Northeast Wild

  Hiking & Paddling: The 10-Plus Essentials The list of “10 Essentials” has been a fixture in hiking circles for close to a hundred years and its time-tested formula can also be applied to paddling. My own observations in the field and the weekly ranger reports make me believe that many folks do not adhere to these suggestions or are just unaware of them.  I have 50 years of regular experience in outdoor recreation, much of it in the Adirondacks, and in all 4 seasons. I enjoy both hiking and paddling and sometimes combine both activities in the same day. Guided by the list of essentials as seen on the NYSDEC website and keeping in mind that autumn brings us shorter days and lower temperatures, I will discuss each item on this list as it applies to day trips and add some of my thoughts and opinions.   Navigation – Nothing beats the good old map and compass – no batteries needed. The 7.5-minute series of USGS maps have the most detail and are available for the whol...

  This is an ongoing project - I'll be adding more to it whenever I have the time, inclination & memory. Tandem Canoes I Have Paddled: Sawyer Cruiser - the 1st canoe I ever bought, 17'9", fast but not the most seaworthy. Sawyer X-17. Grumman 16 - 1st Adirondack trip on Follensby Clear Pond - 3 men in a tub. Lincoln ?. Old Town Camper - good initial stability, plows thru water inefficiently. Old Town Penobscot 16 - good speed for a Royalex boat, less stable than a Camper. Old Town Discovery 158. Coleman/Pelican 15.5 - despite the aluminum frame they still tend to get hogged, ugly but works better than it looks, heavy. Wenonah Sundowner 17. Wenonah Aurora - nice all-arounder. Bell Morningstar. Bell Northstar - sweet tandem for light/medium paddlers, ok soloed. Bell Northwind (17.5') - sweet. Bell Northwind Rx (16.5') - great general purpose tandem. Bell Chestnut Prospector - perhaps my favorite all-around tandem canoe, above average initial & secondary stabil...

General Map . A weeklong trip in 2005 after a 12-hour drive from Albany NY. We started on the Montreal River at Mowat Landing. Portaged into Lady Evelyn Lake. Nice sunset from camp. Lots of undeveloped shoreline but there are some camps, & motorboats are allowed. Visited Frank's & Centre Falls on the Lady Evelyn River. Camped on Hobart Lake with view of Maple Mountain. Paddled into Tupper Lake via Willow Island Creek & climbed Maple Mountain . Paddled N on more lakes (Old Bill, Inez, Anvil) & streams. On one portage thru a meadow we had to cross some sink-mud, not good if you stepped in the mud! A long paddle S on the Montreal River back to Mowat Landing. Visit us on Facebook