For several years now, I have been vowing to repeat a paddle I did 10 or so years ago. This would be a long day of paddling and carrying to a dozen different bodies of water. The weather looked good. Not too hot, not too cold but just right. Of course, my good friend Kelly Moody was all in for the adventure.
Packing the night before was accompanied by many texts regarding what to bring. Lots of food, water, spare change of clothes, In Reach Mini, headlamp, first aid, sun block, bug spray, rope and duct tape to name a few. Paddle boots or shoes were all discussed. Both of us own lightweight Hornbeck canoes which would be greatly appreciated by the end of the day. We both have newer Iphones so we opted not to bring cameras due to weight. (I didn’t think I would live to see the day I would bring only a phone to take photos.)
Our day would start with an early morning meetup and an hour plus drive to the Hoel Pond put-in. As we were close to Donnelly’s Ice Cream, the sun was just rising above the mountains. I could read Kelly’s mind in her car behind me. “Joanne you have to pull off.” Of course, I did just that. The sky was a glorious, golden color with fog hanging below the mountains. What a way to start the day.
The days are getting shorter so we didn’t launch on Hoel Pond until 630 am. There were several campers next to the parking area so we tried to be as quiet as possible. Hoel Pond was no disappointment. The water was just like glass with that early morning light. The radiant rays warmed our cheeks while casting a radiant1624 glow on the landscape surrounding us. The reflections were stunning. As we headed towards the northwest shore, we could see Long Pond Mountain in the distance. Off to the left, we saw a raft of loons. This group of 5 kept us entertained for probably longer than we should have stayed knowing the long day that lay before us. The loons will be molting soon as the days get colder. As we approached our first carry to Turtle Pond, we wished our loony friends well as we waved farewell.
The last time I carried up and over a railroad bed but now it is the Adirondack Rail Trail. It was so cool because about a month before I rode my bike across this carry. A friend and I biked from Saranac Lake to Floodwood Outpost and had stopped to look at where the take out would be. This is the second section of the trail that is finished and what a wonderful bike ride it is. A quick up and over and we were soon floating on our second pond. As our paddles sliced through the tranquil water, the only sound we could hear was the loons behind us calling. We kept our eyes peeled for the carry to Clamshell Pond where we hoped to come out at the end of the day. It was easily spotted marked with a white sign.
From Turtle Pond to Slang Pond there is no carry and when the water is high you can paddle the narrow channel to get there. Alas, we bottomed out and had to walk the canoes but for just a short time. We were super psyched as there still was no wind at all as we glided along the scenic Slang Pond. Before we knew it, we were pulling our boats ashore ready to tackle our second carry which was only 0.2 miles. Easy Peasy. We didn’t even use our yokes for these first 2 carries, we just hefted our boats up and followed a well defined trail.
Quickly reaching the put-in to Long Pond, again there was not a sign of a ripple in the water. Long Pond can get rocking and rolling pretty good when the winds pick up so I was happy to see that. Although Long is one of the largest ponds in the canoe area, we stayed on it for only a short distance, rounding a point reaching the trail sign for Nellie and Bessie Ponds. I think maybe a farmer named these two ponds. Don’t they sound like names for cows?
As we pulled our boats out of the water, we readied ourselves for a 1.3 mile carry to our next pond. This time, we definitely did use our yokes. Going only a short bit, we reached a flooded area which we paddled across. It was kind of cool as we weaved in and out of dead trees protruding lazily out of the water. That was a nice break from carrying our canoes but we still had a long way to go. Kelly was having a shoulder/neck issue so she tried out a few different techniques. Once when I turned around, she was carrying her backpack in the front. This didn’t work well as she couldn’t see where she was going. The next time I looked she had the yoke balancing on her head instead of her shoulders. You never know what you will see with that girl.
To say the trail was muddy would be an understatement. Kelly, now in front, took a step and sunk up to her knee in dark, yucky mud. I said, “I sure hope your shoe stays on.” The next step again landed her other leg up to her other knee. I heard her mutter, “I sure hope this is not quicksand.” Somehow she was able to retrieve her feet with shoes in tack out of that mucky mire. The next day Kelly would confess that the mud bath made her skin oh so soft. The sign for Bessie was a sight for sore eyes. We plopped our boats on the forest floor and removed our packs. Here we took a short break to hydrate and grab a bite to eat. The pond was visible through the trees so we agreed we would leave our packs on the main trail. It was an easy carry to a nice, small campsite just above the pond. In no time at all, Kelly was rinsing her legs in the waters of Bessie.
As we paddled along, it was hard not to notice some type of weed that seems to be taking over part of the pond. Hearing a loud crack in the woods I wondered if leaving our packs was a good idea. I had visions of a hungry bear or racoon feasting on our defenseless food. As we paddled, I asked Kelly to head towards ‘that tree’. Now we were in a pond completely surrounded by trees. The funny part was that she knew exactly what tree. In a corner was a beautiful, bright red one reflecting in the peaceful water. After a short loop around the pond, we arrived back at our packs relieved to see them both all intact. Lesson learned, I won’t leave my pack again. But it did feel good not to carry it.
It took about 15 minutes to reach Nellie with the paddle across even shorter. Soon, we were chatting away as we traversed the carry to Kit Fox. This pond is quite tiny and unlike the others, had a dark murky color. There were pretty logs topped with bright, red moss and some sundew and pitcher plants. We crossed it in only a few minutes and then portaged the short distance to Little Long Pond, our eighth pond of the day. Our day would not have been complete without a visit to Lydia. From the west end of Little long, we took a short, easy trail to the shoreline of this enchanting pond. The put-in for Lydia was not as I remembered. I pushed my paddle deep into a not so firm bottom. Kelly quickly agreed that we could pass on this one.
After returning to Little Long, we followed the shoreline looking for the take out for Little Fish Pond. We passed a pretty campsite where I recalled taking out there during another trip. I had followed a vague trail up, the trail ended and I bushwhacked down to the shoreline of Little Fish. The put-in that time was down right awful. Now that was not fun and I was not ready to repeat that carry. The official ‘carry’ was east of the campsite which we found with no problem. This path was straight up and then straight down. Choosing to make two trips, we carried one canoe at a time. Little fish is more like a minnow, a few strokes of the paddle and we arrived at the carry to Fish Pond. The trail was easy to follow and mellow compared to the Little Fish carry. In no time at all, our paddles were cutting through the still waters of Fish Pond. There are some intriguing large rock faces and massive boulders along the water. The pond is a good size and we pulled off to check out a lean to. A short walk confirmed that it was occupied but the campers must have been out on another pond. We took a short break but soon were back on the water heading to the Clamshell portage. The next couple of portages were to be the hardest of the day as they climb and are long.
We both were still feeling pretty good but had agreed to take some breaks during the next half mile carry. When we reached the take out, there was a lone shoe hanging on the sign. Was this a sign that the other was lost in some of that shoe sucking mud we had experienced? Packs on our back, canoes on our shoulders (or head) and we were off. It was a climb that’s for sure but not as bad as I thought it would be. In a little over a half an hour, we were both very glad to drop our boats into the peaceful waters of Clamshell. There is a nice, unique view of St. Regis Mountain and its firetower which we took a few photos of. I took a long, last look as I’m thinking I may never navigate this pond again. But, I’ve also learned I should never say never.
After crossing Clamshell, we readied ourselves for the hardest carry of the day: a 1.5 mile hike over Blagden Hill, to the north shore of Turtle Pond. I have to say that so far, there was very little blowdown and most of the put-ins and take-outs were good. We had started to fade on the steep climb, so the downhill offered a welcome break. But let me tell you, it was not all downhill as I had remembered. After a little over an hour, we were delighted to see our old friend Turtle Pond. As we glanced towards the channel to Slang and saw 3 boats. Those were the only boats we saw all day.
After one final carry back to Hoel Pond and our final paddle of the day, we were back at our car with mixed emotions. Our bodies were tired, but we hated to see the end of this special time in the Adirondack Wilderness. Indeed, we enjoyed an intimacy with the water and woods that is often lacking on large lakes. It just doesn’t get any better than this.
Happy Trails.
Directions: From NY 30 near Saranac Inn, turn west onto Floodwood Road. Take a right at the first fork onto Hoel Pond Road, then take the first left to reach the launch site.