of Sugar Maples I have ever seen. After awhile we really started to notice the many unique ways that trees grow on rocks.

Fawns are inquisitive

Wildlife
The deer at this time of year have beautiful red coats, plus there are fawns with their mothers. We saw our share of them. Everywhere we went we flushed grouse hens with clutches of chicks. We learned to identify their calls and peeping. We never saw a moose, but did see some fresh tracks and found some winter droppings. We also saw coyote tracks and scat. Bear sign was plentiful and we were lucky enough to watch a yearling bear digging roots for about 10 minutes. He had a beautiful shiny black coat. The loons in the southern lakes were plentiful and vocally active.

Part 3 is next
Now you have an idea of what we saw and experienced. The last part of the blog will touch on the philosophical aspects of a trip like this. I will discuss some of the places along the trail that impressed me the most; using descriptions of these places to give you a feel for what it was like to be out there for nearly two weeks. Stay tuned.

Be sure to checkout other pictures of the NPT hike on the photo gallery page.

Link to part 1
Link to part 3

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The Northville Placid Trail – A Soft Path Through the Adirondacks

7/18/2012

7 Comments

Part 1 of 3 – by Doug Fitzgerald

We signed in at the first of many register boxes

Followers of Broadwing Adventures know that my friend Leo Kelly and I hiked the 120 mile Northville Lake Placid Trail (NPT) last month. My plan is to blog about it here. To keep it interesting I’ll break the blog into three parts. Here is what I am thinking:

Part 1 – Planning, logistics and general information; to give you an idea of what was involved in the trip.
Part 2 – Trail experiences; what we saw, who we met and what we did along the way.
Part 3 – The philosophical stuff; wilderness travel, how we did, what it felt like being out there, coming back to civilization; you know, all that idealistic stuff.

So here goes! – Part 1
Intro – The NPT is 90 years old this year. It was planned and developed by the Adirondack Mountain Club to provide a through hiking experience in the Park. As train travel was still the best way to get around in 1922 it started at the train station in Northville and ended at the train station in Lake Placid, covering 132 miles. The guidebook is written with descriptions for traveling from south to north. Today, most through hikers start
in Benson, 11 miles north of Northville and end at the Averyville Road a few
miles from the Lake Placid train station. That is what we did.

Our Plan and how it played out
13 days, 12 nights, started Monday, 6/18/2012, ended Saturday, 6/30/2012. The two other through hikers we met were doing the trail in 7 days. Each had job and family obligations that influenced the time they had available. We liked having the longer amount of time to enjoy the experience. We stopped to study the big trees, take pictures, enjoy leisurely lunches along the way and had time to relax in camp.

The trail is listed as 120 miles long from the Benson trailhead to the Averyville trailhead, my GPS has 123.8 miles on it, but coverage was spotty under the tree canopy, so who knows what the mileage really was.
>    Longest hike 12.8 miles
>    Shortest hike 6.4 miles
>    Total hiking time including rest and lunch breaks – 85 hours 27 minutes
>    Longest hiking time - 9 hours 22 minutes
>    Shortest hiking time - 4 hours 40 minutes
We generally left camp between 7:30 and 9 AM and got into camp between 3:30 and 5 PM, always in time for a little happy hour before dinner.

We had planned to carry a SPOT tracking device so people could follow our progress, but prior to the trip the unit did not work properly and customer service was no help, so we didn’t bother with it. We didn’t miss it either, so the lesson may be that less technology is better.

Food
About half our meals were the pre-packaged backpacker stuff (a first for me). These were easy to prepare, plentiful enough and better than I expected. The dinners on day 1 and after two food drops were pre-cooked by me and frozen. They kept a few beers cold while they defrosted, so those days were special. We bought deli sandwiches in Piseco, in Long Lake we had dinner at the Adirondack Hotel and breakfast at the diner the next day.

3 food drops;
>    On our 3rd day we had a mail drop at the Piseco Post Office with a stop at Casey’s Store.
>    My wife Jan did two drops;
    >    one on day 7 – at Wakely Dam in the Moose River Plains, where she also took most of our gear around to Lake Durant Campground so we could hike a day without heavy packs
     >    the other on day 10 – in Long Lake Village after a night at the Adirondack Hotel.

Gear
Our packs weighed around 50 pounds on day one, but got lighter as we sent stuff back at food drops. Resupply days were the heaviest, but we ate and drank the heavy stuff first.

We each carried a solo tent. There are plenty of lean-tos, but the tents were good protection from the bugs and having our own personal space helps with expedition behavior (the old group dynamics stuff).

We carried a 10x12’ Sil nylon trap made by Etowah, USA. It weighed 1.5 lbs. and worked well when we used it at Lake Durant. It rained most of the time we were camped there, but under the tarp we were dry, so we were able to celebrate happy hour, eat dinner, play “Blisters” (a dice game) and have a leisurely breakfast of bacon and pancakes. Even though that was the only time we used the tarp we were glad to have it along.

My new Keen brand backpacking boots leaked and the welt started to separate by the time the trip was over. Leo’s well used Asolo boots were a little better, but his feet did get wet at times. Comfort wise our boots served us well. Leo treated one hot spot on day one and I had one on the last day.

We treated our water with a Steri Pen and suffered no ill effects. Although, the two 3 volt batteries powering the unit died after seven days. Jan found us replacements in IndianLake, at a cost of $17. We liked the ease this method of treatment provided and feel it aided us in staying hydrated.

We didn’t need many warm layers, but had what we needed to be safe. Clean cloths came at food drops and we had cached a bag at the hotel so we would be presentable in civilization.

The hail just missed us

Weather
In the beginning it was unbearably hot and we struggled with the heat. In the middle it rained and cooled down. We welcomed the relief and were prepared for the rain. Our first day of rain left hail on the trail, but we didn’t suffer a direct hit. The day we crossed the height of land between Blue Mountain Lake and Long Lake the wind and rain was whipping on the top of the ridge, so it felt like hypothermia weather. We pushed through, knowing that the Adirondack Hotel was waiting for us. The last couple of days warmed up again and we found the Cold River true to its’ name, so cooling off in it was a heart stopping affair. All in all, because we were prepared, we did OK with the weather that nature provided.

So now you have the logistics of what we did. Be sure to catch part 2 of this blog to read about what we experienced along the way.

Link to part 2
Link to part 3

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The Northville Placid Trail – A Soft Path Through the Airondacks Part 3 of 3 – by Doug Fitzgerald

Part 3 – The philosophical stuff; wilderness travel, how we did, what it felt like being out there, coming back to civilization; you know, all that idealistic stuff.

The Northville Placid Trail – A Soft Path Through the Adirondacks Part 2 of 3 – by Doug Fitzgerald

Part 2 – Trail experiences; what we saw, who we met and what we did along the way.

The Northville Placid Trail – A Soft Path Through the Adirondacks

Part 1 of 3 – by Doug Fitzgerald

Jack Drury
& Doug Fitzgerald

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The Northville Placid Trail – A Soft Path Through the Airondacks Part 3 of 3 – by Doug Fitzgerald

Part 3 – The philosophical stuff; wilderness travel, how we did, what it felt like being out there, coming back to civilization; you know, all that idealistic stuff.

The Northville Placid Trail – A Soft Path Through the Adirondacks Part 2 of 3 – by Doug Fitzgerald

Part 2 – Trail experiences; what we saw, who we met and what we did along the way.

The Northville Placid Trail – A Soft Path Through the Adirondacks

Part 1 of 3 – by Doug Fitzgerald

Jack Drury & Doug Fitzgerald

"Like" us on Facebook Page

Links:

Archives

Categories

Jack Drury
& Doug Fitzgerald