After being slowed down by construction on route 30, Kevin, Gerard and I arrived to the Pillsbury Mountain trailhead a little late to meet Gary. With a light rain falling we donned our packs for the pleasant 4.5 mile hike into Cedar Lake. By the time we reached the dam it was raining more steadily and was pouring by the time we made it to the lean-to. We found the lean-to occupied by two fine gentlemen, Glen and Bill. They were from the Syracuse area and did not live far from Gary. Come to find out the knew some of the same people...small world. Glen was quick to part with some infomation about the location of French Louie's cave, infomation that would prove to be very useful. They made room for Gary in the lean-to as Kevin and I set up the tent on a near-by site. I then cooked dinner. That evening we enjoyed pleasant conversation and many laughs as it rained on and off. When it wasn't raining we could hear those famous Cedar Lake loons off in the distance. That night we were woken several times by rain beating the tent.
The next morning we parted ways with our new friends...they headed on to their next destination as we set out on our search for French Louie's cave. Glen had given us very specific directions and repeatedly stressed "do not go up on the cliffs". First we had to follow the NPT to the southwest side of the lake. Along the way we cleared a good amount of blowdown from the trail. We made it to the tent site on that side of the lake, ate lunch and then headed to the starting location of our bushwhack. Glen gave us excellent directions and after some effort but not much searching we found ourselves at "the cave". It wasn't really a cave but rather a shelter formed by how large rocks had toppled onto each other. In "the cave" were two primitive beds one of which was supposed to be Louie Seymour's. In this area was many HUGE building-sized rocks and cliffs. We were awed by the geology of the area and vowed to return for some more exploring. We spent a good amount of time looking around and taking pictures. Soon we realized it was getting late so we began our trip back to the lean-to.
Upon arriving back to the lean-to we found a group of guys who were hiking the NPT. They were all very pleasant to talk to and we tried to convince them to post a trip report here on the forum upon the completion of their trek. That night the skies started out clear but then clouds moved in making for some beautiful effects with the half moon. We had a big fire and I didn't even realize how much it had cooled down untill I headed off for the tent. Again that night I was woken by rain hitting the tent.
The next morning we woke up to light rain. We took our time waking up and went to the lean-to to find the NPT group packing up and getting ready to hit the trail. We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast as they packed their rain-soaked gear for another day on the trail. I was quite jealous as I listened to thier plans for the next week. After they set off a couple came through, Shelley(Dreamer) and hubby(?) along with a very hyper but adorable Labradoodle. The poodle and the labradoodle got acquainted as the rest of us chatted in the rain. Cedar Lake lean-to #1 definately was a great social scene this weekend!! We took our time packing and were on our way for our hike and trip home by noon. As always, I was sad to be leaving my favorite wilderness area. I can fully understand why French Louie decided to make this area his home.
The "Cave":
The next morning we parted ways with our new friends...they headed on to their next destination as we set out on our search for French Louie's cave. Glen had given us very specific directions and repeatedly stressed "do not go up on the cliffs". First we had to follow the NPT to the southwest side of the lake. Along the way we cleared a good amount of blowdown from the trail. We made it to the tent site on that side of the lake, ate lunch and then headed to the starting location of our bushwhack. Glen gave us excellent directions and after some effort but not much searching we found ourselves at "the cave". It wasn't really a cave but rather a shelter formed by how large rocks had toppled onto each other. In "the cave" were two primitive beds one of which was supposed to be Louie Seymour's. In this area was many HUGE building-sized rocks and cliffs. We were awed by the geology of the area and vowed to return for some more exploring. We spent a good amount of time looking around and taking pictures. Soon we realized it was getting late so we began our trip back to the lean-to.
Upon arriving back to the lean-to we found a group of guys who were hiking the NPT. They were all very pleasant to talk to and we tried to convince them to post a trip report here on the forum upon the completion of their trek. That night the skies started out clear but then clouds moved in making for some beautiful effects with the half moon. We had a big fire and I didn't even realize how much it had cooled down untill I headed off for the tent. Again that night I was woken by rain hitting the tent.
The next morning we woke up to light rain. We took our time waking up and went to the lean-to to find the NPT group packing up and getting ready to hit the trail. We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast as they packed their rain-soaked gear for another day on the trail. I was quite jealous as I listened to thier plans for the next week. After they set off a couple came through, Shelley(Dreamer) and hubby(?) along with a very hyper but adorable Labradoodle. The poodle and the labradoodle got acquainted as the rest of us chatted in the rain. Cedar Lake lean-to #1 definately was a great social scene this weekend!! We took our time packing and were on our way for our hike and trip home by noon. As always, I was sad to be leaving my favorite wilderness area. I can fully understand why French Louie decided to make this area his home.
The "Cave":
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