West Canada Lakes Wilderness “French Louie Loop”
Trip Report (August 15-21, 2018)
It was a 6-day trip for a total of about 22 miles. This was the trip I was looking forward to since watching Rob's (Backpacking Adventures), Justin's and Mark's videos of their time in the WCLW. After spending the last 20+ years canoe camping, I decided to start backpacking again. To get back into it, I did a half dozen trips of 10-14 miles each in the spring/early summer, culminating with a 20 mile, 4 day, trek through the Pharaoh Lake Wilderness.
My first couple of trips were using my "old" backpacking equipment from the 80's, including a Lowe (internal frame) pack which was "state-of-the-art" at the time and my Asolo boots. I figured they would be fine, as they worked well during three trips to Alaska (including in Denali National Park), the Pacific Northwest and excursions in Idaho and Montana. Unfortunately, I didn't take into account that I was now older and not as fit as I was back then.
I did upgrade my shelter/sleep system to a Warbonnet Ridge Runner bridge hammock, as I feared a sore, stiff back if I remained a ground dweller. After the first two trips with the old equipment, I quickly upgraded to a new Gregory Baltoro 65L and Salomon Quest 4D GTX boots. Unlike my earlier hiking days, I also used trekking poles. Oh what a difference all of that made!
The weather during my WCLW journey was good - daytime temps in the 70's and nights were upper 50's - 60's. There was a strong thunderstorm on the first afternoon and then it rained only one other day and night. Surprisingly, bugs were nearly non-existent; I never used repellent during the entire trip. The WCLW is truly spectacular, providing a true Adirondack wilderness experience. There were lots of lakes, streams, rivers and campsites. Most impressive was the forest, with some very large specimens and fine stands. Hiking through them, I found myself pausing to "drink in" the forest. An unexpected bonus of the trip was meeting and spending time with other hikers. I went there seeking solitude and had some of it, but the time spent with those other hikers will always be remembered as one of the high points of the trip.
Day 1: Pillsbury Mt. Trail Head - Pillsbury Lake
Day 2: Pillsbury Lake - West Lake #1
Day 3: West Lake #1
Day 4: West Lake #1 - West Lake #2 - Cedar Lake #2
Day 5: Cedar Lake #2
Day 6: Cedar Lake #2 - Pillsbury Mt. Trail Head
I definitely want to go back, this time for 7-8 days. I'd like to bring my pack raft and spend more time taking side trips to Whitney, Sampson and Brooktrout lakes to explore and fish. On this trip I mostly camped at the lean-to sites; next time I want to camp at other, more secluded, less used sites.
Here is the link to some photos from the trip:
West Canada Lakes Wilderness (French Louie Loop) 2018
Trip Report (August 15-21, 2018)
It was a 6-day trip for a total of about 22 miles. This was the trip I was looking forward to since watching Rob's (Backpacking Adventures), Justin's and Mark's videos of their time in the WCLW. After spending the last 20+ years canoe camping, I decided to start backpacking again. To get back into it, I did a half dozen trips of 10-14 miles each in the spring/early summer, culminating with a 20 mile, 4 day, trek through the Pharaoh Lake Wilderness.
My first couple of trips were using my "old" backpacking equipment from the 80's, including a Lowe (internal frame) pack which was "state-of-the-art" at the time and my Asolo boots. I figured they would be fine, as they worked well during three trips to Alaska (including in Denali National Park), the Pacific Northwest and excursions in Idaho and Montana. Unfortunately, I didn't take into account that I was now older and not as fit as I was back then.
I did upgrade my shelter/sleep system to a Warbonnet Ridge Runner bridge hammock, as I feared a sore, stiff back if I remained a ground dweller. After the first two trips with the old equipment, I quickly upgraded to a new Gregory Baltoro 65L and Salomon Quest 4D GTX boots. Unlike my earlier hiking days, I also used trekking poles. Oh what a difference all of that made!
The weather during my WCLW journey was good - daytime temps in the 70's and nights were upper 50's - 60's. There was a strong thunderstorm on the first afternoon and then it rained only one other day and night. Surprisingly, bugs were nearly non-existent; I never used repellent during the entire trip. The WCLW is truly spectacular, providing a true Adirondack wilderness experience. There were lots of lakes, streams, rivers and campsites. Most impressive was the forest, with some very large specimens and fine stands. Hiking through them, I found myself pausing to "drink in" the forest. An unexpected bonus of the trip was meeting and spending time with other hikers. I went there seeking solitude and had some of it, but the time spent with those other hikers will always be remembered as one of the high points of the trip.
Day 1: Pillsbury Mt. Trail Head - Pillsbury Lake
Day 2: Pillsbury Lake - West Lake #1
Day 3: West Lake #1
Day 4: West Lake #1 - West Lake #2 - Cedar Lake #2
Day 5: Cedar Lake #2
Day 6: Cedar Lake #2 - Pillsbury Mt. Trail Head
I definitely want to go back, this time for 7-8 days. I'd like to bring my pack raft and spend more time taking side trips to Whitney, Sampson and Brooktrout lakes to explore and fish. On this trip I mostly camped at the lean-to sites; next time I want to camp at other, more secluded, less used sites.
Here is the link to some photos from the trip:
West Canada Lakes Wilderness (French Louie Loop) 2018
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