rhihn
New member
After eleven days thruhiking the Northville-Placid Trail, Edelweiss and I crawled out of the woods at about 4:00 PM on Wednesday, August 16. Our experience was probably not that much different from many who have posted their trip reports on the NPT. Nevertheless, I am compelled to write. The trip was “successful,” though I’m not sure what that means. We “enjoyed” the hike (a poor word), we finished the trail in one fell swoop (so? big deal – lots of people – too many people? – have done so). Nevertheless, we were both exhilarated when we reached the parking area at Averyville, and at the same time disappointed that the trip was over. We have felt this way before on countless trips, and ones that cost us more $$ than this one did to undertake – yet it seems to have hit us with more impact. At the age of 60, this was a wonderful trip to mark the beginning of what we plan to be one of our busiest hiking decades…!
THE CAST:
RICH (“RC”): I have yet to encounter on the trails someone in as good physical condition as Rich, a dedicated runner. We admired his efficient approach to camping and the ease he felt in the woods. Rich engendered lots of good conversation. We were disappointed that he had to leave the trail at Piseco for family reasons, but understood and respected his decision.
KEVIN (“kwc”): One couldn’t ask for a better hiking partner! Possessing a great sense of humor, Kevin was often in the lead, and knew how to set just the right pace for the group. We were disappointed when Kevin developed an Achilles tendon problem. Try as he did, he was forced to leave the trail at McCanes (near Indian Lake).
JOANNE (“Edelweiss”): What can I say? After thirty-five years, we know what each other thinks and how to react to each other in difficult situations. I’m never ceased to be amazed at her stamina (not to be confused with speed!) and fortitude!
DICK: Well…someone had to provide the lower standard so others would have a benchmark from which to evaluate…
THE TRAIL:
Circa 120 miles in 11 days. I say “c. 120” because it is impossible to pinpoint the mileage exactly. There are simply too many discrepancies in signage, detours that are not noted in guidebooks (beaver activity, private land, etc.) to be exact. And when it comes down to it, who really gives a fig? We hiked from Upper Benson trailhead to Averyville. We did NOT hike the road from Northville to Upper Benson (c. 10 miles), nor the c. 4 miles on the road from Averyville to Lake Placid. We are not purists. When it comes down to it, it’s not really possible to hike the “original” NPT, as it has been changed far too often. We are not road hikers. However, we did hike the roads in between (Piseco, Cedar River Road, Tarbell Rd), because you have to do that to get to where you need to go.
GEAR: we tried to go light, but with the prospect of 11 days on the trail, we just HAD to have this or that piece of gear (you all know how that goes). Gregory “Whitney” pack, Bearvault (large for me, small for Joanne), water filter, rain gear, spare headlamp/batteries, clothing (2-3 changes of), MSR Pocket Rocket stove (two fuel canisters, needed the second one on the last day), 2-liter bladder plus Nalgene bottle (Gatorade), hiked in long pants and short-sleeved shirt, map & compass, GPS, Katadyn Hiker filter, hat, hiking poles (necessary for me). All in all, far heavier than our Grand Canyon trip. My weight was close to 40 lbs., including food and water (pack is over 7 lbs. Empty).
FOOD: we dehydrated and vacuum sealed all dinners, and they all turned out well. Recipes were from Linda Yaffee’s excellent book. Breakfasts were granola with powdered milk and hot water, sometimes coffee or tea bags. Lunches were cheese and salami (boring, a little heavy, but quick and easy). We also carried too many snacks (beef jerkey, GORP, dehydrated fruits and vegetables, a couple of power bars and Power Gels.
WEATHER: The weather gods smiled at us for this trip! After a summer of alternating heavy rain and extreme heat, we had no idea what to expect. We had a thunderstorm the first night out, but it lasted only for a couple of hours. It rained again just as we reached the Carry (Cedar River) LT, but stopped that evening. Finally, it rained in the evening on the Cold River. Never once did we get wet on the trail from rain, though we often did get wet from the wet overgrowth the next day. Temps were generally in the 60s-low 70s, falling into the high 30s-low 40s most nights. We had mostly sunny days, though a bit breezy and overcast between Cold River and Duck Hole.
ALONG THE WAY WE EXPERIENCED…
Lengthy stretches of perfectly flat, dry trail through ever-changing woods, Adirondack boot-sucking mud (as deep or deeper than Bradley Pond (I’m not sure why that’s always the benchmark, but it’s something that many here can probably relate to), several vleis (sometimes with good bridges, sometimes with underwater corduroy, sometimes with no aids), rocks, roots, blowdowns, belly crawls, overgrown trails (far worse than I remembered from last time, sometimes difficult to see your feet), rotten boardwalks, long road walks (hard on the feet!), huge beaver dams, tall stands of old pines among large forests of deciduous trees, miles of witch hobble (you must learn to love the taste of these), and acres of ferns, countless stream crossings, rises and falls in elevation.
MARKERS: trail was generally well marked, and when no markers were present, the trail was usually obvious. There were some head scratchers, though, especially around beaver dams (worst of these were between Duck Hole and Moose Pond). The biggest head scratcher was just after McCanes at a “Y” intersection with markers on both sides. However, if I had used the half brain I had left and made a quick check of the map, I would have realized that the trail went NW, not NE. The trail we took seemed to match the book description, and even had blue blazes on tree stumps - a classic example of allowing one’s mind to “bend” the terrain to conform to a preconceived notion of reality. After starting to gain too much altitude we checked the map and GPS and noted that we were in the wrong direction. By that point we were surrounded by a maze of logging roads and got “lost.” A compass bearing brought us out to Cedar River Road, near McCanes, and we headed in again, somewhat the wiser.
THE CAST:
RICH (“RC”): I have yet to encounter on the trails someone in as good physical condition as Rich, a dedicated runner. We admired his efficient approach to camping and the ease he felt in the woods. Rich engendered lots of good conversation. We were disappointed that he had to leave the trail at Piseco for family reasons, but understood and respected his decision.
KEVIN (“kwc”): One couldn’t ask for a better hiking partner! Possessing a great sense of humor, Kevin was often in the lead, and knew how to set just the right pace for the group. We were disappointed when Kevin developed an Achilles tendon problem. Try as he did, he was forced to leave the trail at McCanes (near Indian Lake).
JOANNE (“Edelweiss”): What can I say? After thirty-five years, we know what each other thinks and how to react to each other in difficult situations. I’m never ceased to be amazed at her stamina (not to be confused with speed!) and fortitude!
DICK: Well…someone had to provide the lower standard so others would have a benchmark from which to evaluate…
THE TRAIL:
Circa 120 miles in 11 days. I say “c. 120” because it is impossible to pinpoint the mileage exactly. There are simply too many discrepancies in signage, detours that are not noted in guidebooks (beaver activity, private land, etc.) to be exact. And when it comes down to it, who really gives a fig? We hiked from Upper Benson trailhead to Averyville. We did NOT hike the road from Northville to Upper Benson (c. 10 miles), nor the c. 4 miles on the road from Averyville to Lake Placid. We are not purists. When it comes down to it, it’s not really possible to hike the “original” NPT, as it has been changed far too often. We are not road hikers. However, we did hike the roads in between (Piseco, Cedar River Road, Tarbell Rd), because you have to do that to get to where you need to go.
GEAR: we tried to go light, but with the prospect of 11 days on the trail, we just HAD to have this or that piece of gear (you all know how that goes). Gregory “Whitney” pack, Bearvault (large for me, small for Joanne), water filter, rain gear, spare headlamp/batteries, clothing (2-3 changes of), MSR Pocket Rocket stove (two fuel canisters, needed the second one on the last day), 2-liter bladder plus Nalgene bottle (Gatorade), hiked in long pants and short-sleeved shirt, map & compass, GPS, Katadyn Hiker filter, hat, hiking poles (necessary for me). All in all, far heavier than our Grand Canyon trip. My weight was close to 40 lbs., including food and water (pack is over 7 lbs. Empty).
FOOD: we dehydrated and vacuum sealed all dinners, and they all turned out well. Recipes were from Linda Yaffee’s excellent book. Breakfasts were granola with powdered milk and hot water, sometimes coffee or tea bags. Lunches were cheese and salami (boring, a little heavy, but quick and easy). We also carried too many snacks (beef jerkey, GORP, dehydrated fruits and vegetables, a couple of power bars and Power Gels.
WEATHER: The weather gods smiled at us for this trip! After a summer of alternating heavy rain and extreme heat, we had no idea what to expect. We had a thunderstorm the first night out, but it lasted only for a couple of hours. It rained again just as we reached the Carry (Cedar River) LT, but stopped that evening. Finally, it rained in the evening on the Cold River. Never once did we get wet on the trail from rain, though we often did get wet from the wet overgrowth the next day. Temps were generally in the 60s-low 70s, falling into the high 30s-low 40s most nights. We had mostly sunny days, though a bit breezy and overcast between Cold River and Duck Hole.
ALONG THE WAY WE EXPERIENCED…
Lengthy stretches of perfectly flat, dry trail through ever-changing woods, Adirondack boot-sucking mud (as deep or deeper than Bradley Pond (I’m not sure why that’s always the benchmark, but it’s something that many here can probably relate to), several vleis (sometimes with good bridges, sometimes with underwater corduroy, sometimes with no aids), rocks, roots, blowdowns, belly crawls, overgrown trails (far worse than I remembered from last time, sometimes difficult to see your feet), rotten boardwalks, long road walks (hard on the feet!), huge beaver dams, tall stands of old pines among large forests of deciduous trees, miles of witch hobble (you must learn to love the taste of these), and acres of ferns, countless stream crossings, rises and falls in elevation.
MARKERS: trail was generally well marked, and when no markers were present, the trail was usually obvious. There were some head scratchers, though, especially around beaver dams (worst of these were between Duck Hole and Moose Pond). The biggest head scratcher was just after McCanes at a “Y” intersection with markers on both sides. However, if I had used the half brain I had left and made a quick check of the map, I would have realized that the trail went NW, not NE. The trail we took seemed to match the book description, and even had blue blazes on tree stumps - a classic example of allowing one’s mind to “bend” the terrain to conform to a preconceived notion of reality. After starting to gain too much altitude we checked the map and GPS and noted that we were in the wrong direction. By that point we were surrounded by a maze of logging roads and got “lost.” A compass bearing brought us out to Cedar River Road, near McCanes, and we headed in again, somewhat the wiser.
Hope you'll always remember the smelly marshes, gunshots, long pavement walks and beat up lean-tos... oh, wait... it's the solitude, sharing and relating to nature that you have to remember!!
