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Heavy packs, messy trails, cold rain, VS good company, good food, nice L/T site, two peaks. The later wins, and I’d repeat it next weekend if I could.
Dan (Dantheman) and I pulled into the “Lumberjack” in Tupper Lake a little after 11AM on Friday. Kevin and Val (Fvrwld) were waiting for us and we went in for breakfast. This was supposed to be a group of six but Little Rickie and Hobbitling had to attend to last minute family obligations. As we ate, we discussed the weather forecast and re-assessed the food situation. I made a point to eat slowly and really enjoy my breakfast since I figured I’d be eating camping food for the next couple days which generally sucks (was I ever wrong).
We headed towards Saranac Lake and Coreys Road (8 miles or so). Once we turned right onto Coreys road we passed the first trailhead near Stoney Creek and went to the 2nd trailhead near the end of the “public” portion of the road. We loaded up and began the 6.1 mile hike to the Caulkins Brook L/T’s. I guess it was around 1:30 PM.
The first 1.4 miles is a “horse trail” so it’s wide open but a fair amount of soggy spots.
It became evident that a horse drawn wagon had used the route and we wondered if the L/T’s would be taken by hunters. After the initial 1.4 miles we hit a very nice road that took us the rest of the way to the L/T’s. About 2 miles before the L/T’s we passed the cairn marking the trail we would be using to ascend Donaldson the next day.
The weather stayed comfortable and there was no rain. The sun even poked out a couple times as we got close to the L/T’s. It was hard work with the heavy packs and I was looking forward to the next day and carrying much less weight.
The L/T’s were empty when we arrived around 4 PM. Based on the forecast and the remoteness of the location we doubted if anyone else would be showing up. We had room to sprawl out !
The arsonist with us suggested we all collect firewood until we had enough for the 3 days (while everything was still dry). This was a perfect plan and served us well.
After stockpiling wood and unpacking ,Dan and Val whipped up some dinner. I never asked what it was but it was hot and on a bed of seasoned steamy rice :it was darn good. We had cheesecake for desert. I was short on sleep from the night before and I went to sleep by 7PM. I awoke later to perfect quiet, no one was moving, no lights, no sounds from the fireplace. I dread looking at my watch sometimes ‘cause it’s too early to get up most of the time when I first wake up….and then it’s a drag trying to get back to sleep.
All indicators were telling me it was well into the night maybe even 2 or 3 AM…that would be great ! I flicked on my headlamp and shined it on my watch……it was only10PM ! UGH !
I tossed and turned until about 2:30 and decided to get up. Kevin had gotten up and was exploring the site. Kevin got the fire going and I think we had everyone up by 3:30. I cooked breakfast burritos consisting of fresh eggs, cheese and salsa (Little Rickies idea) and by 5AM we were strapped in with headlamps shining heading out for Donaldson.
It wasn’t raining yet but we knew we could hit rain or wet snow (Kevin carries a weather radio so we get up to the minute forecasts). We all had crampons but had decided to leave the snowshoes back at the cars.
It was a typical climb, just sluggin it out until you reach the top. As with most of the trip, Kevin or Val led the way with me or Dan at the rear of the group. Me and Dan haven’t figured out how Val hikes so fast . Kevin is very tall and lean so you can figure he’s got a long stride but Val sorta floats along at whatever speed she decides.
We came upon a party of 3 (4 ?) guys and a dog who had camped along the trail. They were just getting up as we passed them. We saw them later on Emmons.
We encounted snow and a little ice on the way up Donaldson. Crampons were not necessary but would’ve been nice in a few spots. It was slow going and I think it was around 11 when we hit the summit of Donaldson. I had to pick my footing carefully since everything was wet or snow-covered and slippery. I did not want to dislocate my arm at the shoulder again (Armstrong in August). We took a break and Dan and myself put on our crampons for the hike over to Emmons. The crampons were more of a hindrance than a help and we removed them after reaching the Summit of Emmons.
There was a bunch of mud and wet snow between these 2 summits and we were moving slow. We had good views and the rain held off but we knew it was coming. By 2:30 PM we were back to the summit of Donaldson and heading back to camp. The rain had begun.
The hard work for the day was done and it was of great comfort knowing we had camp all set up with dry clothes, warm food and a campfire waiting for us. We pushed along and got back to our camp shortly after dark. AHHH…dry clothes ! AHHHH a campfire !
I think Dan cooked up some rice? And Val fried a stunning piece of venison. Kevin wielded his cheese-cake and my world was complete. Imagine it’s drizzling out but you are protected from it because you are sitting on the front of a L/T with a plate of hot food in your hand, dry clothes, fire blazing and casting warmth on you. Your sleeping bag is within arms reach. Can a moment get better than that ?
This night I decided to be a wildman and stay up until about 7:30 before I crashed. And when I woke up and built up enough nerve to check my watch it was 5AM. Yippeee !!
I got up and got the water boiling and started to do some stretching. Kevin was up shortly after and pretty soon everyone was up. I had 6 of my 18 fresh eggs left so I took leftover venison and rice and cooked it with the eggs. Kevin and I had some cheese left so I grated it over the hot concoction. It was pretty good stuff.
We knew we had a hard day ahead of us with packs heavier than ever from the wetness.
Everyone prepared themselves as best they could and we all hoped we wouldn’t get rained on in the next 3 hours as we hiked out. As soon as I contorted myself under my pack and got myself upright I headed out knowing the others would catch up to me. It was about 9AM. After 1.2 miles I dropped my pack figuring we’d all rest there. I just got back to feeling normal when sturdy Dan came along and indicated he wanted to leave his pack on and keep on going. He helped me get my pack on (like he did the whole trip-Thanks Dan) and we moved along pretty well for another mile to the cairn marking the trail to Donaldson. There, we took a break and Kevin and Val caught up to us. We nourished ourselves until the cold started to creep in and we had to get moving. It felt like wet snow could start any time. The next stretch of the hike went amazingly quick for me and all of a sudden we were at the intersection of the horse trail back to the trailhead (1.4 miles to go). We drank and ate once again and blasted off for the final stretch. The horse trail was a muddy wet mess and we were slowed down as we found our way around the messy spots. It was great to get back to the car. Dry clothes…AHHHHHH.
Kevin has pictures but I don't know how to attach a link.
Dan (Dantheman) and I pulled into the “Lumberjack” in Tupper Lake a little after 11AM on Friday. Kevin and Val (Fvrwld) were waiting for us and we went in for breakfast. This was supposed to be a group of six but Little Rickie and Hobbitling had to attend to last minute family obligations. As we ate, we discussed the weather forecast and re-assessed the food situation. I made a point to eat slowly and really enjoy my breakfast since I figured I’d be eating camping food for the next couple days which generally sucks (was I ever wrong).
We headed towards Saranac Lake and Coreys Road (8 miles or so). Once we turned right onto Coreys road we passed the first trailhead near Stoney Creek and went to the 2nd trailhead near the end of the “public” portion of the road. We loaded up and began the 6.1 mile hike to the Caulkins Brook L/T’s. I guess it was around 1:30 PM.
The first 1.4 miles is a “horse trail” so it’s wide open but a fair amount of soggy spots.
It became evident that a horse drawn wagon had used the route and we wondered if the L/T’s would be taken by hunters. After the initial 1.4 miles we hit a very nice road that took us the rest of the way to the L/T’s. About 2 miles before the L/T’s we passed the cairn marking the trail we would be using to ascend Donaldson the next day.
The weather stayed comfortable and there was no rain. The sun even poked out a couple times as we got close to the L/T’s. It was hard work with the heavy packs and I was looking forward to the next day and carrying much less weight.
The L/T’s were empty when we arrived around 4 PM. Based on the forecast and the remoteness of the location we doubted if anyone else would be showing up. We had room to sprawl out !
The arsonist with us suggested we all collect firewood until we had enough for the 3 days (while everything was still dry). This was a perfect plan and served us well.
After stockpiling wood and unpacking ,Dan and Val whipped up some dinner. I never asked what it was but it was hot and on a bed of seasoned steamy rice :it was darn good. We had cheesecake for desert. I was short on sleep from the night before and I went to sleep by 7PM. I awoke later to perfect quiet, no one was moving, no lights, no sounds from the fireplace. I dread looking at my watch sometimes ‘cause it’s too early to get up most of the time when I first wake up….and then it’s a drag trying to get back to sleep.
All indicators were telling me it was well into the night maybe even 2 or 3 AM…that would be great ! I flicked on my headlamp and shined it on my watch……it was only10PM ! UGH !
I tossed and turned until about 2:30 and decided to get up. Kevin had gotten up and was exploring the site. Kevin got the fire going and I think we had everyone up by 3:30. I cooked breakfast burritos consisting of fresh eggs, cheese and salsa (Little Rickies idea) and by 5AM we were strapped in with headlamps shining heading out for Donaldson.
It wasn’t raining yet but we knew we could hit rain or wet snow (Kevin carries a weather radio so we get up to the minute forecasts). We all had crampons but had decided to leave the snowshoes back at the cars.
It was a typical climb, just sluggin it out until you reach the top. As with most of the trip, Kevin or Val led the way with me or Dan at the rear of the group. Me and Dan haven’t figured out how Val hikes so fast . Kevin is very tall and lean so you can figure he’s got a long stride but Val sorta floats along at whatever speed she decides.
We came upon a party of 3 (4 ?) guys and a dog who had camped along the trail. They were just getting up as we passed them. We saw them later on Emmons.
We encounted snow and a little ice on the way up Donaldson. Crampons were not necessary but would’ve been nice in a few spots. It was slow going and I think it was around 11 when we hit the summit of Donaldson. I had to pick my footing carefully since everything was wet or snow-covered and slippery. I did not want to dislocate my arm at the shoulder again (Armstrong in August). We took a break and Dan and myself put on our crampons for the hike over to Emmons. The crampons were more of a hindrance than a help and we removed them after reaching the Summit of Emmons.
There was a bunch of mud and wet snow between these 2 summits and we were moving slow. We had good views and the rain held off but we knew it was coming. By 2:30 PM we were back to the summit of Donaldson and heading back to camp. The rain had begun.
The hard work for the day was done and it was of great comfort knowing we had camp all set up with dry clothes, warm food and a campfire waiting for us. We pushed along and got back to our camp shortly after dark. AHHH…dry clothes ! AHHHH a campfire !
I think Dan cooked up some rice? And Val fried a stunning piece of venison. Kevin wielded his cheese-cake and my world was complete. Imagine it’s drizzling out but you are protected from it because you are sitting on the front of a L/T with a plate of hot food in your hand, dry clothes, fire blazing and casting warmth on you. Your sleeping bag is within arms reach. Can a moment get better than that ?
This night I decided to be a wildman and stay up until about 7:30 before I crashed. And when I woke up and built up enough nerve to check my watch it was 5AM. Yippeee !!
I got up and got the water boiling and started to do some stretching. Kevin was up shortly after and pretty soon everyone was up. I had 6 of my 18 fresh eggs left so I took leftover venison and rice and cooked it with the eggs. Kevin and I had some cheese left so I grated it over the hot concoction. It was pretty good stuff.
We knew we had a hard day ahead of us with packs heavier than ever from the wetness.
Everyone prepared themselves as best they could and we all hoped we wouldn’t get rained on in the next 3 hours as we hiked out. As soon as I contorted myself under my pack and got myself upright I headed out knowing the others would catch up to me. It was about 9AM. After 1.2 miles I dropped my pack figuring we’d all rest there. I just got back to feeling normal when sturdy Dan came along and indicated he wanted to leave his pack on and keep on going. He helped me get my pack on (like he did the whole trip-Thanks Dan) and we moved along pretty well for another mile to the cairn marking the trail to Donaldson. There, we took a break and Kevin and Val caught up to us. We nourished ourselves until the cold started to creep in and we had to get moving. It felt like wet snow could start any time. The next stretch of the hike went amazingly quick for me and all of a sudden we were at the intersection of the horse trail back to the trailhead (1.4 miles to go). We drank and ate once again and blasted off for the final stretch. The horse trail was a muddy wet mess and we were slowed down as we found our way around the messy spots. It was great to get back to the car. Dry clothes…AHHHHHH.
Kevin has pictures but I don't know how to attach a link.
Donaldson and Emmons were #45 and 46 on my second round, which took me 2 years to complete. I hope to live long enough and stay healthy enough to climb 50 rounds, though I have plenty of plans to do other, non-46er hikes.
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