Planning that June ADK trip

I'm back to the well for the next one. Sure, I'll be obtuse and leave out some vital tidbit, but then that's what being a "senior member" is for, right?

The question: Can you recommend an itinerary?

Here are the parameters:
==Six days, two hiker-paddlers
==Hike and canoe, three days each (as a starting proposition)
==A-to-B trek is preferable to muddling in one area
==Base-camping / peak-bagging is preferable to going heavy over the peaks*
==Middling paddling skills; not whitewater qualified (Hudson Gorge is out)
==Would like to have canoes dropped off/picked up for us; is this common?

I've looked at some ideas on the maps, but I don't know exactly how navigable some of the rivers are. While the web has been helpful (found this one: http://www.tupperlake.net/), I'm always up for a good read; what's your favorite canoeing text for the ADKs?

Thanks for your ideas,

--Mike

*Did Pemi/Presi heavy last year; looking to bag peaks with day-packs this time.

--M. said:

I'm always up for a good read; what's your favorite canoeing text for the ADKs?

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You have many trip choices meeting your requirements. For a good read there's one classic that is far above the rest:
Adirondack Canoe Waters, North Flow by Paul F. Jamieson

Get the book, many of your questions will be answered.

This page may be more useful than the Tupper Lake one you are using.

Also get the Adirondack Paddler's Map. The older though still useful version, "Adirondack Canoe Map" is much less expensive, also less durable.

You can find a number of good short articles online at adksportsfitness.

Check with Dave Cilley at St. Regis Canoe Outfitters
OR
Brian and Grace McDonnell at Macs Canoe Livery for transportation service.

Canoe Trip in June -- ADKs

All of Nessmuk's suggestions are great.

When you look at the Jameison book, you may think it looks like boring reading. Do not be fooled! It is a fascinating book written by an incredible man with vast experience.

Then you should read "An Adirondack Passage" by Christine Jerome. She researched the historical Nessmuk (as opposed to the VFTT Nessmuk) and retraced his paddles through the ADKs. You could pick any part of his route and put together a great 6-day trip. In June, even the tourist areas should be fairly quiet, except for the possibility of lots of bugs.

If I had a week in June, I would consider a canoe trip on Lake George. You would have to pay for an island campsite (can be reserved online). There is a lot to explore in the Narrows area of the lake and you could canoe to the trailheads for the Black Mountain area and for the Tongue Mt. range.

PM me if you want more info about the Lk. George area.

Pat t

Pat T said:

Then you should read "An Adirondack Passage" by Christine Jerome. She researched the historical Nessmuk (as opposed to the VFTT Nessmuk) and retraced his paddles through the ADKs.

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Hey, I did that trip last year and then some...portaged and paddled the entire distance without assistance from Boonville (where Nessmuk really started from) to Plattsburgh. Nice trip on the NFCT. With a name like mine I could do nothing less.
Christine's book is well worth reading for the history she relates of Nessmuk's time, if not her trip itself.

I think you would find paddling the St Regis Canoe Area would meet your requirement. You could pick up your canoe at St. Regis Outfitters at the end of Floodwood Rd. Look up the Seven or Nine Carry routes in the Northern Flow Guide Book. You could then add a day hike up Long Pond Mt. or St Regis Mt. which still has a fire tower and an open summit with great views of the High Peaks as well as the St. Regis area. As noted by Nessmuk Dave Chilley and his staff at St Regis are a great resource.

"Mountain Wanderer" Equivalent?

Hey, these are great ideas, as usual. Thanks a ton.

I reflexively went to Amazon, but is there a local bookstore who deserves the business better?

Lake George: can you comment on its traffic levels in June? I've seen the quiet side in March and been through the noisy side (which starts looking mighty suburban). I'm guessing you're saying all that fades away once you're out on the water. Going across it on foot in sub-zero snow was strange!

Thanks also for naming names on the good vendors. They deserve the press and it saves new entrants to the market from making preventable blunders (um, that would be me).

Keep 'em coming, including the hiking parts. Fire towers sound like a good draw. Have to bring the telephoto lens.

--M.

--M. said:

Lake George: can you comment on its traffic levels in June? I've seen the quiet side in March and been through the noisy side (which starts looking mighty suburban). I'm guessing you're saying all that fades away once you're out on the water.

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The bad part about June is the height of black fly season. The good part about June is the height of the black fly season. If you deal well with them, many other people don't or can't, and the woods are less crowded. Bring a boat with you for moments of peace in the middle of a pond.

Nessmuk is right again. Bugs are a mixed blessing but if you can tolerate them, the solitude of June is wonderful.

Lake George generally has far fewer bugs at all times of the year (except for house flies in August). In 20 years of camping there, I have never used bug dope when on the lake or islands. June is a light month for boat traffic on the lake, except maybe on the weekends. Weekdays during July and August are not bad, either. Last August I paddled my Hornbeck from Northwest Bay, around Montcalm Point and on to the Rangers' station without any problems. Kids from the Y camp routinely paddle from Pilot Knob up into the Narrows in long aluminum canoes. We always wear our PFDs--it's just good practice. The area around the Narrows and the Mother Bunch Islands is mostly state owned so there is a much greater wilderness feel than in the southern basin. We've seen a bald eagles, loons, ravens, and deer. The stars at night are spectacular and if you are lucky, you might see the northern lights. We try to spend a night in the narrows in August to see the Perseid meteor showers every year. I also like the hiking options around Black Mountain Ponds, Millman and Fishbrook Ponds.

There is a lot of history in the area, too. I have an older guide book to the Eastern Adirondacks written by Barbara McMartin and it has lots about the old hotels on Lake George and also about a settlement near Sleeping Beauty Mtn.

Pat T

So...

No beloved and deserving Adirondack bookstore we should be trying first? I'm going to pick up these texts soon.

Thanks again for the great stuff. Would love to hear more TRs on combined trips like this, especially any involving one or more of the 46. Maybe old Google will have some.

--M.

--M. said:

So...

No beloved and deserving Adirondack bookstore we should be trying first? I'm going to pick up these texts soon.

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OK, OK, try these all with large book departments... next thing you know, you'll be asking for my favorite fishing holes too.

- With Pipe and Book in Lake Placid
- Old Forge Hardware Store in Old Forge
- Hoss's Country Corner in Long Lake
- Adirondack Museum in Blue Mountain Lake (and store in Lake Placid)
- North Country Books in Utica (a publisher of Adirondack books with a huge store full of outdoor books, but open limited hours)

Pat T said:

..... the Jameison book........ It is a fascinating book written by an incredible man with vast experience.

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Not only that, but he's a nice guy, as well!

Depending on the time in June, it is a light month for the Lake George Region. But when school ends - from about the 20th and on, it will get crowded quick.

There are several peaks to bag there, Black Mountain (the highest peak on Lake George) Buck Mountain and the Tongue Mountain Range.

You can mix up Lake George with the Pharoah Wilderness which has two good lake to paddle on and lots of hiking (and many small ponds to see), it also has two gorgeous summits, Treadway and Pharoah Mountain (this one is harder than the previous) The one thing though, is that the Pharoah Wilderness can be buggy in parts.