Hopkins Mt

Am I allowed to drive onto Ranney Rd and park at the trailhead to Hopkins? Do people have a preference regarding going to Hopkins via Ranney or Mossy in regards to views along the trails? Also, all things being nearly equal, I always prefer the path least traveled. I am coming up from Cleveland on 5/22 for a week and I most definitely want to summit this peak. I assume I will need my mosquito netting hat. I need to choose one trail or the other since I will have my dog with me, and while she would obviously be leashed, I don't want to walk along 73 with her.

Questions about the Five Ponds, Siamese Ponds and Dix Mountain Wilderness areas...

Star Lake through Sand Lake clear of significant beaver floods?

Easy to get around if it isn't?

And just how tore up is the trail into Cage Lake / Wolf Pond from vehicle use? (people with private property can drive back there, right?)

Also, switching gears, anyone know how easy it is to get to the far shore of the Siamese Ponds? There a trail there?

Finally, Is the unmarked trails back into the Dix Wilderness...the North Fork Boquet, the Lindsey Brook and the West Mill Brook pretty clear and easy to follow?

Single or double paddle

Recently in hopes of getting my grandkids out on a canoe with me and other things I got a good deal on a used Old Town Stillwater canoe. They have plenty of time out on the water in my sons motor boat at his camp on the St. Lawrence and like going fast in the boat or being pulled behind in a tube, for now I think skiing is in the cards for this summer, so they haven't experienced flat or slow stream paddling. I would like them to, and they would also.
Anyway the Stillwater is anything but sleek at 12' and 42" at center. I bought it really for the stability if I have a couple kids and or maybe my dog with me.With two paddlers it is fine. As a single paddler, even rear facing on the front seat it is kind of a beast.
My question is, would it be worthwhile or advisable to add a center seat when solo and use a 240-250 kayak paddle.

Boots

Hey All, looking for a high ankle boot to hike/backpack in, I have weak ankles ad rooked ankles are a real danger for me. Any suggestions of a boot with very good ankle support? I can go with a 200g insulated 8 inch boot but im lookong for uninsulated for warm weather. Thanks

Floodwood Mountain road closed?

So I tried to go to Floodwood Mtn last weekend but a little under 6 miles from the trailhead (acc'd to Google Maps), there was a sign saying the road was closed in 5 miles. So I turned around. Anyone know why? Or for how long it might be the case? I didn't see anything about a closure on the DEC website either.

Black Fly update

Hi All

I have a 5 day trip planned for next week. How are the black flies as of now?

Thanks in advance,

Rob

Is multi-band technology worth spending an extra $100 on for a recreational GPS?

I've been using older-generation GPS units for years without complaint. However, I'm also starting to feel extremely limited by the storage space (or lack thereof) on older GPS models- 1,000 points and 25 routes isn't cutting it anymore. So I'm in the market for a new GPS with modern-day storage abilities.

One model I've been looking at is the Garmin GPSMAP 66 series. This seems to be roughly equivalent to the InReach but without the satellite messaging ability (although there is an option to add that). There's 2 specific models I'm looking at- the 66SR, which has multi-band technology, and the 66S, which does not.

For waypoints, multi-band technology seems to be not worth the price- I can just set the GPS down and let it average points for a few minutes to get a waypoint that is accurate enough for my purposes.

But for tracks, averaging of points is a non-starter for obvious reasons. I do like to record tracks and I would like for those tracks to be fairly accurate. I have noticed in the past that tracks recorded on older GPS units aren't great in some spots where there can be interference. Can anyone here comment from experience on whether the multi-band technology really makes a different in producing more accurate tracks?

Another consideration- the 66SR comes with a built in rechargeable battery, while the 66S takes AA batteries. Obviously, the built in battery might not last for longer trips (I'm often out for 5 days at a time), but I usually carry a USB charger on longer trips anyways. It would be nice also to cut down on the number of disposable batteries I go through as well.