A Long Walk Around Cranberry Lake

 

Amos crossing the Oswegatchie River on the Wanakena footbridge

I have spent the last 10 days wonderstruck, immersed the forests and tiny towns of this region. We've done some driving from here to there, but mostly we've been walking. Despite this slow means of travel, and the fact that my attention is almost always here and now, I am still very aware of how little I know this place. We are just dipping our toes in its plentiful lakes, deep woods, and unique culture. 

To bring you up to speed, after completing the 22-mile French Louie loop, which incorporates small pieces of the Northville Placid and North Country Trails, we cruised over to the Black River Wild Forest. There we did an overnight, hiking from the Bear Creek trailhead to Chub Pond, looping over to Gull Pond the next day and back to the car. We stayed at Chub Pond lean-to #2, which provided an epic view of the very large pond (ponds are the size of lakes out here and lakes, well, they are really big). But the real magic was happening on shore. I had the opportunity to watch a clutch of snapping turtle hatchlings take their first steps. Furtively, peeking out of a hole, one by one, where surely they had just left their eggs, walk, waddle, and tumble down to the water, where each one, glided in. I wished them a good life, all seven that I got to witness.

View from Chub Pond lean-to #2

a baby snapping turtle taking their first swim

That evening, rain was predicted so I procured us a Hipcamp in Barneveld, NY at West Canada Creek Farm. Wow, this place was a gem! We rented a little screenhouse for the night, nestled on the edge of expansive hayfields and the wide creek. I set up our tent inside to ensure that Amos felt at home, and he took to it immediately. I learned many hikes ago, to avoid renting motel rooms at all costs. Amos is happy if the surroundings are quiet and resembles sleeping on the trail as much as possible. This screenhouse fit the bill. We liked it so much, we stayed a second night. Plus, Chris and Heather the owners knew the region's trails well, having hiked many of them. It was lots of fun talking trail and they had really helpful insights to share about our upcoming adventure.

Amos at the screenhouse at West Canada Creek Farm

And what an adventure it has been! And still is. We are in progress, taking a rain day at another sweet Hipcamp. I'll be sure to share that one in the next post. So far, we have completed 40 miles of the Cranberry 50 trail. The Cranberry 50 (CL50) is as, you guessed it, a 50-mile trail, that encircles Cranberry Lake. Cranberry Lake is the third largest lake in the Adirondacks and is shaped kind of like an octopus, with a wide center and many arms. These arms are called "flows," which are basically shallow, marshy sections of the lake. Cranberry Lake was once a smaller lake surrounded by cranberry bogs. In the mid-1800's, a dam was built on the Oswegatchie River (to benefit the logging industry), that expanded the lake, essentially creating these flows. Oswegatchie is pronounced Osh-we-gosh-ee (gathered that knowledge at the farm too). The trail travels loosely around the perimeter, at times venturing miles from the shore, but frequently returning the hiker to a flow for camp. 

The tiny village of Wanakena is the hub for the Cranberry 50

We began our trek in the tiny, incredibly charming, village of Wanakena. There's not much here by way of businesses, but my goodness, this li'l place sure welcomes the hiker. I was delighted to come into town and find Otto's Abode. It was sadly closed for renovations, but I could tell that Otto's was one cool place. It shared a historic building with the post office. Out front, a human-sized moose character greeted us, inviting us onto a porch with comfy chairs for sitting and a library of books to "borrow and return". Across the street from Otto's was a park, which had a pavilion (with outlets), a fire ring with Adirondack chairs, firewood, a spigot, croquet, and the most delightful bathroom I have experienced the whole trail. Mind you, I have used a lot of outhouses, but this was really a well-cared-for bathroom. A large round sign shaped like a trail marker announced a trailhead for the Cranberry 50. 

In the center of "downtown" Wanakena

Greeted by the only moose I've seen yet!

However, we did not start here. Instead, we crossed the Oswegatchie River by car and parked near the trailhead for the Janack's Landing trail. By hiking this trail into the loop, we effectively portioned the Cranberry 50 into a 40-mile section and a 15-mile section. So, when we're done, we will have hiked 55 miles! We reached the CL50-proper in a couple hours and spent our first night at Glasby Pond. Unfortunately, I am again limited on photos to share on the blog, given that my phone requires syncing with the internet to download photos to the cloud. Ah, tech. Therefore, rather than take you through each day via text alone, I'll share the highlights. 

One of the many bridges on the Cranberry 50

The path itself has been a joy to walk. We have been traveling counterclockwise and essentially started with the more challenging portion of the loop. However, even this more "rugged" section was gently rolling. Fern-capped boulders sat sentinel in the woods. Yellow birch and eastern hemlock towered. Beech was ever-present. Scarlet swamp maple leaves sometimes carpeted the soil underfoot, by the end of our week, golden sugar maple and coppery beech leaves did too. They were a couple of tricky creek crossings with Amos given precarious boulders, but most creeks were bridged, and mud was, given what I've seen on other trails, minimal. With the exception of some blowdowns along the Otter Creek Trail (one of the many shorter trails that the CL50 uses), maintenance was excellent. Even there, had I not been navigating them with Amos, they wouldn't have been so troublesome. 

Campsite by Brandy Flow

Given our humble daily mileage, we didn't always hit the primo campsites, but there were plenty to be had along the trail. Our favorite was one along Brandy flow. We had this spacious site all to ourselves. In fact, we had every camp all to ourselves! It was high and dry and sunny. Loons called late in the afternoon and in the morning we were greeted by a woodpecker knock-knocking away at the tree over our tent. Amos enjoyed taking a dip whenever he pleased and I enjoyed sunning on a large boulder in the water. Come to think of it, Amos enjoyed taking a dip in a lot of places along this trail.

Amos wild and free in East Inlet

The sunsets and early mornings (I don't get up early enough for sunrise) were spectacular. The quiet of this trail, too, was remarkable. Although, unlike the French Louie, there were nights I heard crickets and barred owls and screech owls too. 

Sunset on Cranberry Lake

With the exception of Friday, which was exceptionally lovely with 70-degree temps, and we were within miles of the town of Cranberry Lake, we only saw six hikers the whole time, three and two were in groups, and four out of six were women! Oh, and whatever you do, don't ask Amos about the town of Cranberry Lake. 

The General Store in Cranberry Lake

Aside from Wanakena, the only other town the CL50 goes through in Cranberry Lake. Cranberry Lake is also a pretty quiet place. However, the cars move fast on Route 3, and there are many residences that line the road (even if most seemed uninhabited this time of year). I stopped at the one general store in town to procure a cold soda and to fill our water reserves. Amos was in a panic, eager to get back to the trail as fast as possible, which put me in a panic too. But, we made it through with a quick 15-minute stop. One and a half miles later we were back in the woods. Whew!

Yesterday afternoon, we walked the suspension bridge into Wanakena. What a feeling! We'd done it - the biggest trek of our amble. We'd spent nearly a full week in the woods hiking those 40 miles. 24 of them we'd completed over the last 3 days. We'd gained speed and confidence, but most importantly, we let the beauty of these woods seep into our bones. I was grateful for a primitive campsite right in the town of Wanakena that night. Doesn't get easier than that. We celebrated with a 10-minute drive up to Star Lake where I procured cheap gas station pizza and a hamburger for Amos. Well-deserved rewards. 

In the coming days, we'll take on the remaining miles of the Cranberry 50! Thanks for letting us share our story with you!

Feeling pretty swell about completing the Cranberry 40

Ambling the Adirondacks

 

Amos on the Northville Placid Trail

We set off for the Adirondacks one week ago today. I knew little of this region. Scott, Amos and I had explored it for a few days on the Northville Placid Trail some years back. If fact, I do believe that was Amos' first backpacking venture. Scott and I had also walked up to the edge of the Adirondacks when we completed our thru hike on the Long Path. But aside from these glimpses, I'd never taken the time to really get to know this region. Armed with a packet of National Geographic maps and plenty of supplies, Amos and I drove northward. 

Several hours later we had reached Route 28, which would carry us through numerous quintessential Adirondack towns, among them Thendara, Old Forge, Eagle Bay, and Inlet. As darkness fell, we passed lake after lake, the silhouettes of evergreens towered. We parked it just outside of Inlet at Eighth Lake Campground. As soon as I stepped from the car, I noticed the air smelled different here - like fragrant balsam and damp soil. We had no sooner settled into the tent when I heard the loons calling. I hadn't heard loons since I was on the Finger Lakes Trail, before that the Appalachian Trail. It's amazing how nature has the ability to connect us instantly with far away moments in our lives. Then a screech owl. Later that night, a pack of coyotes yipping and crying and howling. We had certainly entered another realm.

Queer Lake in the early morning

I had studied my maps thoroughly before leaving and had highlighted some trails that I thought would be fun to explore. We started in the Pigeon Lakes Wilderness, with a lollipop loop from Cascade Lake trailhead up to Queer Lake. An easy 4.5 miles. The trail began wide, once a dirt road long ago, and then we turned onto single-track. We rolled along, up and down small hills, sometimes navigating a minor blowdown, other times squishing and squelching through mud. I am learning that mud comes with the territory here. Boardwalks and puncheons and cut-log paths had been laid in an effort to reduce the mud factor, but alas they were rotting in the mud too, so they presented their own obstacle. Still, it was nothing we couldn't handle, and the enormous trees, moss-covered logs, and micro-forests that perched on top of boulders made it all worth it. My pictures that I have to share are limited given my service, but when we reached the lean-to, my goodness! The lean-to sat facing enormous Queer Lake. I was delighted to find the water perfectly clear and the lake with a sandy bottom. I set up our tent just beside it and later that night, after a song from the loons and later, a barred owl, the woods fell completely and utterly silent. Not a breeze, not a cricket, not a crack of a twig. I would come to learn that this, too, seems to be typical in these Adirondack woods.

In the morning, I spotted a beaver out for a swim, and later the loons cackled hilariously at me as I struggled to pack up all of our gear. On our way back, we did a loop around Chain Ponds. Along the way I was struck by all the hobblebush in the understory. It's heart-shaped leaves are turning deep burgundy, and some shrubs are sporting red (ripening to black) berries. Amos also spotted a black bear. We both remained perfectly silent, as he meandered through the forest and then scampered up an embankment. Before we knew it, we were back on the path we had started at, completing 11 miles for this jaunt.

Hobblebush in fruit

That afternoon, we explored the charming town of Inlet. I very much appreciated the open-air coffee house. An iced coffee after a trek, now this I could get used to (and did, two days in a row). Arrowhead Park was a fabulous place to gather info at Town Hall, make use of the Wi-Fi, and clean up a bit in the bathroom. This seems to be the town park, and wow, what a park it is, set right on the shore of Fourth Lake.

View of Fourth Lake from Arrowhead Park

 Later that evening, we headed for Moose River Plains, which hosts over 100 free roadside campsites. No amenities aside from some with firepits, privies, and picnic tables, but it sure is nice to have an easy, no-cost, legal camping spot. Finding a spot did require rolling very slowly down a bumpy gravel road for what felt like an eternity, but about 35 minutes later, we had chosen our site, set on a wooded knoll. That night it poured rain and the site was pretty much dirt. So as the raindrops hit hard, they splattered, right up underneath the rainfly and into the tent, casting black grit and grime all over the outside of the tent, and inside too. So be it, we were at least dry. And, hey when car camping, circumstances such as these, never seem too bad. 

Road sign in Moose River Plains - these remote roads stretch for miles, one leads from Inlet 27 miles to Indian Lake (although due to windfall, this route was closed about halfway through)

The next day we drove farther into Moose River Plains, where the gravel roads eventually turned to sand. I learned from a ranger that a very old moose named Harold, was said to frequent the ponds here. I kept a keen eye out but never did spot him. I'm still holding out hope on this trip! That afternoon, Amos and I took it easy, with a wander through Cathedral Pines - a pocket of old growth pines - and later explored Ferd's Bog. The bog was a wonder. Here we followed a slippery dirt path, down, down, down, and then walked a heavy-duty plastic boardwalk out into the heart of the bog. Leatherleaf lined our path, sphagnum moss was blood red, and carnivorous pitchers plants sat filled to the brim with rainwater waiting for a snack. Amos desperately wanted to keep going beyond the boardwalk, but when he stepped out onto the moss and started sinking, he decided that maybe wasn't such a good idea. 

Moss Lake and the island

Camp at Moss Lake

Late in the afternoon, we discovered beautiful Moss Lake. Amos was all about this place, running up the shoreline, where we spied a wooded island at its heart. The shoreline was a botanical wonderland. I marveled at northern wild raisin, mountain ash, and winterberry - all in fruit. The bottle-brush purple flowers of narrow-leaved gentian, a wholly new plant to me, clustered amidst these shrubs. I could have spent the day here, and perhaps we will, but evening was quick to come. There are eight campsites that surround Moss Lake on a 2.5-mile loop trail. So, back at the car, I packed a backpack, and we headed in for the night, finding a lovely spot in a cove of evergreens.

Winterberry - a deciduous holly

The next day began our first big trek. After much sorting and organizing, and a long drive into the West Canada Lakes Wilderness, Amos and I hit the 22-mile French Louie loop. I was excited for this route given the abundance of lean-tos and lakes. Also, we would be walking a portion of both the Northville Placid Trail and the North Country Trail. After another long drive down a gravel road that I hoped my sedan could traverse, we embarked on our three-night, four-day hike at nearly 5:00 in the evening. 

Amos loves a good puncheon

Trail markers for the 4,200-mile North Country Trail and the 140-mile Northville Placid Trail. The North Country Trail also utilizes the Finger Lakes Trail through New York state, therefore thanks to my time on the FLT, I have already walked about 500 miles of the NCT. Here's to slowly chipping away!

I will sum up this loop as a true walk in the wilderness. These woods were dense, so dense that if the sun were shining while we walked, I was barely aware of it. Trees - predominantly beech, spruce, balsam fir, red maple, and paper birch - densely clustered. Between trees, moss-covered logs and rocks and roots. A thick understory of hobblebush. The precious leaves of native wildflowers we rarely see back at home were abundant, among them blue-bead lily, bunchberry, jack-in-the pulpit, and abundant patches of common wood sorrel (which is not all that common in northeast Pa.) An unparalleled quiet. Zero cell signal for most of the loop. Loons, a fisher cat, belted king fishers and northern flickers, three hikers and two golden retrievers. 

View of Cedar Lake with morning mist

Nearly every night we slept with a view of an enormous glittering blue bowl of water framed with green hills splotched with red. It was easy to plot out our mileage with nine lean-tos to choose from. My favorite was South Lake lean-to, given the amazing campsite right beside the water. 

Our camp at South Lake

The trail was typically a thread weaving us through the forest. Sometimes that thread was literally cut through a carpet of moss, cleanly edged on both sides, giving the effect of a garden stroll. Other times, we slopped about, sinking ankle-deep in muck - Amos is happy to take me right through the heart of it, even if we could have likely side-stepped it with some finesse. We walked mossy boardwalks and impressive bridges and even a land bridge through the edge of South Lake. Finishing up, we walked what once a road, evidenced by rusting car frame that sat plunked in the woods. With rain coming in, our last night we picked a random spot in the woods to put us closer to the car for our last day. 

22 miles under our belts (and paws) at the trailhead for the French Louie Loop. This trailhead is located off Old Military Road, near Pillsbury Mountain. 

It felt pretty good to reach that now familiar signage this morning. Today we've been taking it easy, getting some chores done and sitting out the rain from yet another roadside campsite. Who knows what tomorrow will bring, we'll see where our feet and paws take us.

Adirondacks, Here We Come!

  

Adirondacks, here we come!

The season has been gloriously full. Herbal programs and plant walks. The continual tending to the meadows, clearing of trails, and herbs, flowers, and veggies in the garden. Plus, there's that book I've been working on for the last five years. The care we devote to one another on this ranch, human and animal alike, certainly the most important work we do (believe me I'm on the receiving end, too). But now, it's time, high time, to take a break, to take a good, long, woods walk.

Several years ago, Scott and Amos and I did a three-night backpacking trip on the Northville Placid Trail. It was magical. The conical evergreens, the big blue ponds and even bigger lakes, the carnivorous plants and glowing moss and lichen-draped craggy limbs, the quiet, it stuck with me. This year, when I got to thinking about where Amos and I could go, this special place surfaced. The terrain was rolling, the paths not so rocky, mountains were all around but we didn't have to climb them, for the swamps and ponds and lakes were vista enough. Amos has spent the season hiking and running, building his strength and endurance. and has been cleared by the vet for another adventure. Doc's words, "his legs will be stronger than the ones he was born with." 

The Adirondack Park is comprised of 6 million acres, making it the largest publicly protected area in the lower 48 states. It's three times the size of Yellowstone. Yep, right here in the densely populated northeast. However, the Adirondacks are a little different from other federally designated lands. It is neither a national park nor a state park. In fact, only about half of those 6 million acres are owned by the state of New York, the rest is owned privately. There are homes and businesses and farms within the Adirondack Park, which I think makes good sense. Nature and humans together, rather than separation. 

There are said to be over 2,000 miles of trails within the Adirondack Park, so we'll have plenty to explore. Good thing, we've got about four weeks. This is as much Amos' adventure as it is mine - he's calling the shots. But, some places on our very loose agenda: Moose River Plains, Five Ponds Wilderness, Pigeon Lakes Wilderness, Ha-De-Ron-Dah Wilderness, West Canada Lake, and the Black River. I'm hoping we can have some fun on the Cranberry 50 - a fifty-mile loop around Cranberry Lake. Two long-distance trails travel the Adirondacks - the 140-mile Northville Placid Trail and the 4,000+ mile North Country Trail - surely we'll drop in for a few miles on these. The lean-to's are plentiful, as is water. And the temps look ideal, high sixties during the day and high forties at night. The car is packed with food, water, gear, and a small library. Surrendering to the unknown. Seizing joy. Seeking beauty. Here, we go!