We packed up on Sunday morning and headed towards the Adirondacks.It was a small group on the way up because we were meeting the teens from the Albany area at camp. Arriving around 6:30 PM, we met the others and then set up camp, cooked dinner and played until bed.
Monday morning we cooked and ate a good breakfast and drove to Keene Valley for some climbing on the rock walls near Chapel Pond. We stopped to see the pond and do some fishing and decided to have lunch before climbing. After lunch, we hiked in to the area where the climbing walls were and set up a safety line on one of the almost shear rock faces. When we hiked to the bottom to begin climbing, everyone looked at the wall and then at me (Harry) and said "Are you crazy". It was a smooth wall with a small crack that went upwards to the left. Finally, a voice said "I can do that" and we had a brave soul to lead the way to the top. She made it look so easy that everyone else decided to give it a try. Everyone did very well. As we were climbing, it got darker and darker until we decided that maybe we should pack up and get back to the van. It started raining lightly just as we finished packing all the gear and it rained much harder as we hiked back through the woods to the road and up the hill to the van. It rained for most of the rest of the day so we went back to camp and made dinner.
Tuesday arrived and looked perfect for a hike up into the mountains. We drove to the Adirondack Loj road and turned onto Meadows road to park and start our hike. Harry's friend Brady joined us for the hike. With daypacks and smiles we started up the trail that would lead to the Marcy Dam area. An hour later after making great time, we arrived and enjoyed the beautiful view and some snacks and water. Then it was up, up, and more up to the trail junction for Tabletop Mountain. The trail was very muddy and then turned into a path up a creek. We were hiking and climbing through shallow water a good part of the way. Closer to the top, the trail leveled off and the creek became long stretches of mud. We carefully made our way across, stepping on rocks, sticks, logs and sometimes the mud as we made our way to the top. Finally, we came out at a small clearing with a great view of Mt. Marcy and the surrounding peaks. There was a sign that said Tabletop Mountain so we knew we had arrived. After taking pictures and eating some lunch, we trekked back down through the mud and water and down towards the open area around the Marcy Dam. We made a stop where the creek we had been following cascaded down a long smooth rock into a pool and stopped there to soak our feet in the icy waters. Soon it was time to go and we made good time hiking back to the van. After showers, we drove into town for a nice dinner before returning to camp and bed.
Wednesday morning we woke, ate breakfast and packed everything for our canoe trip. We would be spending the next two nights on Little Tupper Lake. Arriving at the canoe launch, we loaded all the gear into the canoes and pushed off down the west end of the lake. Of course the wind was blowing in our faces which made us paddle harder so we could move forward. Staying near the shore helped a little and eventually we found a good campsite that was sheltered from the wind but still had a good view down the lake. We set up tents, made a kitchen area with a 17 foot table from one of the canoes and cooked dinner. Some of the kids went exploring while others went fishing. We discovered that there really were fish in the lake. Awesome. Later, after a little card playing, it was time for bed. On Thursday we paddled around a large bay looking for some other campsites to check out. We made a side trip up a creek that flowed in from the north. We found many sites, some of which were small and others that were really great. After stopping to eat, some of us continued paddling around while part of the group wanted to do some fishing. The explorers found a sand beach and the whole group met there to swim and have a snack. Eventually it was time to paddle back to the campsite for dinner. Andre and Harry went out to catch "The Big One" with their fishing poles while the others wanted to hang around camp and build a fire. We caught "the big one" but threw him back to get bigger for next year. When the two fishermen returned to camp, the others were in a tent playing cards. Andre joined them and Harry rebuilt the fire. Friday morning, after three beautiful days on the lake, we packed up, paddled back to the canoe launch, loaded the van and trailer and returned to Tupper Lake to meet the parents. The adventure was over for another year as everyone headed for home.
