Northville-Placid Trail thruhike

[rhihn]

After eleven days thruhiking the Northville-Placid Trail, Edelweiss and I crawled out of the woods at about 4:00 PM on Wednesday, August 16. Our experience was probably not that much different from many who have posted their trip reports on the NPT. Nevertheless, I am compelled to write. The trip was “successful,” though I’m not sure what that means. We “enjoyed” the hike (a poor word), we finished the trail in one fell swoop (so? big deal – lots of people – too many people? – have done so). Nevertheless, we were both exhilarated when we reached the parking area at Averyville, and at the same time disappointed that the trip was over. We have felt this way before on countless trips, and ones that cost us more $$ than this one did to undertake – yet it seems to have hit us with more impact. At the age of 60, this was a wonderful trip to mark the beginning of what we plan to be one of our busiest hiking decades…!

THE CAST:

RICH (“RC”): I have yet to encounter on the trails someone in as good physical condition as Rich, a dedicated runner. We admired his efficient approach to camping and the ease he felt in the woods. Rich engendered lots of good conversation. We were disappointed that he had to leave the trail at Piseco for family reasons, but understood and respected his decision.
KEVIN (“kwc”): One couldn’t ask for a better hiking partner! Possessing a great sense of humor, Kevin was often in the lead, and knew how to set just the right pace for the group. We were disappointed when Kevin developed an Achilles tendon problem. Try as he did, he was forced to leave the trail at McCanes (near Indian Lake).
JOANNE (“Edelweiss”): What can I say? After thirty-five years, we know what each other thinks and how to react to each other in difficult situations. I’m never ceased to be amazed at her stamina (not to be confused with speed!) and fortitude!
DICK: Well…someone had to provide the lower standard so others would have a benchmark from which to evaluate…

THE TRAIL:
Circa 120 miles in 11 days. I say “c. 120” because it is impossible to pinpoint the mileage exactly. There are simply too many discrepancies in signage, detours that are not noted in guidebooks (beaver activity, private land, etc.) to be exact. And when it comes down to it, who really gives a fig? We hiked from Upper Benson trailhead to Averyville. We did NOT hike the road from Northville to Upper Benson (c. 10 miles), nor the c. 4 miles on the road from Averyville to Lake Placid. We are not purists. When it comes down to it, it’s not really possible to hike the “original” NPT, as it has been changed far too often. We are not road hikers. However, we did hike the roads in between (Piseco, Cedar River Road, Tarbell Rd), because you have to do that to get to where you need to go.

GEAR: we tried to go light, but with the prospect of 11 days on the trail, we just HAD to have this or that piece of gear (you all know how that goes). Gregory “Whitney” pack, Bearvault (large for me, small for Joanne), water filter, rain gear, spare headlamp/batteries, clothing (2-3 changes of), MSR Pocket Rocket stove (two fuel canisters, needed the second one on the last day), 2-liter bladder plus Nalgene bottle (Gatorade), hiked in long pants and short-sleeved shirt, map & compass, GPS, Katadyn Hiker filter, hat, hiking poles (necessary for me). All in all, far heavier than our Grand Canyon trip. My weight was close to 40 lbs., including food and water (pack is over 7 lbs. Empty).

FOOD: we dehydrated and vacuum sealed all dinners, and they all turned out well. Recipes were from Linda Yaffee’s excellent book. Breakfasts were granola with powdered milk and hot water, sometimes coffee or tea bags. Lunches were cheese and salami (boring, a little heavy, but quick and easy). We also carried too many snacks (beef jerkey, GORP, dehydrated fruits and vegetables, a couple of power bars and Power Gels.

WEATHER: The weather gods smiled at us for this trip! After a summer of alternating heavy rain and extreme heat, we had no idea what to expect. We had a thunderstorm the first night out, but it lasted only for a couple of hours. It rained again just as we reached the Carry (Cedar River) LT, but stopped that evening. Finally, it rained in the evening on the Cold River. Never once did we get wet on the trail from rain, though we often did get wet from the wet overgrowth the next day. Temps were generally in the 60s-low 70s, falling into the high 30s-low 40s most nights. We had mostly sunny days, though a bit breezy and overcast between Cold River and Duck Hole.

ALONG THE WAY WE EXPERIENCED…
Lengthy stretches of perfectly flat, dry trail through ever-changing woods, Adirondack boot-sucking mud (as deep or deeper than Bradley Pond (I’m not sure why that’s always the benchmark, but it’s something that many here can probably relate to), several vleis (sometimes with good bridges, sometimes with underwater corduroy, sometimes with no aids), rocks, roots, blowdowns, belly crawls, overgrown trails (far worse than I remembered from last time, sometimes difficult to see your feet), rotten boardwalks, long road walks (hard on the feet!), huge beaver dams, tall stands of old pines among large forests of deciduous trees, miles of witch hobble (you must learn to love the taste of these), and acres of ferns, countless stream crossings, rises and falls in elevation.

MARKERS: trail was generally well marked, and when no markers were present, the trail was usually obvious. There were some head scratchers, though, especially around beaver dams (worst of these were between Duck Hole and Moose Pond). The biggest head scratcher was just after McCanes at a “Y” intersection with markers on both sides. However, if I had used the half brain I had left and made a quick check of the map, I would have realized that the trail went NW, not NE. The trail we took seemed to match the book description, and even had blue blazes on tree stumps - a classic example of allowing one’s mind to “bend” the terrain to conform to a preconceived notion of reality. After starting to gain too much altitude we checked the map and GPS and noted that we were in the wrong direction. By that point we were surrounded by a maze of logging roads and got “lost.” A compass bearing brought us out to Cedar River Road, near McCanes, and we headed in again, somewhat the wiser.

 

[rhihn]

Northville-Placid Trail thruhike (Part II)

WORST SECTION OF THE TRAIL: Duck Hole to Moose Pond (wet rocks, mud, roots, ups and downs, beaver dams, blowdowns). There was some pink flagging around the worst of the beaver dam activity. At the rate we traveled this section, we thought we might have to exit the trail with headlamps. It was all the more worse because it was our last day.

SECOND WORST SECTION OF THE TRAIL: Silver Lake to Mud Lake (blowdowns and more blowdowns). Apparently these hadn’t been cleared in some time. Lots of people complain about this section of the trail.

SAMPSON BOG CROSSING: in spite of reading warnings about the crossing, and having heard that the bridge might be repaired, there was no notice of any work being done there. However, our worries were for nothing, as the water was low enough to allow us to cross easily on two rocks. In higher water, there appeared that there might be crossing possibilities below the ruined bridge.

RESUPPLY: The plan was to spend a short day hiking from Stephens Pond to Lake Durant CG, take a shower, drop our garbage, and meet up with Val and Kevin at Rt. 28, get the food for the remainder of the trip, all of us hike the 7.6 miles to Tirrell Pond, and camp. It went smoothly (except as noted above regarding the people at the LT), and we were pleasantly surprised to be joined by Redhawk as well (dayhiking). Kevin (“kwc”) showed up, sore foot and all, with a bottle of green tea for us, even though he didn’t hike in. Val and Kevin had a real treat in store for us for that night. We knew she was bringing dinner, but we didn’t expect a full “Thanksgiving style” turkey dinner, with fresh cherry tomatoes, turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, squash, cranberry sauce, a bottle of wine, pumpkin pie, and (supplied by Redhawk) cheese cake! So much food, it was difficult to finish, but finish we did. The biggest treat, however, was seeing the four of you guys half way through our trip – we can’t thank you enough for everything!


WILDLIFE (seen and/or heard): blue heron, loons, snakes, frogs squirrels, mice, coyote, deer, various unnamed large birds. No bears (though lots of scat up and down the trail). Mosquitoes largely in the early morning and evening, and quite tolerable. Noseeums. A few deer flies.

PEOPLE: long stretches of seeing no one, and other places that were over-populated to say the least. Tirrell Pond was the “worst” with a yearly extended family campout apparently in full swing. Some gear (including canoe) flown in by float plane, countless tents set up around the lean-to, lean-to filled to overflowing with gear, and two (two!) cots for sleeping, gear and food everywhere, kids running around making noise near our site, washing frying pans and dishes near our site on the river, and 5 or 6 gunshots late in the evening (I can’t honestly say it was the same group, but unnerving nevertheless). Hardly a wilderness experience.

From Canada Lakes we semi-hooked up with Jim, Tim, and (later) John, all from Elmira. Though we didn’t hike with them, we often ran into them at camps. They were lots of fun and we had great conversations. Great guys all. Here we also met a hiker from Connecticut (forget his name), a self-described long distance hiker, who was out to do the NPT, a loop through the high peaks, then off to do the Long Trail, which he has hiked four times previously, as well as the entire AT! Needless to say, we didn’t even try to keep up with him, though he did pass us near Moose Pond AFTER he had completed his high peaks loop.

We also ran into a nice fellow named “Hugh” at Mud Lake and points beyond. He was a fast hiker, but was apparently doing irregular length days, sometimes with late starts. We lost him after Caitlin Bay.

Lots of people were camped at Duck Hole, as one might expect. A nice, quiet youth group had snagged the nicer lean-to on the hill. We spoke nicely to the couple at the other lean-to, who had spent the night tenting IN the lean-to, and they were fine with our staying there (they moved their tent out and slept in it, and preferred to do so). That lean-to has been sorely in need of repair for years, with many loose boards in the floor sitting right on top of dirt. Each time I visit this area, it appears to have become more overgrown, yet remains a beauty.

We met a nice young couple at a break stop at the Moose Pond LT, who were on their way into Duck Hole. It was her first time overnighting in the woods.

STRANGEST THING ON THE TRAIL: a relatively new pair of hiking boots placed neatly together in the middle of the trail on a rock, just before Fall Stream. Others we met farther up the trail were equally puzzled. Did someone just decide to shed them and hike barefoot or in sandals? I found a third shoestring nearby, suggesting that they may have been tied onto a pack and fell off, and guessed that someone else may have put them neatly on the trail. But how did that person fare without boots? (I’m aware that “Pedxing” hiked part way in Crocs).

THE MIND GAME: The trail can play with your mind. Often conditions do not match the years-old descriptions found in the book, and we questioned if we were as far along as we thought, or as far we should be. Did we take a wrong turn or miss a turn? In stretches with no markers, we wondered if we still on the trail. Is there more than one blue-marked trail (markers didn’t always say NPT)? There’s “supposed” to be water here but there isn’t. There’s “supposed” to be a side trail but it’s gone. And so forth. Of course, intellectually we knew where we were, but the trail still tries to trick you. Toward the end of the trail, the trail displayed its sense of humor: “NO BYCYCLES ALLOWED” said the northbound sign. Darn, and I thought I’d carry my bike for 120 miles just to ride the last mile!

We have lots of personal thoughts that are probably superfluous to this report, which is already too long. Edelweiss will no doubt chime in with some of her reactions. It was an immensely satisfying experience, but one which we are not likely to repeat. Too many other places to see…

Photos will follow soon.

Dick

 

[Edelweiss]

Northville-Placid Trail Adventure

Here are some of the pictures I took on the Northville-Placid Trail. Enjoy!

http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slidesh...de=fromshare&Ux=0&mode=fromshare&conn_speed=1

 

[bubba]

Nice. Congratulations to both of you!! Hope you'll always remember the smelly marshes, gunshots, long pavement walks and beat up lean-tos... oh, wait... it's the solitude, sharing and relating to nature that you have to remember!!

I heard Alan mention your names over the weekend and was wondering how it went. No doubt you had it in you. Jo, nice pix. You take the time to grab meaningful pictures of your hikes. See you soon. Tuning next Monday (hey, I'm excited about that!!)

 

[DSettahr]

WORST SECTION OF THE TRAIL: Duck Hole to Moose Pond (wet rocks, mud, roots, ups and downs, beaver dams, blowdowns). There was some pink flagging around the worst of the beaver dam activity. At the rate we traveled this section, we thought we might have to exit the trail with headlamps. It was all the more worse because it was our last day.

This section was nearly impossible to follow in the winter. I hiked from Placid to Long Lake this past January with a few friends, and we got turned around numerous times here trying to find our way through the swamps. Also had a few mishaps with snow covering standing water. This section of the trail needs some serious maintenance.

 

[TCD]

rhihn,

Great Report! Ellen and I were a few days behind you (we through hiked 8/11 - 8/18). I should have my trip report up tonight or tomorrow.

We also saw the boots at Fall Stream (they were still there on 8/12 when we went by). Also noticed the odd no bicycles sign facing South near Averyville Road, but I think I figured that one out: Just South of that sign, an unmarked side trail comes in from the left. There may have been a problem with folks riding in from wherever that trail comes from, and riding out the last bit of the NP.

We were also blessed with perfect weather. Trail was quiet, and the very few people were very nice. We had our best ever backpacking trip, but we didn't get any pics because our cheap off brand camera crapped out on day one. But the pictures are in our heads!

TCD

 

[peak_bgr]

Congrats to you both.

Personnally, I could care less how many people have done it in the past. It's still an accomplishment-one for which I hope to celebrate myself one day.