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8/23/04 - Silver Lake to Hamilton
Lake Stream Lean-to
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Jess
I’m exhausted this morning. Had a very
restless night – it’s going to take me a couple of nights to
get used to the sounds of the woods. The mice came out to
play, as well. Those little bastards are fearless. But I
did hear my first loon! Heartbreaking, haunting, I wanted
to burst into tears at the sound of its call.
I also started Kurt Vonnegut’s
Slaughterhouse 5 last night, at Dave’s recommendation. Oh
my goodness. I found myself crying with laughter and then
feeling guilty about it – it is, after all, a dark, anti-war
novel at its core. |
Trail tip: Do not make the mistake of relying on Mud
Lake as a water supply. This body of water certainly earns its
name and you will be knee deep in mud before you even approach pump
worthy water. If you cant load up with a full days worth at
Silver Lake, I suggest you refill at Canary Pond - or hit up
whatever small sources along the way that you can.
| Dave
The trail from Silver lake up to Mud Lake was just as I
remember it... long, muddy, and full of blow down. But
there is a very noticeable difference in
the levels of water this year, and one of the more obvious places to
notice this was the Sacandaga River crossing on our way to Hamilton
Lake Stream. |
8/21/2002 |
8/23/2004 |
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At Hamilton Lake Stream Lean-to we ran into a very nice
woman, her son and a friend. They are a day and a half away from
completing their North to South thru-hike and they give us
some warnings about the wet trail ahead.
Tonight we decide
to set up the tent instead of crowding the lean-to.
Tomorrow we have a short hike to Piseco where we will pick
up the first of two "Mom Drops". That would
be a supply drop delivered by my mom, instead of mailed ahead
to the post office. |
| Jess
We did about 11.5 miles today. We got a late start, but had
another nice day and arrived at the lean-to in plenty of
time. But, man, am I buggered. After dealing
with an extremely muddy trail, we appropriately stopped at
Mud Lake for lunch. Spirits were lifted a bit after
encountering an aptly graffiti-ed privy and then a graceful
fall in the mud by yours truly. The trail was in much
better condition for the second part of the day, but I was
so tired it didn’t matter. My legs are very stiff and
my back and shoulders are a bit sore from the pack.
The difference in carrying a full pack vs. a daypack is
truly amazing. I’ve done much more difficult hikes, in
mileage and terrain, yet I don’t remember ever being this
tired. |
Day Two Photographs
(Click on a thumbnail
to view a larger picture)
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