Day 3 - Raquette River, NY, to Raquette Falls, NY

T-2016-8-23 – Day 3

Start: Pine Creek Lean-to, Start of Raquette River

End: Raquette Falls Lean-to, near Mother Jones homesite

On the Way: Raquette River, Long Lake, Axton Landing

Map:  1, 2

Miles: Nearly 28 (Milepost: IDK, I’d need to look it up and nuts if I’m leaving my sleeping bag now.)

Weather: All clear.

Map 2: Long Lake to Saranac Lake

Trail Overview

NEW MAP!!!

Buttermilk Falls

Started the day running some rapids!  Then a short but tough hand-carry around Buttermilk Falls, followed by what’s billed as another carry…but what I decided to turn into another rapids run.  It was great, and Dieter das Boot (my kayak.  He’s German) emerged with only minor crunching.

Dieter Das Boot waiting patiently 
as I go check out the Village.

Seaplanes at Long Lake Village!

Classic Adirondack grand hotel in Long Lake. 

Long Lake NFCT Kiosk.

            Unfortunately, that only served to get my adrenaline up before a loooong stint on  Looooong Lake.  Most accurate name ever, unless they would have been so bold as to have called it “Omigod Kill Me Now” Lake.  It wasn’t that it was difficult: just that it was long and straight and boring with no cover from the sun.  Took a break about halfway along to visit the charming library in Long Lake Village, plus pick up some super glue for the camp shoes and a new dry bag for the deck.

Screw you, Long Lake!

            Long Lake, at long last, was followed by a lovely stint down Raquette River, with more on the way tomorrow, then a hellish carry around Raquette Falls.  For these hand-carries (when the trail’s too rough/steep/muddy/narrow to wheel), I completely empty the boat, hatches and all, scout ahead with as much gear as I can carry, come back and heave the boat on my head with my life vest as a cushion, carry boat until I reach the water or my spine threatens to buckle, whatever comes first, then jaunt back for the gear bits left behind.  When they’re 0.5 mi or less I feel like an invincible Amazon.  When they’re 1.4 mi like the last maneuver of today, I think hard about my life choices. 

An old guidehouse used to be here, about 100 feet away.  “Mother Johnson’s” apparently had the best pancakes.  Must remember to tell the pancake enthusiasts of Brambleberry, my co-op home-sweet-home in Cambridge.

The lush grass meadow to the side of the lean-to beckoned, so I set up the tarp lean-to style, rather than hanging the hammock.  The wooden lean-to was once again claimed when I showed up.  Guess I keep late hours...

Things Learned:

+ Hot cuppa before bed is great for warmth.  But caffeinated tea is not so great for sleep.

+ River bath + undies change and wash every 3 days or so seems to be a good system.

+ Upon closer inspection, grass at this campsite not that lush…

Tarp in lean-to set-up in the grass.

+ The jackrabbit solo portaging method described above came in handy on the Raquette Falls carry.

Start of the steep and rocky Raquette Falls Carry.

Raquette Falls eats canoes.

Trail Magic:

+ Nearly lost my “important things” deckbag from underneath my bungees in the rapids below Buttermilk Falls!  I fortunately saw it bobbing down after me and was able to scoop it up, though.  Lucky me.  Deckbag’s going below for all future rapids.