We set out from Old Forge a little later in the morning than we had hoped, but ate a yummy breakfast beforehand. With beautiful skies above, we said our goodbyes to Calvin's mom who had kindly driven us that morning and went on our way. My initial nerves of finally starting our trip dissipated as our paddles met the water. 'Chip', our boat, was on his way. We moved quickly through the Fulton Chain, stopping briefly at an empty campsite for a break. With so many homes along the water, there were not many places to pull over. The first few portages were a piece of cake with my sweet handmade barrel wheel system and the canoe on wheels. Compared to portages we had in Whitney Wilderness, these were a breeze. We made it to Eighth Lake before camping at he start of the portage.
The second day began with a portage that ended with a nice boardwalk to Brown's Tract Inlet. After entering Raquette Lake, we were hit with some big winds and waves. The route across the lake was pretty choppy. We worked on communication within the boat for these sections. Forked Lake was a bit better with the wind remaining at our backs and pushing us along. At the end, we found a note in the register for us that Calvin's mom left from the day she paddled after dropping us off. We made camp at the end of the portage at a lean-to on Raquette River. Calvin was starting to be concerned about his wheels on the rooted trails. Nothing failed though. I couldn't imagine doing this route with anyone but Calvin. He keeps me grounded and I feel safe with him.
The third day was a long one with ups and downs. Most downs were because of bugs. Black flies are out! We are incredibly thankful for head nets, but they don't solve everything. We made two buggy portages down Raquette River before hitting Long Lake. In town, we ate at the Adirondack Hotel, one of the few close places open this early in the season. We devoured burgers and beer while watching the sea planes land. After, we continued down Long Lake, reconnected with the Raquette, waited out thunder, and got down poured on in the most beautiful way. I wish I could describe and do it justice. Light shown through as large droplets came down on us to end the day before camping at the start of Raquette Falls carry. That night I awoke with a panic about a poptart I left in my lifejacket that an animal might want. Calvin got up and made it "disappear" by eating it. Finally, I could sleep again. True love.
We enjoyed a view of the lower falls after finishing the first carry of the day. Water was high on the Raquette and I barely recognized the campsite where we had built a retaining wall when I was an intern in 2014. The steps were covered by water. Rain kept us cool for the day, fairly chilly actually. Stoney Creek was a maze leading us into pretty ponds. We crossed Upper and Middle Saranac Lakes and made it through our first lock before camping at our first bug free site on Lower Saranac.
We hit Saranac early and planned to have a bit of a layover evening. St. Regis Outfitters kindly agreed to mail a box of extra items home that we were ditching. We also made the decision to buy wheels, hoping they'd make us all the way to Fort Kent. After a nice lunch and a search for a hotel without much luck, we got back on the river. We enjoyed the night at the NFCT only lean-to a few miles away.
Next morning, we portaged around a local fire departments pumper drill on the water and around Permanent Rapids which I paddled once as an intern. We ended the day at Union Falls Dam. Early on day 7, when we attempted rapids that we weren't ready for. It shook us up, but one of the first things I said was that we needed to get back out there ASAP. We are so ready to hit the trail again.
Stats:
Best campsite so far: Lower Saranac
Best camp meal so far: Falafel wraps with honey ('cause that's what we've got)
3 favorite gear inventions: Head nets, rain gear, wheels
Number of swims: 1 (0 intentional)
