We gathered together on Sunday morning to pack all our gear for the week into the cars and trailer. Then we sat down and planned what we wanted to eat for the first half of the week and went shopping. Finally, it was time for the 6 hour ride to the Adirondacks and our adventure began. Arriving at camp, we set up the tents and the kitchen, cooked and ate dinner and finished off the day with a campfire and some guitar music.
Monday morning after a good breakfast, we drove over to Pitchoff Mountain where we hiked up to the rock walls and set up the safety lines for climbing. For the next bunch of hours we climbed on the almost verticle rock face, trying out the many different ways up the wall from the straight route to the crack to the overhang. When everyone was getting tired, we packed up the ropes and hardware and went down to the picnic area at Cascade Lakes for lunch. The decision was made to go to Wilmington for some swimming before returning to camp for dinner and another campfire.
Tuesday morning came and we made breakfast and got a late start for our mountain hike. We were going to climb Mt. Colden but Harry looked at the time and the group and decided a slightly shorter hike would be better rather than getting back well after dark since we planned to go out for dinner that night so we headed for Keene Valley and Noonmark Mountain. It was a great day for a hike and we made our way up the trail through the woods until we started to come to some open spots where the views of the central High Peaks was spectacular. Stopping to take photos, someone asked "Is this the top?" and then noticed the much higher rocks to the south. Finally we reached the very top and while the teens started eating lunch, Harry took out his kite from his backpack and started flying it in the gentle breeze off the top of the peak. After an enjoyable time at the top, we hiked back to the van and went back to camp to get cleaned up for dinner at the Chinese Buffet in Saranac Lake.
On Wednesday morning we arose and started packing everything up for our canoe trip. After a good breakfast, we went to the store to stock up on some additional food items we needed and headed for Little Tupper Lake for 2 nights in the wilderness. After a quick stop for lunch, we arrived at the boat launch, signed in and loaded the canoes. The sky looked a little threatening and we waited till it cleared a little before setting out towards the west end of the lake. We weren't going all that far so we figured we could get to a campsite before the next rainstorm came through. It was very pleasant paddling down the lake but soon a big dark cloud came moving over the south side of the lake. We thought maybe it would stay to the south and miss us but we weren't that lucky. Suddenly it moved north over our heads and we paddled hard for a nearby campsite but it started raining hard before we got there. Fortunately our gear was in plastic and we had covered the gear in the boats for some added protection. Landing at the campsite, we secured the canoes and ran into the trees for some protection from the storm. Harry grabbed an extra tarp from one of the boats to cover us from the heavy rain to help keep us warm. The storm didn't last very long but we were soaked. Checking the campsite, we found that another group had already set up there so after a quick swim at the sand beach, we bailed water from the canoes and went looking for another campsite to call home for the next couple of nights. We found one not much farther down the shore and moved in. We set up the tents and plenty of tarps to protect us in case the rain came again. It turned out to be a beautiful night so after supper we had a nice fire and eventually went to bed.
Thursday brough sunshine and warm weather as we prepared to go exploring west down the lake. A breeze was blowing which made for waves and somewhat harder paddling so we went a little ways to a huge sand beach and stopped to swim and snack. The kids were having fun building in the sand, chasing each other and splashing. We had lunch and Harry suggested that the group go exploring up a creek that wound its way north from the bay they were in. So up the creek we went "with paddles" twisting and turning as it wound along between forested shorelines and marshes. We came to a beaver dam and opted to drag the canoes over so we could go farther up the creek. eventually the water got pretty shallow and more beaver dams came along so we turned back. On the way out, Harry spotted some carniverous Pitcher Plants and pointed them out to everyone. Back at camp, it was almost time for dinner so we cooked, ate, cleaned up, built another campfire and hung out on our "porch" which was the top of a rocky outcropping that came up from the lake and gave an unobstructed view of the west end of the lake and the sunset. After smores around the campfire, it was time for bed.
Friday morning came and unfortunately it was time to go home. After breakfast, we packed everything up, checked the campsite for gear and trash and paddled out into the lake for the return trip to the van. A good breeze was blowing from the west so we tied the 3 canoes together, put up a sail and let the wind blow us back to the boat launch. On the way home we stopped for lunch and ice cream at Stewarts in Harrisville.
