T Lake question

[Justin]

Does anyone know if there are any other campsites other than the lean-to at T Lake? --Justin

[Keithk]

T Lake?

Do you mean Tupper Lake, or is there a "T" lake somewhere?

If so there are like 3 other sites nearby, on the same stretch of shore.
The one closest to the state launch is really open and grassy.

[Grumpy]

T Lake is located near Piseco Lake -- southern reaches of the Adirondack Region north of the Mohawk River Valley.

G.

[adk joe]

There is another camp spot on the opposite side of the trail that the lean-to is on Right down by the lake. Theres a fire pit there also. If that doesn't suit you either, there is a small grassy area right off the trail that gets good sunlight throughout the day close by as well. t-lake is a great spot I hike to falls quite often.

[Justin]

Thanks Joe.
And Keith, I do mean the T Lake near Piseco Lake like Grumpy said, But I do plan on getting to Tupper Lake, hopefully within the next month. Thanks.

[Wldrns]

Of course you are free to camp anywhere in the area, as long as you follow the DEC 150 foot rule and practice LNT. Finding suitable flat ground is sometimes a problem, which is why I have moved to using a hammock for shelter in such places.

[Justin]

Thanks Wldrns. I've tried the sleeping in a hammock gag a few times, and it goes along with why I can't sleep in lean-to's. I'm just too much of a light sleeper, and can't sleep well on the hard floor of a lean-to or not being able to roll over on my stomach while in a hammock. But put me on the ground under my lightweight tarp and I'll sleep like a rock for 6-7 hours solid.

When camping with a couple of buddies, I prefer to stay at a less visited designated campsite and enjoy a nice campfire in an existing fire pit. When it's just the dog and me, that's when I find the most beautiful campsites I've ever stayed at. Thought I'd ask around anyway.
-- Justin

[stripperguy]

Mr. Farrell,
I find it interesting to see other peoples' sleeping habits, you, for example, sometimes sleep like a rock.
I know others that sleeps like logs, presumably all knotty with a lot of bark.
I myself have been known to sleep like a baby...wake up every 2 hours, cry, wet myself, then try to nurse.

But in all seriousness, how is the hammock in colder weather. A small tent goes a long way to reduce heat loss. How does a hammock work when temps are in the 20's?

[Wldrns]

But in all seriousness, how is the hammock in colder weather. A small tent goes a long way to reduce heat loss. How does a hammock work when temps are in the 20's?

A hammock will do you just as well in colder weather as a tent IF you take care to have enough insulation beneath you - protecting your underside from a constant flow of cold air. That's the biggest weakness in a hammock in the air versus a tent on the ground. Just this past weekend I slept out comfortably warm and dry when on one night the temperature was down to 34 degrees or lower, the other night featured a cold constant rain and wind. I used my usual summer lightweight thermarest, plus a thin cheap 3/4 length blue foam pad. A week earlier I felt cold penetrating the thermarest alone at 40 degrees. Adding the blue foam was enough to keep my butt and torso warm down into the low 30's. A hammock such as a Hennessey has an integral adjustable level tarp/rainfly overhead, so the inside temperature can be several degrees warmer than the outside, just like in a regular tent. Rain and/or ground water runoff is never an issue in a hammock with a properly fitted rainfly.

There are various methods people use to increase bottom insulation value of hammocks, all kinds of contraptions to attach bottom insulation. My next step would be to use a heavier weight thermarest. As much as I am dedicated to 3 season hammock use, when I begin to carry more weight in extra bottom insulation for the hammock than weight of a solo tent, I'll ditch the other hammock advantages and go with a small tent instead. For me that is somewhere around 20 degrees and below.

[pico23]

Of course you are free to camp anywhere in the area, as long as you follow the DEC 150 foot rule and practice LNT. Finding suitable flat ground is sometimes a problem, which is why I have moved to using a hammock for shelter in such places.

Off topic but have you found a hammock to be ok for your back? Some people i've talked to abandoned the idea for back issues.

I'm definitely considering adding a hammock tent to the tent lineup since there are many places where even a small 1 man tent is hard to pitch. A hammock should end searching for flat ground for a tent. It would seem even with = weight of tent or tarp you'd be better off with a tarp on various terrain. I can think of many times hiking in the Presidentials when I wished I'd had a tarp so I could stop anywhere rather than wasting time searching for a few feet of reasonbly flat ground.

What brand/model do you have?

[adk joe]

Just to add my opinion, to this day I would say a hammock is the best piece of equipment I have purchased and added to my arsenal. Mainly because it allows you to find sites away from the crowd and because it's just down right comfortable. I can just walk off the trail find two trees and in 3 minutes or so I'm swinging in my hammock. They are definitely not for everyone, it took me a couple nights to find my comfort zone but once i did I will never use a tent in spring summer or fall again. I have used my hammock in 15 degree weather with a pad and was a little chilled, I probably would not go any lower than 20 degrees unless I had more insulation for underneath like wldrns says but then you might as well get a small winter tent. I'm a pretty small guy and can comfortably roll and sleep on both of my sides and my back in the hammock. I have a Hennessey hammock expedition.

[Wldrns]

Just to add my opinion, to this day I would say a hammock is the best piece of equipment I have purchased and added to my arsenal. Mainly because it allows you to find sites away from the crowd and because it's just down right comfortable. I can just walk off the trail find two trees and in 3 minutes or so I'm swinging in my hammock...

Yeah, we are going way off thread, unless you are trying to find a campsite at T-Lake Falls.
Pico 23... I could not have said it any better than what Joe said. I am convinced that most if not all people who say a hammock would be bad for their back have never tried a modern assymetric cut camping hammock (such as the Hennessy, for one). The fear of being forced to sleep in a "U" shape disappears when you see how flat your body rests on the diagonal, not inline with the hang. I sleep on my side, just like at home in bed, only better. Some people who are stomach sleepers do the same in the hammock. No one I know who has slept two or more nights (the first night is spent understanding the thing) in a hammock has wanted to go back to ground sleeping.

[Justin]

Interesting! I may have to try the hammock again soon.

Thanks again.



And it doesen't seem like there's any other designated camp sites at T Lake other than at or near the lean-to. --Justin

[Bill I.]

And it doesen't seem like there's any other designated camp sites at T Lake other than at or near the lean-to. --Justin

Those are the only existing sites I know of. I walked all the way around T Lake once, and all I found was someone's cache and lots of 6-foot-tall hobblebush. The little tent site is nice (I've camped there twice), but if there are people up in the lean-to there is not much separation between you and them. On the other hand, it's possible that if you get to the trailhead first and sign in that you're camping, later arrivals who are seeking solitude of their own might go elsewhere. Especially in the off season.

I was there last November, and there were several small loons still on the water. They were very quiet and very skittish, so I couldn't get a close look at them. I don't know if they were juveniles or some arctic species stopping on their way elsewhere, but they weren't full-grown common loons. I was actually going to camp down near the upper waterfall that weekend because I thought the lake was going to be dead, but when I saw them I changed my mind.

[Justin]

Thanks WR!

That's what I'm hopeing for. I hope if we get there early enough on this Friday, we'll be the only ones signed in for the weekend. I don't mind sharing a lean-to, but I was hopeing to not have to stay at the lean-to. I'll explore for an alternative site, but we may just end up staying at a lean-to again, if we indeed head there this weekend. --Justin

By the way WR, I didn't make it to Whitney this past weekend. My partner was discouraged by the threat of rain , so Jenny and I went to the Siamese Ponds instead.