There is another thread active regarding theft in the backcountry and it's heartening to hear that the problem seems to be rare in the Adirondacks.
In the front country, around parking lots and put-ins, alas, perhaps not so much.
A week ago today (9/8/20) a friend and I had all our camping gear stolen at Indian Carry on Upper Saranac Lake while doubling the carry from Stony Creek Ponds. We were paddling the Old Forge to Saranac Lake section of the Northern Forest Canoe Trail and had been having a grand trip to that point.
After camping Monday night at Stony Creek Ponds, we'd taken our dry bag packs over the carry first, and made the mistake of trusting that no one would be low enough to steal them. It was a Tuesday morning, after Labor Day, there was no one else around when we reached the lake and no cars at the put-in. We left our gear near the water, along the bank in the trees, where they were not in full view from the parking area but were visible to anyone going down to the dock at water's edge.
We went back to get our canoes and by the time we returned, roughly 40 minutes later, our gear was gone. Actually, the thieves kindly left one item, my PFD, which suggests to me that they are not paddlers. But who knows-- they stole my buddy's PFD, which was clipped to his pack.
The state trooper and DEC ranger who responded to the scene were very helpful and professional. We were able to give them a little info about a couple we saw walking down the carry road as we were heading back to Stony Creek Ponds, and whose car was parked along the highway pullout; they were seen driving down to the parking area by another paddler later while we retrieved our boats.
This theft was a huge bummer, not only because we lost all our gear but we had to cut the trip short by one night and two paddling days.
In hindsight, I see that we probably should have carried boats first and secured them with a cable lock, and never left our dry packs near a parking lot put-in. But I have never had anything stolen before while in the Adirondacks, and just never imagined something like this would occur.
NFTC paddlers who use these popular carries should be aware that thievery is possible and take precautions.
In the front country, around parking lots and put-ins, alas, perhaps not so much.
A week ago today (9/8/20) a friend and I had all our camping gear stolen at Indian Carry on Upper Saranac Lake while doubling the carry from Stony Creek Ponds. We were paddling the Old Forge to Saranac Lake section of the Northern Forest Canoe Trail and had been having a grand trip to that point.
After camping Monday night at Stony Creek Ponds, we'd taken our dry bag packs over the carry first, and made the mistake of trusting that no one would be low enough to steal them. It was a Tuesday morning, after Labor Day, there was no one else around when we reached the lake and no cars at the put-in. We left our gear near the water, along the bank in the trees, where they were not in full view from the parking area but were visible to anyone going down to the dock at water's edge.
We went back to get our canoes and by the time we returned, roughly 40 minutes later, our gear was gone. Actually, the thieves kindly left one item, my PFD, which suggests to me that they are not paddlers. But who knows-- they stole my buddy's PFD, which was clipped to his pack.
The state trooper and DEC ranger who responded to the scene were very helpful and professional. We were able to give them a little info about a couple we saw walking down the carry road as we were heading back to Stony Creek Ponds, and whose car was parked along the highway pullout; they were seen driving down to the parking area by another paddler later while we retrieved our boats.
This theft was a huge bummer, not only because we lost all our gear but we had to cut the trip short by one night and two paddling days.
In hindsight, I see that we probably should have carried boats first and secured them with a cable lock, and never left our dry packs near a parking lot put-in. But I have never had anything stolen before while in the Adirondacks, and just never imagined something like this would occur.
NFTC paddlers who use these popular carries should be aware that thievery is possible and take precautions.
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