Cranberry Lake 50

[dundee]

Actually, your concern should be with all of the above! EXPECT it to be wet! You never know what will happen; ask any ranger, they can tell you horror stories (like the guy who followed water UPSTREAM to get out of the woods). BE PREPARED! I could tell you stories myself about people who thought they were prepared.

Go to the library (or purchase from a starving author) a book on backpacking. Colin Fletcher (although I refuse to cut my toothbrush in half to save weight) was a good one. ADK used to (still does?) publish Bruce Wadworth's "Adirondack Sampler II". In it were trail decriptions for backpacking trips and a great checklist.

Harvey Manning's "Backpacking One Step At a Time" is also a classic.

I hope you're not doing this trip alone???

You also need the "10 Essentials" every time you visit the woods:

extra clothes
sunglasses
first aid kit
extra food
flashlight & extra batteries
map
compass
matches
firestarter
knife

OK, end of rant. Have fun!

[DuctTape]

I agree with most everything dundee said except the footwear. As was stated, you will get wet feet. Boots, especially goretx ones will take a very long time to dry. Trail runners, however will dry out very quickly, sometimes even while you continue hiking.

IMO the ankle support of boots is not needed unless you are lugging in excess of 50#. If ankle support was needed for trails, it would be necessary (perhaps more so) if one was running too. The human ankle is designed to flex with the uneven ground, if one does not allow this to happen the torque is then pushed farther up the leg to the knee. You risk injury to the knee by not allowing your ankle to take some of the flex. Of course if someone has ankle issues then support is necessary, but the best support is strengthening the muscles.

[Wldrns]

I hate wet feet. On a reasonable trail with a light load, you choose. But you will be wet in trail runners. Me, I always wear high quality leather boots ("lightweight" Limmers) and a good pair of gaiters because I most often bushwhack and rarely stay on trail for very long. The gaiters allow one "quick step" into deep water before allowing water to seep through. Unless there's a 2 day prolonged rain, my feet stay dry and comfy.

[DSettahr]

Be careful if you do the hot water in a nalgene trick. It's super important to slightly crack open the bottle a few times within the first half hour or so to let the pressure that has built up from the heat escape. Otherwise, your bottle will leak, and you'll get colder in the long run.

If you're determined to stick with your 30 degree bag, I'd recommend at least investing in a synthetic liner and bringing that too. In October, it generally gets down to about 30 at night in the Adirondacks. Nights with temperatures down into the 20's or the teens are not unheard of. Remember that sleeping bag ratings are generally set for the temperatures they'll keep you alive at, not what they'll keep you comfortable at (although there is no set standard on bag ratings!).

Also, in some cases, piling on clothing within your sleeping bag will actually cause you to sleep colder. All this extra clothing takes up space that is normally filled by air. With less air for your body to warm up, your heat gets conducted away more quickly. The best sleeping clothes on a cold night is long underwear.

[dundee]

[QUOTE=DuctTape;154996]I agree with most everything dundee said except the footwear. As was stated, you will get wet feet. Boots, especially goretx ones will take a very long time to dry. QUOTE]

My boots dry out fast! I've got LL Bean Crestas (Gore-Tex) and they will dry while walking. However, there are many different boots and many different weights to these boots and I'm sure that some dry faster than others.

[Baby Matty]

Again, thanks for the responses.

I probably will be doing this alone, unless I can convince one of my backpacking pals to come along with me. Only problem is, most of my boys who backpack with me are much more "traditional" campers (aka heavy packers), and their load would probably make it impossible for them to keep up with my pace.

I did convince one of my buddies to do a lightweight trip with me over the summer, and I think it was a very liberating experience for him.

As far as the cold goes, I'm not worried. I will have warm layers on inside my bag, and my pad is nice and warm. I've used this setup on a 27 degree night in Pennsylvania in mid-march and slept soundly. When I woke up in the morning, the eggs I brought were slush inside.

[Baby Matty]

Oh and, DSettahr- that's a good tip. I will have to remember that one.

[MarkL]

Actually, if I don't expect it to be too wet, I usually am in trail-runners.... My main concern is with stream crossings and muddy trails.

Another concern, even in dry weather, is a dew-laden greenery growing in the trail. There are long enough sections of that to completely soak your feet, and shorter sections to keep them from drying out.
If there's no dew, there could be melted frost. In either case, it depends on the time of day you hit these sections.
It was somewhere south of Brandy Brook Flow and before Chair Rock Flow that my boots got thoroughly soaked going through dewy ferns. The truck road between High Falls and Wanakena may also have lush, juicy veggies.
If you walk as warmly as you sleep, this may not be much of a concern.

[TKent001]

Patch cost?

Would anyone happen to know the cost of the patch? I haven't found an exact number. I think I saw $3 somewhere but I can't find it and I want to make sure its the right amount before sending in the money.

[VinoNoir]

Hoping to resurrect this thread and gain some updated info on this trail.

A few buddies and I are planning to complete this trail in its entirety at the end of July.

We are prepared to have wet feet and run into plenty of beaver crossings (hopefully nothing impassable), but we are curious as to how bad the bugs (black flies etc) will be this time of year.

Also, does anyone know of any sections that have changed drastically from the older info contained within this thread?

We plan on completing the trail in 5 to 6 days, hopefully giving up plenty of time to explore.

Any info would be helpful.

Thanks again,

Vino

[cuterocky]

I didn't read through the whole thread so I'm not sure exactly what has changed. Definitely plan for it being very wet between High Rock and High Falls. Based on what I saw last year, the rest of the trail should be in pretty good shape.

I did the loop over two trips. Peavine Swamp and the High Falls loop in September 2012 and finishing up with Burntbridge to Wanakena in September 2013. You can take a look at my report from our second trip here if you're interested

[NY_Rocking_Chairs]

I am going in next week starting at Janack's Landing, going counter-clockwise and finishing up in town and on Columbia Road. I am skipping Peavine Swamp, Wanakeena and such as I did those two summers ago but got hurt near High Falls and had to rest for two days before slowly trekking back to Wanakeena. So will let you know about that section after I get back.

The only recent change I am aware of is the loss of the foot bridge in Wanakeena so the trail probably detours across the road bridge.

[VinoNoir]

I am going in next week starting at Janack's Landing, going counter-clockwise and finishing up in town and on Columbia Road. I am skipping Peavine Swamp, Wanakeena and such as I did those two summers ago but got hurt near High Falls and had to rest for two days before slowly trekking back to Wanakeena. So will let you know about that section after I get back.

The only recent change I am aware of is the loss of the foot bridge in Wanakeena so the trail probably detours across the road bridge.

Thanks for the info. I will be looking forward to hearing about your report once you reutrn. Is the area from Wanakeena to High Falls as wet and beaver laden as I am led to believe?

[NY_Rocking_Chairs]

Yes, I remember crossing 2-3 beaver swamps in that area. At least one was so bad that you didn't know where the trail was and couldn't see it on the other side until you got closer. I had on high-top boots and remember staying dry somehow.

If I was going to do that section again I would definitely wear sandals through it.

[VinoNoir]

Yes, I remember crossing 2-3 beaver swamps in that area. At least one was so bad that you didn't know where the trail was and couldn't see it on the other side until you got closer. I had on high-top boots and remember staying dry somehow.

If I was going to do that section again I would definitely wear sandals through it.

Much appreciated!