First Hang - ADK Lake Durant

[Bryon]

Growing up on the southern edge of the Adirondack Park I never realized what I had available to me until the last few years. I've been taking motorcycle rides in the summer into the park to go hiking, and do this basically every other weekend. I started doing longer hikes, and wanted to do multiple hikes at different locations throughout the day and realized the 2-3 hour drive into the middle of the adirondacks was eating up a lot of time so I decided I'd start camping at some of the DEC campgrounds and maybe work my way up to backcountry camping on state land.

At the moment my gear is fairly minimal. I have a yukon outfitters bug net hammock as well as their rainfly tarp with the ENO atlas suspension system. Just in-case I also packed a 2 man backpacking tent (Eureka Apex 2XT). For warmth I had a Marmot Nanowave 45 and a fleece liner.


Here it is loaded on my bike



I was able to leave work slightly early and make my way to the Lake Durant campground. For an august day it was fairly chilly (65F) and on the way their it was drizzling on and off. Once there luckily it stopped raining why I set up my hammock and tarp and I still had enough daylight to cook up some tuna and noodles before heading in the hammock for the night.



I now realize that I need a ground mat to put my motorcycle gear on to prevent it from getting wet. I improvised by using the picnic table at the campsite.

I knew it was going to be chilly that night (45F-49F) so I was wearing multiple base merino wool layers to try to keep myself warm. It worked fairly well and I only woke up a couple times that night. Once to raindrops hitting the tarp, but thankfully I and my hammock stayed perfectly dry. I also woke up once in the middle of the night with some cold spots. I now realize that I need some time of underquilt or pad to sleep on to prevent this and that I probably should of brought/bought warmer gear.

My alarm woke me up at 5:30 so I could start packing up and heading out for the day. I had a fairly decent nights sleep without any aches or pains when I woke up. My only slight complaint was the cold, but I think through some reading and researching I'll find ways to remedy that.

The early morning rise and now being so close to the trails I wanted to hike allowed me to view this in the morning


I'll definitely have to do this again, but I think I'll update my gear a bit more to remain slightly warmer in the future. I also have more pictures from several hikes that I did that day, but I think I'm going to need something better than my phone camera in the future.

[Penfold]

Thanks, that is some pretty country up there.

[RedStix]

That looks awesome. You are lucky to be so close to the Adirondacks.

RedStix

[DuctTape]

The NPT runs right through Lake Durant. I love the adks.

[brokentree]

I don't see an underquilt which would explain the cold.

A sleeping bag isn't enough since it compresses dramatically when you lay on it, reducing its ability to keep you warm.

Looks like a good ride though!

[NirvanaFan]

Looking good! It takes a little bit, but you'll figure everything out.

I've done some backcountry camping at 3 or 4 designated sites in the High Peaks area of the park as well as some other locations in the Adirondacks. I haven't had a problem finding suitable places to hang. I woke up nice and dry last year when my buddies were basically laying in the mud near the base of Mt. Colden.

[K0m4]

Beautiful place! Makes me glad to see, as I plan to come State-side and do a small trip there in about a month But... you slept in 45 degrees F - that's about 7-8 degrees C - without ANY insulation?? You're stronger than me...

[2ply]

Thanks for sharing the adventure. Great looking bike! Really liked to picture of the lake.

[Bryon]

I don't see an underquilt which would explain the cold.

I'm lurking the underquilt subforum now looking to pick one up soon. While it was doable, at that temp 3 base layers, I'd rather be a bit more comfortable.

The NPT runs right through Lake Durant. I love the adks.

I actually grew up on the Sacandaga Lake a few miles away from Northville and still don't live far aw. Once I get more experience I would like to start doing some section hikes of the NPT, start with Benson to Piseco.

[12trysomething]

Excellent first time! Well done and a nice ride!