Canoeing Through Little Tupper Lake, ADK
This was our third installation of a guys canoe trip in the remote part of Adirondack State Park, NY. It has been quite the journey as we have tested different routes and lakes with canoes and our gear over the last four years. We took the year off last year, so it was nice getting back out there this summer. We have grown fond of working with Raquette River Outfitters in Tupper Lake to provide us with canoes and other gear to tackle the backwoods of the Adirondacks. I highly recommend checking them out and using them for your next canoe trek in the ADK. They will provide you with canoe options, bear barrels, and other camping gear.
Day 1
We decided on a five-day camping trip route on Little Tupper Lake just about 15 minutes from the outfitters where we picked up our canoes. We arrived on a Wednesday afternoon with plenty of time to pack up our gear at the outfitters and head to the lake launch. We paddled approximately seven miles to the other end of the lake trying to find a good camping site that wasn’t taken. Usually, we like to settle on an island site in these lakes, but they were claimed already. We finally went across to the Northwest side of the lake and found the perfect site that would be ideal for all the sunsets. It also seemed like a good fishing spot since we had a little cove off to our left and no more campsites on that end of the lake.
After pulling our canoes up to the shore, we unloaded our gear and set up our tent and campsite. It was a great first night with our freeze dried meals and campfire. Unfortunately, the clouds rolled in, so we weren’t able to witness any of the meteor shower that night. The first night gave us a biblical thunderstorm. The lightning lit up the tent that night and the thunder rolled in right above our heads. I’m still not sure how Dan slept through it all.
DAY 2
I woke up around 6am and took a look around our campsite to see how much was wet. We did not set up a tarp canopy the night before, so we had some chairs and other things wet but nothing a good hot fire could dry out. The day turned warm and sunny, and our plan was to do some campsite housekeeping. We split some wood and went foraging for more dead tree branches and kindling. It was a long day of work, and we were rewarded with some awesome shooting stars and milky way sighting in the sky.
Day 3
After a successful first full day and night, our morning turned out to be relaxing and quiet. We made our breakfast and sat around the fire for a while. There was a place called Rock Pond attached to Little Tupper Lake, and to get there, you had to paddle through a river bog with several portages over beaver dams. Today was our day to make that trek since the following day would be our last one, and it probably would be smart to rest our bodies before going seven miles back to the launch on Sunday morning. We set off on the journey to Rock Pond with our day packs of hydration and snacks. We passed through the river and had to get out of the canoe three times to get through the beaver dams and into a trail. We finally made it to the pond opening, which was more like a second lake. This would’ve been a great camping area if we had more time to get out here the first afternoon. There were a few campsites with people at them with all of their fishing gear. We ended up docking at a couple flat rocks in the middle of the pond and posted up for the next hour. It was hot, and the water was refreshing. Still no luck catching any fish, and the black flies starting to come out, which made our stay a little shorter than expected. Although, the dark, ominous clouds forming behind us towards our lake made us move faster to get our things packed and head back.
We started paddling at Olympic speeds in my opinion, and the time it took us to portage the dams and through the trail were extremely fast due to the circumstances. The rain started to fall and it was colder than the air. We passed by two other canoes with people and their dogs portaging near a damn. After that, the thunder and lightning started to come. I was extremely close to shitting myself as I witnessed several bolts of lightning shoot down on the right side of the river above the trees. Roughly two miles away, this wasn’t getting any better. We had to pull off the river for some time to get some cover. There was a designated camping site off the river bog that looked like no one had been using it. It probably was just a pull-off in case someone got caught in a storm like we did. We tried to get under the trees for a moment, and as I stepped out of the canoe, I immediately sank into the mud up the trail getting my croc stuck in the mud. My whole left side was covered in mud and the mosquitos were relentless. After about 10 minutes, the storm let up just a little bit. I counted about three or four seconds between thunder and lightning and that was good enough for us. We decided to make our way back to our lake as we were so close to the entrance from the river. We hustled out and raced across the end of the lake to the other side of the cove where our campsite was. There were still a few lightning bolts striking in the distance, but we paddled like psychos. As soon as we reached the shore of our camp, the storm let up, and to our left, the sky was opening up for a beautiful sunset that night. I immediately stripped down and jumped into the warm lake for a bath.
Luckily, we had set up a tarp system earlier that morning to keep our gear and chairs underneath in case of a storm. Our site was relatively dry for what we just experience. It ended up being the best night of the trip with an incredible sunset and stargazing. We also had a couple mice join us by hopping around our campfire looking for food.
Day 4
We survived two storms so far, and one of them, we were all huddled in the tent for. So far so good. The final full day of the camping trip was going to be relaxing. We did however have a roaring fire the night before, so we needed to go foraging for more wood. Breakfast was long, and we made sure to take the day slow. We ended up hiking behind our site to grab some more dead, fallen branches, so we could saw them and split them for our fire wood. After sawing and splitting, it was time to keep the fire going and spend time enjoying the last day. Hammock laying, reading, snacking, and shooting the breeze are usually the best things to do on the last day. We needed to recover from the trek and prepare for the seven mile journey back to the launch the next morning. Brian and I went out one last time around sunset in the canoe to try and catch some fish. We only spotted a beaver swimming, and Brian caught a tiny blue gill. Unfortunately, we had no luck this trip when it came to catching some dinner, but I will just blame it on Dan’s poor fishing pole and setup. The night was spent around the fire getting rid of all the firewood we gathered. We headed to bed. The loud sound of an owl right behind our tent was just thing to scare the shit out of us one last time.
Day 5
We got up pretty early around 7am to clean up the site, tear down, and pack up the canoes. We planned on 9am the latest to get out on the water, but it ended up being 8am on the dot. We cruised back to the launch and arrived around 9:30am. There were several groups of campers also unloading and leaving their trips. We unloaded everything, packed up the cars, and tied down the canoes to head back to the outfitters. Of course, after delivering the canoes, we went into Tupper Lake to get coffee and donuts at our favorite spot, The Washboard/Donut Shoppe: a laundromat/donut shop. On the road we went passing through the small towns and numbered lakes to arrive in Old Forge where we have our first real meal before heading home.
This was probably one of the best canoe trips we had, and I think it will keep getting better as the years go on. I truly enjoy picking different routes and lakes to check out each time, and they always come with their own challenges. We also adjust our gear each time with what we need and what we don’t need. I will be writing another journal entry soon describing what camping gear I use and where you can purchase all of it. Some items are not necessary, but they are what I like to bring. Here is an essential camping gear list for backpacking and canoe trips:
CAMPING GEAR LIST: CANOE OR BACKPACKING
Tent/Tarp for underneath: 6-person tent(perfect for 4 people canoe trip), 2-person backpacking tent for hiking or hammock tent
Tarp System for extra cover and to keep gear dry
Bear bags and bear barrels to keep locked up at night
Backpacking backpack/rucksack for all your gear
Fold-up saw and hatchet for fire wood
Portable propane stove with pot for cooking, utensils, and mess mug.
Camping French press
Solar panel portable charger
Headlamp
Nalgene Water Bottles
Water filtration system/UV wand: this is needed for when you run out of water for drinking or cooking
5 gallon water jug(For canoeing, I don’t recommend this for backpacking)
Hiking boots/crocs
Blow-up sleeping pad, sleeping bag, and camping pillow
Clothes: warm socks, sweatshirt, rain jacket, hiking pants, longsleeves
Freeze Dried Food: enough for a couple meals per day
Snacks: protein bars, beef sticks/jerky, candy, hydration packets, coffee grounds
Hammock for relaxing at campsite
Fishing pole, bait, tackle box with fishing gear
Dry Bags
Small camping chairs/stools
-Gabriel LaMarca
