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  1. #1
    SilvrSurfr's Avatar
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    NY> ADK>Little Tupper Lake-Lake Lila Canoe Traverse>8/13 to 8/17/14, Part Two

    Part one is here.

    https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/...-13-to-8-17-14

    And here's Part Two.



    We expected that crossing the Brandreth private land would be the highlight of the trip but it turned out to a bit anti-climactic. It appears Brandreth owns most, or at least some, of Mud Pond, as well as a section of the Shingle Shanty Brook. However, the paddle through the Brandreth land was not much different than the rest of the traverse. It did beat the heck out of doing another 8/10 of a mile portage, of that much I'm sure!

    If we had known the portage from Little Salmon Lake to Lillypad Pond was so inconsequential, that the paddle to the Brandreth waterfall wasn't all that tough, that the portage around the waterfall was a breeze, and that the Shingle Shanty Brook can be done in less than two hours, we would have been at Lake Lila the day before. However, we were being cautious.

    It's a good thing we were, 'cause Buck Island on Lake Lila would not have been available if we had arrived the day before (I know, 'cause I threw a piece of athletic tape in the fire pit and it immediately caught on fire - the previous occupant had obviously left not long before and didn't extinguish the fire). It's the best island (and the best campsite) for hammocks, with beautiful views no matter which way you turn.

    Gmarc and the boys paddled back to the cars, drove into town and got burgers, hot dogs and fixins. They also grabbed some cold adult beverages. We had a fine feast on our last night.

    After looking at the map some more, I believe the Little Tupper to Lake Lila traverse may actually be 18 to 22 miles. We were prepared for a much harder trip, and while it was plenty hard, it wasn't that tough. While we all consider ourselves to be amateur canoeists (though some of us have been canoeing for 40 years), we expected something much more difficult than the trip turned out to be.

    At the start of the 1.75 mile portage, I know we all had doubts about our ability to finish the trip. I was carrying the solo Pack canoe, and had a hard time figuring out how to carry it. Eventually, I found a way to comfortably rest it on the top of my pack. It was all downhill from there once we kicked that 1.75 mile portage's butt.

    Looking forward to another epic trip next year!
    Last edited by SilvrSurfr; 08-20-2014 at 23:20.
    "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." Ralph Waldo Emerson

  2. #2
    SilvrSurfr's Avatar
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    After a beautiful night on Buck Island, my sons were up bright and early, eager to head to Boston. Shelf Life was meeting some friends of his for a Massachusetts vacation (right after an Adirondacks vacation - spoiled brat), while VanillaPudge had work Monday morning and wanted to get back to his apartment and unwind.

    We had a huge breakfast at the Long Lake Diner before everyone went their separate ways. Our first breakfast here before the trip was $44 for five people. We ate $66 worth of food on the way out - we were famished.
    "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." Ralph Waldo Emerson

  3. #3
    SilvrSurfr's Avatar
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    So our overall itinerary turned out like this:

    Wed 8/13 - Buttermilk Falls ADK shelter
    Thu 8/14 - Little Tupper Lake to Rock Pond
    Fri 8/15 - Rock Pond to Little Salmon Lake
    Sat 8/16 - Little Salmon Lake to Lake Lila
    Sun 8/16 - Home

    If we ever do it again, I'd say the whole traverse to Lake Lila can be done in one day (assuming an early start, which is a dicey proposition with my sons since they like to sleep in). We spent three days doing the traverse, but only due to an abundance of caution. I love night canoeing (and night hiking), but with the weather as crappy as it was, I didn't like the thought of getting caught in the rain trying to navigate a stream we had never seen even in the daylight. My son Shelf Life always voted for moving on, since he wanted to be as far from the bear scat we observed as possible. I'm glad we took a more cautious approach.
    "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." Ralph Waldo Emerson

  4. #4
    silentorpheus's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by SilvrSurfr View Post
    So our overall itinerary turned out like this:

    Wed 8/13 - Buttermilk Falls ADK shelter
    Thu 8/14 - Little Tupper Lake to Rock Pond
    Fri 8/15 - Rock Pond to Little Salmon Lake
    Sat 8/16 - Little Salmon Lake to Lake Lila
    Sun 8/16 - Home

    If we ever do it again, I'd say the whole traverse to Lake Lila can be done in one day (assuming an early start, which is a dicey proposition with my sons since they like to sleep in). We spent three days doing the traverse, but only due to an abundance of caution. I love night canoeing (and night hiking), but with the weather as crappy as it was, I didn't like the thought of getting caught in the rain trying to navigate a stream we had never seen even in the daylight. My son Shelf Life always voted for moving on, since he wanted to be as far from the bear scat we observed as possible. I'm glad we took a more cautious approach.
    One day would be aggressive. Two days would be easy. Three days was leisurely (said, after the fact, sitting on his couch )

    There were a few contributing factors other than what was mentioned:

    1. The wind on Little Tupper Lake. It was pretty brutal, and the entire paddle, across the largest body of water on the traverse, was upwind, with some pretty gnarly waves. GMarc and I had one point where we got a little too far broadside of the wind, and a rogue wave almost rolled us.

    2. The weather - it seldom rained on us much more than a drizzle when we were out on the water or actively traveling, other than the sky opening up for a little while the first day. But it rained on us every day once we got to camp. Had we tried to push on further on any given day, we would have been traveling in the rain, instead of under tarps or around a fire.

    Neither of those were insurmountable. But would definitely factor into trying to do the traverse in 1 day. If you had good weather and fair wind on Tupper, and you got an early start, yeah - you could probably get all the way to Lila by dark if you pushed it.

  5. #5
    SilvrSurfr's Avatar
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    Still unpacking from the trip, but I gotta chuckle at how much extra Pack-It Gourmet food I carried:

    1 Texas State Fair Chili
    1 Potato Samosa
    1 All American Burger Wrap
    1 Wrap Rescue
    1 Deli Roast Beef Wrap for 2
    1 Diner Deluxe Scrambled Eggs
    1 Tuscan Beef Stew for 2
    1 TexMex Breakfast Taco
    1 Austintacious Tortilla Soup
    1 Tortilla Espanola
    "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." Ralph Waldo Emerson

  6. #6
    Senior Member Suede's Avatar
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    Enjoyed your trip report SS! That last camp site on the island looked really awesome!! Thanks for taking us along on your adventure!
    John aka Suede

  7. #7
    SilvrSurfr's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Suede View Post
    Enjoyed your trip report SS! That last camp site on the island looked really awesome!! Thanks for taking us along on your adventure!
    Island camping is definitely awesome - my youngest son just loves islands (though he seems to forget that bears can swim).
    "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." Ralph Waldo Emerson

  8. #8
    SilvrSurfr's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by silentorpheus View Post
    One day would be aggressive. Two days would be easy. Three days was leisurely (said, after the fact, sitting on his couch )

    There were a few contributing factors other than what was mentioned:

    1. The wind on Little Tupper Lake. It was pretty brutal, and the entire paddle, across the largest body of water on the traverse, was upwind, with some pretty gnarly waves. GMarc and I had one point where we got a little too far broadside of the wind, and a rogue wave almost rolled us.

    2. The weather - it seldom rained on us much more than a drizzle when we were out on the water or actively traveling, other than the sky opening up for a little while the first day. But it rained on us every day once we got to camp. Had we tried to push on further on any given day, we would have been traveling in the rain, instead of under tarps or around a fire.

    Neither of those were insurmountable. But would definitely factor into trying to do the traverse in 1 day. If you had good weather and fair wind on Tupper, and you got an early start, yeah - you could probably get all the way to Lila by dark if you pushed it.
    Makes me wonder if I need to get a new canoe. My Discovery 169 handles fine in high winds and whitecaps (assuming it's loaded fairly well; if lightly loaded all bets are off.). However, at 85 lbs., that bad boy had to stay home - too much weight for a 1.75 mile portage.

    The Royalex tandem canoe we rented was about 60 lbs., not bad for a general purpose canoe. The Old Town Pack was only 33 lbs., but performed poorly in open water, though I never felt that the whitecaps would swamp it. Gmarc's tandem (a Wenonah?) canoe was only 48 lbs., but you guys took on a lot of water from the white caps - that wasn't an issue with the other two boats.
    "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." Ralph Waldo Emerson

  9. #9
    silentorpheus's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by SilvrSurfr View Post
    Makes me wonder if I need to get a new canoe. My Discovery 169 handles fine in high winds and whitecaps (assuming it's loaded fairly well; if lightly loaded all bets are off.). However, at 85 lbs., that bad boy had to stay home - too much weight for a 1.75 mile portage.

    The Royalex tandem canoe we rented was about 60 lbs., not bad for a general purpose canoe. The Old Town Pack was only 33 lbs., but performed poorly in open water, though I never felt that the whitecaps would swamp it. Gmarc's tandem (a Wenonah?) canoe was only 48 lbs., but you guys took on a lot of water from the white caps - that wasn't an issue with the other two boats.
    His was a Merrimack 15' Tennesean, I believe. Pricey little bugger - I checked when I got home.

    We took on some water from the white caps and waves … but a lot of the water we took on was because we both had water shoes on, and didn't bother finding a reason not to step in the water. Every time we got in and out, usually one of us was at least up to our ankles - I know Shelflife and Grundle did everything they could not to have to step in the water.

  10. #10
    SilvrSurfr's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by silentorpheus View Post
    His was a Merrimack 15' Tennesean, I believe. Pricey little bugger - I checked when I got home.
    Guess that's what a carbon fiber, kevlar and wood constructed canoe costs - $3K new, but he got one with blemishes from the manufacturer for $2K. I might check into that route myself.
    "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." Ralph Waldo Emerson

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