St. Regis Canoe Wildneress (June 2017)

In June, my parents and I set out for a two-day, one-night paddling adventure in the St. Regis Canoe Wilderness, in New York's Adirondack Park.  The Canoe Area is a uniquely remote treasure within the larger Adirondack system.  It includes 1,600 acres of wilderness and 50+ backcountry ponds, accessible only by "canoe carry"...the act of hiking your canoe through the mountains and between ponds.  The effort it takes to access this area means very few ever make the trip.  I've never seen such a wild place on the East Coast. 

Saturday morning, we arrived early at the Floodwood location of the St. Regis Canoe Outfitters.  If you're going into the Canoe Area, talk to these helpful folks.  Backpacks on, we hoisted the canoe and set out on a narrow mountain trail for the first pond.  

 Arriving at the edge of wilderness

Carrying a canoe through the forest is an odd feeling.  I wouldn't suggest it unless you have to.  To cut down on hiking, we put in at a small no-name beaver pond.  The water was calm and dotted with spring lillies.  It was gorgeous.

 Mom navigating us through the beaver pond

After some additional hiking, we reached Long Pond.  One of the largest ponds in the Canoe Area, we spent some time exploring before finding a spot to set up camp.

Putting in at Long Pond

 A mansion of a tent! 

Our next adventure was to summit St. Regis Mountain (2,874 ft.), with a trailhead off Long Pond.  The mountain provides an excellent view of the Canoe Area.  For us, it was a way to confirm the next three ponds we'd be hopping across on Sunday. 

View from St. Regis Mountain

Well-earned dinner

Sunday morning, we packed and began paddling to the far side of Long Pond.  With surprising success, we navigated between three ponds throughout the day: Slang Pond, Turtle Pond, and Hoel Pond.  Each was more remote than the last.  Loons dove, reappeared, and dove again as we paddled.  

 Family problem-solving

Slang Pond

 Canoe carries involve a lot of packing the boat, unpacking the boat, and repacking.

 Up until the last pond, our trip had gone smoothly.  But with an hour left to paddle, the winds picked up, and we found ourselves struggling to keep our heavy-laden boat upright amid whitecaps and a darkening sky.  As my mom worked to tie our gear to the boat (that's how close we came to tipping), Dad and I worked the boat toward the takeout on the far shore.  We quickly gave up on an accurate landing, and were happy to wash ashore along a campground.  Some helpful folks rescued us and pulled our gear to safety. 

Exhausted but happy, we began the drive back to our cabin on Paradox Lake, stopping for a deli lunch along the way.