Originally posted by BushwhackingFirestarView Post
Chairrock, you were the other soul out on trail that day. I noticed entry, "OSS loop "you wrote I believe. Bushwhacking Firestarter
Bushwack......I enjoyed chatting with you at the falls--hope the picture came out well. You and Chairrock weren’t the only ones on the loop. On the way up Wednesday I also saw [with a quick greeting] a party of four on the trail along the river at the foot of Ross Rapids between High Rock and High Falls. I didn’t spot any canoes or kayaks although they may have stashed them. That evening two guys camped at the falls canoeing [and huffing and puffing on the portage with what looked to be a normal weight royalex Bell] their way from Lows. They left shortly after I did in the morning leaving everything open for the weekend. I met two parties canoeing up while on the way out.
Bob, your on the Forum, cool. Thanks again for taken my pic, Maybe I'll see you out there again somtime. You were only human I saw on hole trip, well untill I got to Wanakena.
I would reccommend to anyone heading up to do 50 to check out Wanakena first. There was a info/pavilion in town square that had some brochures about 50 and exploring the local area by water or foot.
I'll try to get some photos up somwere. Took over 100 pics and almost 30 minutes of video. If enough people have good video , perhaps a documentary of 50 and surrounding area could be made.
I have only done a couple canoe trips, but after seeing what Crannberry has to offer(I liked it better then Long Lake)I might have to hit the water. The number of campsites in area kind of blew me away.
Doing the High Falls Loop tomorow with wife and 2 dogs,hope to spend the night near the falls. Are there many tent sites in the area, say a mile or so on either side of the falls?
Originally posted by chairrock
Well further research on my part has shown that there are a few sites on the river that are numbered, but are they noticiably accessable from the truck trail? Gunna have to keep an eye open I guess...unless anyone has a clue here? Wildriver?
If only I was there with you, I could point out all the sites...
The campsites at High Rock and Ross Rapids (#28) are easily accessible from the trail, and especially #28 because it is literally beside the trail. If you take the Five Ponds Trail as far as the bridge over the river, you'll find three sites clustered together.
There are also three tent sites at High Falls: One is in the bushes above the falls, not far from the eastern lean-to. One is located on the carry trail (watch where you set up your tent in case any night hikers come through!). The third (#17 I think) is harder to spot, but just before the trail ends at High Falls there is a rough path that leads right through the brush to the river. I don't think there are any signs or markers from the trail.
The clearing at the foot of the canoe carry has an attractive view but is closed for regeneration.
On the east side of the loop, the only established sites are at Glasby Pond and Dead Creek Flow.
this looks like a wonderful time..by the looks its only 2days by foor 1 by horse..lol accroding to bushwhacker firestarter... 3 days would be great to enjoy it..
Well, the time has come. I will be hitting the CL50 tomorrow morning around 7AM. Leaving tonight after dinner to arrive at the trailhead around 10PM. I will either sleep in my car or find a convenient spot to set up my tarp for the early start.
I've decided to start (clockwise) at the Peavine Swamp trailhead and tackle the 6 mile road walk right off the bat. I will wear comfortable walking shoes and stash them at the Burntbridge Pond trailhead where I'll switch to proper trail shoes. Still hate road walking and I will hopefully be able to hitch a ride.
I'd like to thank everyone on this thread for the invaluable info and will attempt to do my part by posting a trail report upon my return.
Regarding Cranberry Lake as a paddling destination - It's certainly beautiful, but the power boat traffic really detracts from the experience. Fishing boats visited my site's "private" cove several times on the weekend, and many more blew past the site. The flashing lights on the navigation buoys were a bit of a distraction on an otherwise dark night as well. The easy accessibility to power boats also results in more trash on the sites. I spent the entire weekend picking up cig butts and other bits of litter, and carried out 2 broken chairs. I had to leave the rusty and burned aluminum table on site. Having paddled and camped on many Adirondack lakes, I might not return to this one.
We spent three days at site 30 in Black Duck Hole, 9/2 - 9/4, and had much the same impression-- beautiful place, few other paddlers, too many motorboats, & too much trash. Actually, our site didn't have that much litter, but it had two large, ugly table-like structures built from heavy scrap plywood, 2x4s, etc. We disassembled one, but the other had been built using sheetrock screws. It marred an otherwise beautiful site. Keep out the powerboats, & its a sure thing you won't see stuff like that left behind. We checked out a lot of the other sites on the Dead Creek Flow and saw all sorts of abandoned hardware. What's so hard about carry in, carry out?
The Adirondack Wilderness ... is a vast natural park, one immense and silent forest, curiously and beautifully broken by the gleaming waters of a myriad of lakes, between which rugged mountain ranges rise as a sea of granite billows. -- Verplanck Colvin
Those are very nice photos, with a pleasing composition and a warm quality. PET PEEVE ALERT! - I prefer to complement the photographer - the camera is merely a tool, and a good photographer can make good images with almost any camera, regardless of price and megapixels.
Thanks for the kind words! The camera is a Cannon S5IS, 12x zoom with stabilization, which helps a lot with wildlife shots. Takes decent shots for the size and price, but it falls well short of a DSLR (in size, price, and image quality).
The Adirondack Wilderness ... is a vast natural park, one immense and silent forest, curiously and beautifully broken by the gleaming waters of a myriad of lakes, between which rugged mountain ranges rise as a sea of granite billows. -- Verplanck Colvin
I find the above mentioned quotes offending and too broadly applied. While there are bad apples in every user group it is not necessary nor I feel productive to apply such negative connotations to all motor-boaters. If you see a problem, fix it, don't assume one particular group is responsible.
Our family is involved in all aspects of boating;canoe,power and sail.When we find trash at a site,whether on the lake or at one of the backcountry LTs we haul it out.I wonder what user groups left all the trash I have hauled out of LTs this summer?
I apologize for any implication that all motorboat operators leave trash behind. Nevertheless, I think it is fair to assume that canoe campers are far less likely to haul in 2x4s and large sheets of plywood, lawn chairs, barbeque grills-- the sort of stuff I saw left in sites on the Dead Creek Flow a couple of weeks back. Nor is a canoe camper as likely to be toting a power drill which was clearly used to assemble the camp furnishings left at our site.
Besides, the shores of the Dead Creek Flow are classified as wilderness. To my mind, that suggests that power boats should be kept out. A canoe or kayak can paddle by your campsite and you'll never know it, but a motorboat, unless it's running on a trolling motor, will let you know it's there from a mile or more away.
But to your point-- sure, there are messy, carry-it-in-and-leave-it canoe campers too. For that matter, I've run into a few real loud folks in canoes.
The Adirondack Wilderness ... is a vast natural park, one immense and silent forest, curiously and beautifully broken by the gleaming waters of a myriad of lakes, between which rugged mountain ranges rise as a sea of granite billows. -- Verplanck Colvin
... Nevertheless, I think it is fair to assume that canoe campers are far less likely to haul in 2x4s and large sheets of plywood, lawn chairs, barbeque grills-- the sort of stuff I saw left in sites on the Dead Creek Flow a couple of weeks back.
I agree, and I don't think anything you said was offensive, nor did it paint all power boaters with the same dirty brush. The easier the access, the more stuff people can and will bring to a campsite, and the more likely that some of that stuff will be left behind. I think that paddlers are "cleaner" campers mainly because the big stuff is more work to haul in. On the other hand, I didn't mind the plywood table on the site, but the slab of leftover plywood and burned aluminum table was a bit much. I view Cranberry Lake about the same as Stillwater Res. - it's a power boater lake that paddlers also use. I'll just go to quiet water lakes in the future. By the way, there is also a thread about float planes on Low's Lake that features similar comments about paddlers vs. float plane clients, with similar "offensive" comments and like reactions.
"There's a whisper on the night-wind, there's a star agleam to guide us, And the Wild is calling, calling . . . let us go." -from "The Call of the Wild" by Robert Service
I agree with chairrock, the part about motor boats. I have a nice canoe and a small motorboat which I use on Cranberry very often. I remove others trash as I did agian on 9/12/08-9/16/08. This is no different than other sports I enjoy. A few idiots ruin for others. Junk can be carried in by boaters, hikers and by canoe. No need to offend someone. We can all teach others by good examples! Unforunately there will always be the bad apple! Sound like you had a great time, as we always do.
Congratulations on your completing the Cranberry50!
Agree with you and jcheesema about motor boats on Cranberry.
Over the last 30 years plus that I have paddled on Cranberry, I have developed an affinity for the place and for all who use Cranberry responsibly.
As a non-motor boat owner I feel no special entitlement; but rather I advocate for all who use this wonderful place, to use it with care.
The Cranberry50 will, hopefully, be some small part of a program of sustainable economic development for the great people who live, work and raise families in the Adirondack Park.
Having had the opportunity to listen to people like Clearence Petty, and others who have certainly talked the talk, and walked the walk of working for long term goals in the Park, I hope my generation steps up to the plate. And one way to step up to the plate is inclusion vs exclusion. If we don't all win in some way, in the long term, none of us will win.
On another topic entirely, there are great paddling days ahead this year on Cranberry before freeze up.
See you all on the water.
MikeT
With due apologies to Neil Young: "Keep on paddling in the free world!
Alright, time has finally been found to hike the Cranberry Lake 50. On the 17th (5pm) we will set out from the Wanakena trail head. Current plans have us ending at the Cranberry Lake Wild Forest on Sunday. We realize we're going to have to move along, but hopefully we'll find some time to place a few geocaches along the route. Any trail conditions/advice anyone would like to pass along??
Save a tree, eat a beaver
Support your local forest ranger, get lost.
I think that they should host a survivor in the Adirondacks. Both teams get a over under rifle shotgun, box of matches, and a petersons edible plants field guide.
Comment