Old Forge NY to Long Lake NY
Day One
My brother Randy and I just finished the first leg of the Northern Forest Canoe Trail. We left Lakeville at 6:00 am on Saturday morning, arriving in Long Lake about 10:00 am. After an early lunch in the diner, we drove down to the D.E.C. boat ramp to wait for our shuttle ride to Old Forge. We left the car in the Long Lake parking lot, so we could easily head for home when the trip was over.
There was another group — two men and their sons — getting picked up who had just done the trip were about to start. These were the only other ‘through paddlers’ we saw this trip and it turned out they were from Torrington, CT, and knew some of the same people as Randy.
We got dropped off at Old Forge and were on the water by 1:30 pm. on Saturday. From Old Forge Pond, it’s about a mile down to First Lake (of eight) on what is known as the Fulton Chain. As we started across the lake, I was amazed at how rough the water was. Many large motor craft, going in all directions, created seas not unlike what I’ve seen off Gloucester, MA in my kayak. Our little skin-on-frame canoes, handled it all quite well, even when we took some splashes right over the bow. First, Second and Third Lakes are almost continuous open water until a narrow channel leads into Fourth Lake which is the biggest, though it was much more sedate.
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| Packing up for our first portage. |
Along about dinnertime, we pulled into Inlet, NY — a nice little village with a boat dock/boardwalk running the length of the east side of town along the channel leading to Fifth Lake. This lake is short, barely more than a pond, and at its end, was our first carry or ‘portáge.’ The carry is only .6 miles, but with loading, carrying and reloading took about an hour. We paddled down Sixth Lake until we found a campsite on the north shore. Just as we were getting ready to make camp, it started to rain, so we quickly pitched the tent, made a hasty dinner on the Jetboil ™, and hunkered down in the tent to eat. Dinner was augmented by a can of Boddingtons Pub Ale apiece. (Pay no attention to the Beer Advocate website slam – when cold, it's good stuff) The rain didn't let up, so that was the end of our day and we made ourselves as comfy as possible.
