High Falls 5/12-5/14

[soco7tyx7]

Well its been a while since my last trip report and i have been kinda lazy, but its time for one! So my bro-in-law, myself, and 2 other great guys i just met friday (5/12) drove up to Wanakena that evening. It was a relatively short drive from Rochester...made it there in like 3-1/2 hours! So it starts to rain probably a half hour before we get there and we have to pitch a tent at the TH which was interesting and a little wet. the two guys i met earlier that night stayed in the tent and me and my bro stayed in the back of a Jeep Cherokee, which if you've never done its quite cramped...but i slept pretty well so who cares!

So morning comes and to our delight the rain stopped! We got dressed, made some food, packed our packs back up and hit the trail. For those of you whom have never done the trail, there is 2 entrance points and we took the farther one up the road. This entry point would put us on the shorter part of the loop and get us to High Falls in 6.5 miles (rough) rather than 9 or more.

So we get the the falls after about 2.5-3 hours of hiking. Man, what a spot! Right on the Oswegatchie River! The falls we absolutely beautiful and we had a lean-to which was a bonus. One of the guys (Justin) decides to take a dip in the probably 50 degree water, so that was pretty entertaining...but it was pretty uneventful. We kinda just relaxed, and we all needed it. It was a nice area to stay and hike. This was my first time to the Five Ponds and i definitely enjoyed it. I heard there was a hurricane or something that blew most of the old growth down...but despite the limited number of trees, the trail was really pretty and nice. However, it was quite a change from other parts of the ADK's. We did meet some people that were in the area fixing up the lean-to's. They hauled up a huge pre-fabbed log in by canoe, along with other lumber for floor planks which was pretty impressive. I didn't hear this directly from him, but one of the guys said he posted frequently on the forum...if you're out there let me know, i'd like to know who we ran into up there. I had a blast just taking pictures and relaxing by the falls. The bugs really werent that bad considering the time of year. I think i only got bit once, and there was a nice breeze and cool night time temps...so no tents were required and we werent bothered by the bugs much.

well thats all for this time. pics will follow soon!

-Jonathan

[Rookie]

Sounds really good to me !

Hauling a log and lumber in one canoe ? Was it a giant "Voyageur" canoe or something ?

Off for the Summer ?--Lucky stiff---enjoy these summers, the reflections upon them in future years will be priceless !

[Kevin]

Yet another spot I've been meaning to get to... [Five Ponds Wilderness]

I've heard about such activities, but I don't think those rebuilding the lean-to want everyone knowing about their work (for several reasons).

[dog]

That area from Stillwater Res. to North ( between trails ) costs to be seen .
I'm going to next fall . There I started ( and it's still going ) understand ADK-human relations history .
It would be not 1 day trip . On the shore are camp sites - as are base camp .
I heard in summer the Res. is too noisy - boats . I was only in Apr - May - nobody .

[soco7tyx7]

if you've never been to the area, it is definitely worth checking out. the river is absolutely beautiful. i'd really like to canoe or kayak in to the same spot, and others in the area.

[Wldrns]

if you've never been to the area, it is definitely worth checking out. the river is absolutely beautiful. i'd really like to canoe or kayak in to the same spot, and others in the area.

It is a very nice, and wild feeling canoe trip. Best done from the headwaters downstream via carry from Low's Lake, but it is possible to paddle upstream without too much extra effort.

[soco7tyx7]

pics: http://community.webshots.com/album/550603858GBZBEl

[Boreal Chickadee]

Jon- that's a great album of shots. You've captured a real cross section of the trip with the turtle, machinery, falls, crossing the log shot (good one!), heron, and that shot at the end with your three friends atop the falls puts the size into perspective. I enjoyed viewing the whole shebang.

[forevrwyld]

We did meet some people that were in the area fixing up the lean-to's. They hauled up a huge pre-fabbed log in by canoe, along with other lumber for floor planks which was pretty impressive. I didn't hear this directly from him, but one of the guys said he posted frequently on the forum...if you're out there let me know, i'd like to know who we ran into up there.

Great pictures, nice one of Tracey (ADK LAB) under the tree. I got chewed trying to fish at the base of the falls....thank God there was some wind or they would have carried me away!

I didn't take many pictures on this trip, too tired after hauling the new deacons bench (18' spruce log -- pre-cut, not pre-fab) overland up the trail from Wanakena and then dropping back down by canoe almost to Spring Hole Lean-To to assist with the rest of the material coming up river by boat. My day ended about 7:30PM.

We eventually had three canoes full of material and 7 people in total at the other lean-to across the river. Our maintenance is adding 40 years of life to the Five Ponds shelters so my kids and my grandkids and whoever else wants to visit this place can enjoy it from the comfort of a lean-to.

Maintenance of the lower shelter is almost complete, if you went over there you could see the work that has been done. Material is in place to complete the work on the upper shelter once the black flies die back.

'Ev

[Rookie]

Hats off to you forevrwyld !

[Ordin Aryguy]

'Ev,
Wished I could've helped you guys slog that lumber last time. Bad scheduling, life interruptus.

I really don't know which inanimate object I feel more sorry for. Paul's truck or his canoes. 800+ lbs of construction materials in a canoes. 3 canoes and several hundred pounds of lumber on his truck... I'm sure both Nissan and Old Town have him on a "Never Sell To Again" list.

Ordin

[forevrwyld]

I keep thinking we should invite someone from Old Town along on one of these 'mis'adventures, it would make a great advertisement for the abuse that their canoes can take!

Here is a picture of one of the lighter loads and a novel use of a canoe--- in the water this time. Wheels up for overland travel . . .

'Ev

[adkdremn]

I keep thinking we should invite someone from Old Town along on one of these 'mis'adventures, it would make a great advertisement for the abuse that their canoes can take!

At least send them some pics, it would be interesting to hear what they say! How much weight are you putting in those things?

[soco7tyx7]

forevrwyld: i knew you looked really familiar! figured it was from the forum...but i dont always ask for some reason. anyways, i was the only one out of our group who strolled over to the other lean-to. you guys did a hell of a job! i got a shot of it if you take a look at my photos...keep up the good work. maybe sometime i'll join you guys on a trip. i would have loved to canoe the river, but maybe under different cercumstances.

-Jon

[AntlerPerak]

Several years back we followed the "long loop" it was a great trip highly recommended. We found it to be very beautiful and a bit different from the rest of the Adirondacks. Our route started with a trek to Janacks Landing, a climb of Cat Mountain, visit to Cowhorn Pond and a first night camp at Nicks Pond. Day two we circled north to High Falls where we set up camp. A considerable shorter hike on the second day allowed us time to explore the plains trail with day packs. On the third day we hiked out the High Falls Truck Trail. I will say some of the low spots were a challenge to find a dry tread, but the remoteness and beauty made it a great trip.

A second venture into the area led us straight through High Falls to Sand Lake and its lean-to. A long way in but that remote lake is a gem. I can't rave enough about the fantastic area if you havn't been there by all means go.