It is easy to forget the history of the Adirondacks. The large trees, standing tall and reaching for the sky, the thick understory, waiting for its chance to ascend to supremacy, and the birds nosily announcing their desires to procreate, the sights and sounds of the remote backcountry fool us into thinking as it is,
Carpet Spruce Swamp: Pond-hopping Toward Crooked Lake
Pond-hopping is on the agenda for my third day of bushwhacking through the remote western portion of the Five Ponds Wilderness. Four unnamed ponds lie between me and Crooked Lake now, each separated from the others by only a steep ridge. What mysteries each pond may hold is anyone’s guess.
Carpet Spruce Swamp: Bouncing Between South Ponds in the Five Ponds Wilderness
After hiking in from Bear Pond Road via the Upper South Pond Trail, I start the off-trail portion of my five-day trip by bushwhacking south, visiting Upper, Middle and Lower South Ponds before the day is done. Setting up my campsite for the night is made more difficult by off and on rain, before turning to a full-on downpour during the early evening hours.
Isle Royale Trip: Cleaning Up at Moskey Basin
The Lake Richie and Rock Harbor Trails’ intersection is only a short distance from Moskey Basin, the destination for my second to last night on Isle Royale. Moskey Basin was not on my original trip itinerary, I only added it after hearing it praised several times over the last thirteen days. According to DuFresne’s book
Isle Royale Trip: Onward to Moskey Basin via Lake Richie
A good deal of my hike along the Indian Portage Trail is now behind me, and I stand at the portage to LeSage Lake while still early in the day with an important decision to make. Do I head back to LeSage Lake for a quick look or just head south to Lake Richie and
Oven Lake Trip: In Search of a Campsite on Oven Lake
The following is a chronicle of an eight-day bushwhacking adventure into some of the most remote areas within the Five Ponds Wilderness Area in the northwestern Adirondacks. The trip includes traversing some areas of intense blow down along the oddly-shaped Oven Lake, exploring a cluster of wilderness ponds and following along the wild Robinson River.
Stillwater Reservoir to Cranberry Lake Trip: Hiking Through the Five Ponds Wilderness
The following is an account of day one of my epic hike from Wanakena, NY to Stillwater Reservoir, Cranberry Lake and then back to Wanakena. The entire trip required backpacking via trail into the heart of the Five Ponds Wilderness, a lengthy bushwhack to the northern terminus of the Red Horse Trail, another trail hike,
