Had hoped to make this hiking trip longer, as our original intention was to arrive Thursday 10/9 and leave Monday 10/13, but life got in the way a bit. This being our first trip to Lake Lila, and having no real idea where to go for a campsite and hearing tales of packed parking lots and full sites, we were nervous about what we'd face.
The drive in from Sabattis Road (Route 10) was manageable with our low ground clearance Jetta Sportwagen, as long as a bit of patience and care was used. Rushing through here or perhaps even driving carefully with snow covering the road and hiding the occasional rock sticking up would easily roach an oil pan.
Arriving at the parking lot around 4:30 in the afternoon, there were about 18 vehicles already there. Knowing that we were on foot, and that many sites are only reachable by water, and that there are only 24 sites had us apprehensive. We started down the gated road heading southwest, and walked until we were certain we had passed at least two sites (gauging from what it looked like from the two maps we had), and elected to try and bushwack to where we thought campsite #5 must be. Sticking close to the waterline, and stumbling through the dense undergrowth, we came across a nice white sand beach, and lo and behold a small trail to Site 5! Sweet!
After settling in a bit, exploring the area and collecting some firewood, we watched the sun set through the clouds.
It got pretty cold during the night, and the boy had to snuggle in close to keep warm. He was wiped out after all the excitement of the travel.
A quick instant of alertness during the night occurred when [what we think was] a buck snorting and fleeing was the only sound we heard. It was so quiet that I was kept awake by the sound of my own respiration!
The next morning, we woke to mist and clouds. Despite being cold (weather report claims it dropped into the high twenties, but we saw no sign of freezing), it was still gorgeous and calm, with the only sounds being that of the high-flying and invisible Canada geese flocks migrating.
As the day warmed, the mist receded.
First cup of coffee in the sierra cup revealed a looking glass of beauty, even though the foliage was weeks past peak.
We elected to follow the waterline once again and see if we could get to the point to the east of us where Campsite #4 is supposed to be. Halfway there, we took a glance back at our own private beach for the weekend.
Arriving at the point of Camp #4, we were greeted by a host of rock formations.
Afterward, we explored a bit more before heading back to camp and lunch. Our sentinel kept an ever-present watch on the insidious faction of red squirrels which he's apparently convinced mean us no good...
After lunch we headed back out to the trail and found the trailside marker for our campsite which, in our haste, we must have marched right past! Ah, well, no one says we do things the easy way. Continuing on, we found the first lean-to, and took a moment to reflect and sign the guest log.
Continuing our hike brought us to the entrance to the path to Mount Frederica, which will have to be attempted another time due to a suspect meniscus in one of our knees. Back to camp to regroup, and restart the fire for the evening. I guess this time it was our responsibility to keep an eye out for red squirrels, or else his contract stipulates a break we were unaware of.
That night the clouds drifted off, and left us with perfectly clear skies. Kicking myself for not bringing all my camera gear, I made due with what I had and got a couple shots of the Milky Way just after sunset.
Looking straight up from our campsite gave us this view, with the canopy lit from underneath by our fire:
The next morning the mist was back, and it was once again very cold, but it didn't last long, and soon gave way to brilliant blue skies for our last day.
We even tried our hand at a bit of fishing, with no luck. Still, good times!
Finally, the skies were clear enough to see who was making all the incessant honking day and night. They were WAY up there on their migration.
After a brief dip to make sure we smelled like lake water for the trip home, it was time to pack up and hike out.
A truly excellent time had by all, and made for lots of excitement about the return next year. It also solidified our thoughts on acquiring a canoe. This lake was absolutely intended to be explored by water, and we intend to take up the challenge next time!
The drive in from Sabattis Road (Route 10) was manageable with our low ground clearance Jetta Sportwagen, as long as a bit of patience and care was used. Rushing through here or perhaps even driving carefully with snow covering the road and hiding the occasional rock sticking up would easily roach an oil pan.
Arriving at the parking lot around 4:30 in the afternoon, there were about 18 vehicles already there. Knowing that we were on foot, and that many sites are only reachable by water, and that there are only 24 sites had us apprehensive. We started down the gated road heading southwest, and walked until we were certain we had passed at least two sites (gauging from what it looked like from the two maps we had), and elected to try and bushwack to where we thought campsite #5 must be. Sticking close to the waterline, and stumbling through the dense undergrowth, we came across a nice white sand beach, and lo and behold a small trail to Site 5! Sweet!
After settling in a bit, exploring the area and collecting some firewood, we watched the sun set through the clouds.
It got pretty cold during the night, and the boy had to snuggle in close to keep warm. He was wiped out after all the excitement of the travel.
A quick instant of alertness during the night occurred when [what we think was] a buck snorting and fleeing was the only sound we heard. It was so quiet that I was kept awake by the sound of my own respiration!
The next morning, we woke to mist and clouds. Despite being cold (weather report claims it dropped into the high twenties, but we saw no sign of freezing), it was still gorgeous and calm, with the only sounds being that of the high-flying and invisible Canada geese flocks migrating.
As the day warmed, the mist receded.
First cup of coffee in the sierra cup revealed a looking glass of beauty, even though the foliage was weeks past peak.
We elected to follow the waterline once again and see if we could get to the point to the east of us where Campsite #4 is supposed to be. Halfway there, we took a glance back at our own private beach for the weekend.
Arriving at the point of Camp #4, we were greeted by a host of rock formations.
Afterward, we explored a bit more before heading back to camp and lunch. Our sentinel kept an ever-present watch on the insidious faction of red squirrels which he's apparently convinced mean us no good...
After lunch we headed back out to the trail and found the trailside marker for our campsite which, in our haste, we must have marched right past! Ah, well, no one says we do things the easy way. Continuing on, we found the first lean-to, and took a moment to reflect and sign the guest log.
Continuing our hike brought us to the entrance to the path to Mount Frederica, which will have to be attempted another time due to a suspect meniscus in one of our knees. Back to camp to regroup, and restart the fire for the evening. I guess this time it was our responsibility to keep an eye out for red squirrels, or else his contract stipulates a break we were unaware of.
That night the clouds drifted off, and left us with perfectly clear skies. Kicking myself for not bringing all my camera gear, I made due with what I had and got a couple shots of the Milky Way just after sunset.
Looking straight up from our campsite gave us this view, with the canopy lit from underneath by our fire:
The next morning the mist was back, and it was once again very cold, but it didn't last long, and soon gave way to brilliant blue skies for our last day.
We even tried our hand at a bit of fishing, with no luck. Still, good times!
Finally, the skies were clear enough to see who was making all the incessant honking day and night. They were WAY up there on their migration.
After a brief dip to make sure we smelled like lake water for the trip home, it was time to pack up and hike out.
A truly excellent time had by all, and made for lots of excitement about the return next year. It also solidified our thoughts on acquiring a canoe. This lake was absolutely intended to be explored by water, and we intend to take up the challenge next time!
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