Northern Forest Canoe Trail: Segment 1, Day 2

It was in the 30s overnight and that's one of the downsides to sleeping in a lean-to, especially if there's a breeze. I got up around 6:30 to shoot some early morning photos, as the fog on the lake was beautiful.

Even tho Ryan and I were up first, Bo and Karen got moving and quickly paddled from our island to the Seventh Lake Boat Launch where they had parked their second vehicle. Breakfast in Inlet was much more inspiring than breakfast at the lean-to.

By the time we were ready, there was full sunlight but it was still cold. We left most of our cold weather gear on as it's a short paddle to the put in spot at Eighth Lake Campground. The lake was still like glass and some slight fog remained.

There's a nice, 1 mile long paved road to wheel from Seventh to Eighth Lake, with either outhouses or bathrooms in the summer to use along the way. And while the bathroom was closed, at least it was nice that the docks were in. We only saw a few people, mostly hunters as it was the first day of opening gun season in the Northern Zone. However, they looked like they had partied more than hunted judging by the fact that they were still at the campsite and all the stuff on their tables.

Eighth Lake was a little rougher at the south end, but smooth by the time we made it to the carry to Brown's Tract Inlet. There's a nice hill with some rocks at the bottom, and roots pop up all throughout the 1.3 miles, but overall you can still wheel it. However, if you buy the set of wheels I have from ABN (or one of the many copycats), you definitely need 2 sets of straps, one behind and one in front of your cockpit. And probably it would be better to have a bracing cross-member to keep it from collapsing. Ben's cart from RAILBLAZA seemed to work much better but it was a bit more bulky and twice as much. I'd get his if I did it again. Once we finally figured out all we needed to do (having the dolly collapse and fall off a few times) we got moving and it didn't take too long.

Once you near the end of the carry, you come to a boardwalk as the Inlet is a marsh full of beaver lodges and dams. I also got a shot of how I'd recommend strapping on the dolly but I'd personally consider using ratchet straps vs. cinch straps next time to really lock it in.

This is the part we were unsure about and switched to crocs in case we had to get in. The map recommends only getting off at the top of the dams, as everywhere else could be up to waist-deep mud. We encountered 6 dams, 3 as slight as gliding over a log or stick, and 3 where you'd have to get out if you were going upstream. But going downstream, if you paddle hard you can almost shoot over or at minimum get stuck halfway and do some scooting to finally tip over. With a canoe, you might not want to do that, but with the kayak, we were safe with the tip going under.

I got a shot of Ryan sliding easily over the first one. No big deal.

Here's a few of Ryan and Ben going over one of the big ones.

I caught a few photos of some wildlife along the way. The blue heron was particularly impressive with its gigantic wingspan.

Also, at this point, the sun started to have an amazing halo around it that looked like a rainbow. You float by some beautiful golden larches, which Ben said is also known as the tamarack. Google may not agree. Either way, no need to go far to see them.

I have a few more action shots of the guys going over some dams.

Eventually you to come to the town of Raquette Lake. The W.W. Durant is a dinner and cruise ship you can book. It's right next to the town docks and the Raquette Lake Hotel & Tap Room. We didn't have much chance to explore but it seems like a great town. I know my aunt loved Raquette and actually started a diner there at one point.

We planned to camp at the last lean-to on Raquette in Outlet Bay, but we had some extra time so we explored more of Raquette. The first of the Adirondack Great Camps was built here by Durant, called Camp Pine Knot. We definitely couldn't see it from the water, but there's a ton of great camps on this lake.

There's 3 lean-tos at the end of the lake, all pretty easy to see. Later that night we caught the most amazing sunset, and had a nice fire as well. A long day which I had tracked at 14.5 miles but well worth it.