Day 10, Tuesday, August 18
Up at 6:15 & after getting packs & bear bag down and re-packed we are ready to go on to Averyville Rd. & the completion of the N-LP Trail! Breakfast will be the last of the pop tarts, last of the lemonade, & some granola bars. It looks grey and rainy as we head out after major foot repair at 7:50 AM!
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| Jonathan signals our last day on the trail as we get ready to leave Cold River lean-to |
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| Jonathan's major foot repair for the last day. The purple is the much loved horse wrap! |
Got to the shelter at Moose Pond at 10:15 -- just as it began to lightly mist & sprinkle. OUR LUCK!
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| View from Moose Pond lean-to |
The trail from Duck Hole to Moose Pond has been the worst ever. Muck hole after muck hole after muck hole. JPT measured one bog at 1 1/2 feet deep. Not only the boot sucking muck, but the trail is all overgrown up to eye level at points & the lead hiker has to find the trail with each step & can't help swiping the following hiker. This has been a most difficult section & we're damn glad it is over! Hope the next section to Wanika Falls where we plan to have lunch is easier, but somehow I doubt it will be.
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| Yes, the trail goes right through the middle of this watery blowdown mess |
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| More trail section through blowdown and watery bog |
A chipmunk came right up to us here at the shelter & against all the rules we gave him some peanuts & cashews. Humming birds are feeding next to us in a 10 ft. x 6 ft. clump of Jewel Weed going from orange blossom to orange blossom.
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| The chipmunk that greeted us at Moose Pond lean-to |
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| Patch of Jewel Weed at Moose Pond lean-to where hummingbirds buzzed in and fed while we watched |
Back on the trail at 10:30. We made Wanika Falls before 12:00, but lost the trail there! A Northface tent was set up in a clearing on the far side of the river with no one there. It was soaked & had a pack, sleeping pad, sleeping bag & moccasins inside. We called several times, but no one answered. Searched for the trail & the Wanika shelter for over an hour. We even blew our emergency whistle but no response. Tried several false trails & bushwhacked to try & pick up the trail, but couldn't. Finally, we got out our compass, oriented the map, & backtracked to find we missed a sign post that was not obvious. Lost over an hour with these exercises & all but skipped through lunch -- though we filled water at the falls. Had some gorp & granola bars.
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| Wanika Falls |
The 13 miles today was worse than the 18 yesterday & the trail was abysmal. More muck than ever & the trail was overgrown for miles so that one had to push aside immature maples & spruce to find the trail.
Reached Averyville Rd. at 4:03 PM. 9 days 7 hours and 43 minutes after starting north on the trail!
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| John at the Lake Placid terminus on Averyville Road |
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| Jonathan at the Lake Placid terminus on Averyville Road caption |
For only the third time on the trail, we got a cell on the phone & were able to call G&G for a ride home. [Oddly, when we tried the phone at G&G's camp we could not get a cell.]
JPT and I relaxed with our packs off and briefly discussed our trip & the trail with a gentleman whose wife was from Northville & wanted to check the register at the trail terminus to see if anyone from Northville she might know had arrived!?
We sipped water, munched the last granola bars & sat there feeling our feet throb. Much sooner than we expected, G, G, Molly & Christopher arrived with a pizza & a six pack -- half cold cokes & half cold Saranac beers. In minutes the packs were in the trunk, we were all crammed into the car (JPT and I still in our muddy, sweat soaked rain suits) and off to G&G's camp on Lake Placid. After hot showers & intermittent trail stories we sat down to a wonderful hot dinner of macaroni & cheese, tomato & lettuce salad, wine & cake with vanilla ice cream and champagne toasts by John.
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| The sign that Christopher made to greet us on return to Grandma and Grandpa's camp on Lake Placid |
Clean-up of the gear will just have to wait until tomorrow but . . . WE DID IT -- ALL 122 MILES!!
John lost 8 pounds while on the trail and JPT lost 10 pounds!
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Additional Glossary terms:
Camp -- in the Adirondacks, a vacation home on a lake, pond or river is not called a cottage or a cabin. It is referred to as a "camp" and the large, old, historically luxurious camps (usually with multiple buildings) are called "Great Camps."
Bushwhacking -- refers to travel in wild or uncultivated country especially where one has to push one's way through often times dense vegetation to make any headway.
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All images used are from originals in the family collection.
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Copyright 2015, John D. Tew
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