Raquette River day trip

Going to have the second annual family canoe/kayak trip this year on the July 4th weekend. Last year we did the Stoney creek ponds down to Axton landing. This year we are considering Axton landing to the Crusher. Was wondering if anyone could provide some info on that section of the river.
How long +/- the trip would take
How busy will the motorized boats be
Any recommendations for side trips (Follensby Pond)
Any other routes for a day rip in the area that you would recommend
Any info appreciated

Cedar Lakes Trail WCW?

In my research I have been finding that there is a sketchy bridge crossing between French Louie trail and Cedar Lakes lean tos on Cedar lake trail, does anyone know if this has been fixed? Also, what are the chances of getting one of the lean tos this coming weekend? Hoping to be there by Saturday afternoon at some point.

Joe

Lost: Leki Super Micro @ Cascade Lake Trailhead

On June 22 in the late afternoon, I left my Leki Super Micro walking stick at the Cascade Lake trailhead along Big Moose Rd after signing out. After realizing it was gone, we returned the next day only to find that it was no longer there. It?s the older model with a cork handle. It?s been my companion for twenty years, and I would love for its return. Will pay postage and a small reward.

Makomis

I just wanted to mention that the Makomis Fire Tower is about to be put up in Speculator. They are trying for the 4th to complete it. I went and visited the excavated site on Sunday. It is in the town park where the river walk enters the woods. It appeared what I was seeing was a concrete slab at the bottom of the excavation. There were four rebar towers at the corners of the slab and four more in the middle. Since this was an LL25 tower, I believe the four in the middle are for the stair well. I never seen how these things are installed so it was new to me.

I walked a little on the river walk They did an excellent job on the sign interpretation and there is a map at every junction. You will never get lost. There are several long sections of board walk which was unique. I also ran into a flock of very friendly chickadees.

The town park has a unique somewhat scaled down replica of a route 66 village to wander through. The doors to the buildings are locked, but you can look through the windows and see the detail. You have the lake shore right across the road from the park. This tower should give an excellent view of Lake Pleasant. It is a really nice area. I tried getting pictures, but it didn't work out.

acorns

Been hiking on the east side of LG.....don't see many acorns...any on the other side of the mountain(Buck)...thanks

Anyone's guess?

As I sat at a campsite on Shallow Lake, I saw a log being blown by the strong winds. It was poking up at one end only, maybe a 30 degree angle.
Odd...
Well, it wasn't drifting with the wind, in fact it changed direction.
OK, so it's a beaver, there's tons of activity within a stone's throw.

But this thing looked very different from the many beavers I've seen and watched throughout the years.
Very blunt on the end, and when the waves were just right, I could see that it was big.

Whatever it was, it clearly saw me, did a few passes left right and then swam farther away. Occasionally, it would drop below the surface, but pop up again quickly. About twenty minutes of this, and it was gone.
I noticed it again, in the late afternoon, I tried to get any sort of photo, maybe clear enough if you zoom in to figure out what it was.
I have my guess, bit I'm not talking...

Anyway, here's all the pics I have:



Oops, wrong pic!









If none of these are clear enough, here's a link to the same pics on google photos, maybe you can zoom in better there...they're the last couple of photos.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/QPrdbdQv4XeFXfm77

Shallow Lake Bog Crossing

Does anyone know the condition of the bog bridge on the way to Shallow Lake from Brown Tract Pond. I saw some fairly recent posts and pics from May that the bridge is about a foot underwater. Anyone know what it looks like now. Thanks!

ADK6Pack

Does anyone have any information about the ADK6Pack challenge? Their website is still active. The phone number is still being answered by voicemail and their email address is still accepting emails. The on-line registration form is also still active. I completed the on-line form and paid with PayPal, I never received a reply. Many phone calls and emails inquiring about my patches and stickers went unanswered. Many months later I had no choice but to request a refund through PayPal.

Is the ADK6Pack still active? If not, why is their website still on-line?


https://adk6pack.com/

The brook trout bite has been on.

We have been having great luck brook trout fishing in the Five Ponds Wilderness. Have been to 3 different lakes so far, one lake we went to it twice. Going to a different lake this week. Many Brookies 12”-15” ,all with the standard lake clear wabbler set up about half trailing streamers, they make it easier to release the fish unharmed. Bushwhacked 11 miles round trip last Wed., saw much moose and bear sign , very little whitetail sign. Some of the lakes must have been recently stocked, because we did catch and release a few 6”-8” trout. Trout all seem to be fat and healthy, one lake the fish had what I think are Brook Stickleback minnows in them.

Day trip adventures

I am looking for anybody interested in joining me on adk day trip paddles. I am fairly open about time and place. Please let me know if interested and we can work out details. Thank you.

DEC Launches New Aquatic Invasive Species Requirement

https://www.dec.ny.gov/press/125517.html

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) today announced measures to prevent the further spread of aquatic invasive species in the Adirondacks. Recent changes to Environmental Conservation Law (leaves DEC's website) become effective on Wednesday, June 8, 2022, and require motorized boat users to obtain certification that they have inspected and removed potentially harmful aquatic invasive species before launching in waters in, and immediately adjacent to, the Adirondack Forest Preserve.

"Aquatic invasive species like hydrilla, the round goby fish, and zebra mussels are detrimental to the health of our lakes and rivers," said DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos. "Our boat stewards are on the front lines, protecting our waters from invasive pests on boats and gear, and last year successfully intercepted more than 14,000 plants and animals that could have started new infestations. To protect pristine waterbodies in the Adirondacks, all motorized watercraft operators are now required to obtain Clean, Drain, Dry certification before they launch."

The new law requires all operators of motorized watercraft to obtain certification that they have cleaned, drained, and dried boats and equipment each time they launch into a new waterbody in the Adirondack Park and within 10 miles of the Blue Line (PDF). When an aquatic invasive species inspection station adjacent to a public waterbody is open for operation, watercraft operators can receive a watercraft inspection certificate from a boat steward by accepting a free boat inspection or decontamination. Alternately, boaters may follow Clean, Drain, Dry steps on their own and fill out a self-issued certificate (PDF) available on DEC's website before launching. Boat stewards will be stationed at popular boat launches across the Adirondack Park and can be identified by their blue vests.

To learn more about the New York State Watercraft Inspection Steward Program, the new certification requirements, and where to find a boat steward, please visit DEC's website.

To view a video message from Commissioner Seggos with Adirondack Watershed Institute boat stewards performing watercraft inspection and decontamination services and receiving a certification from a boat steward at DEC's Port Henry boat launch site, visit DEC's YouTube page.

Wooden Canoe Heritage Association

The WCHA will be having their annual Assembly at Paul Smith's College July 12 - 17, 2022. If you want to see some beautiful canoes don't miss this event. There will also be instructional classes, nightly programs and an auction of canoeing related stuff. There are always canoes for sale, some restored as well as project boats. This will be the last year for the Assembly at Paul Smith's. The college will not be hosting summer conferences anymore. Where next years assembly will be is yet undetermined.

New Pennsylvania state highpoint?

Thought this was interesting...

Recent LiDAR findings show that Pennsylvania's highpoint isn't Mount Davis but a rocky area ~0.9 miles northeast of there (on the other side of Mount Davis Road beyond Baughman Rocks). There's also a second HP candidate just south of Mount Davis. LiDAR technology is generally considered to be more accurate than old topographic surveys.

List Of John page for Pennsylvania State HP - 3,214'
https://listsofjohn.com/peak/218278

Facebook discussion including a detailed explanation from the person who conducted the LiDAR research:
http://www.facebook.com/groups/70288...1622603886531/

Reddit highpointers discussion:
http://www.reddit.com/r/Highpointers...have_a_new_hp/

Volunteers Needed - The Long Path

The Long Path North Hiking Club (LPNHC) will be building bog bridging on section 32 (Cotton Hill) of the Long Path. This section of located near Middleburgh in Schoharie County. All of the lumber has been purchased and the required permits from NYSDEC have been received. We will be working on June 25th and June 26th. Please come and help us improve this trail. If you are interested, send me a private message and I will contact you directly with details.

Thanks,
Dave

Nelson Lake Pike Fishing Trip

Just got back from an amazing 4 nights and 5 days camping on the very shallow Nelson lake fishing for Northern Pike with some buddies. We caught quite a few nice fish between us all, had some great meals and some unforgettable memories. Almost all of my fish came in on a good old Mepps Spinner worked quickly just above the weeds. My buddies on the other hand seemed to catch almost all their Pike and Bass on the topwater. I made a ton of casts with the Whopper Plopper but only came up with one very nice Largemouth.

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Mount Arab, May 31, 2022

I was working at the house in Piercefield Monday-Thursday last week and decided that since I had made a good start on putting up the woodshed on Monday I would climb Mt. Arab on Tuesday morning. I hadn't been on a mountain since August of 2019, so it was very nice to get back to it. I got up about 4:15 and bicycled the 2 miles or so to the trailhead. I heard woodcocks doing their displays in 2 places along the road, as it was getting more than half light by then.

It was very still and almost stuffy in the woods till I reached the summit ridge and a nice breeze blowing from the other side. I reached the fire tower about 5:20 and the sun was already well above the horizon but mostly hidden in the clouds. It was a little chilly in the cab as the wind was much stronger, but not cold enough to be unpleasant. There were some clumps of flowers near the fire tower that were very pretty but not familiar to me. Does anyone know what these are? I went back down the mountain and met a toad going up the trail, but it was too dim in the woods to get a good picture of it.

Back on the road I noticed how shiny the rails are at the level crossing. I've been hearing a lot of work trains the last few weeks. I took a detour to explore the hamlet of Conifer, which I had never visited before. It seemed like a nice place, and I know there are some snowmobile trails which start there and may lead to interesting places to explore once I get caught up on work at the house. I got back home at 6:45 and after a quick breakfast was back to work at 7:15, so I didn't miss much of the day after all.

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3 Swift kayaks for sale

3 Swift kayaks:
White Labrador Sea 16 foot with rudder - $750
Red Bering Sea 16 foot - $950
Yellow Bering Sea 16 foot with skeg - $1100
All three for $2450

Each boat is both fast, stable, and light for their length. The white boat is slightly wider and deeper than the others with more storage.

Time to downsize the fleet. The kids don't live near home anymore...

Saranac Lake Restaurant Recommendations

Good morning.

My family and I will be staying in Saranac Lake shortly and wanted to know if anybody has recommendations for good places to eat.

Thank you.

Hanging Spear Falls Loop Hike

Looking for some assistance/recommendation on a hike I read about a few years back.

Start out at Upper Works, take the Opalescent Trail to Lake Colden. Then circle back to Upper Works parking lot via Calamity Brook Trail.

Was wondering if this can be done as a day hike as well as if this is the best route for making a round trip to Colden. Any other things that might help in
planning my trip would be greatly appreciated.