Savich Trek: July 2018

Since we were staying at the Buck Pond campground only 20 minutes away I thought it would be nice to take a family hike. I did some research, but I have to admit that it wasn't nearly as much as I normally do. For the most part I referenced the Adirondack Explorer Outing Guide from 2015 which I brought along with me to the camp. A short paragraph in the guide stated that one of the weekends there were kids hiking of all ages. So with that in mind, we decided to do it. On a small tangent, the older two had hiked a 4-miler just a few weeks prior to this hike without any difficulties except for the usual complaining and "are we there yet." The question of the day was, could we do 6.6 miles together?

We found a large parking lot off Keese Mills Rd with a sign that read St. Regis Canoe Area. After some quick gearing up we set out on a trip I had envisioned to be 2-3 hours at the most. The trailhead is about 100 yards down a seasonal gravel road from the parking lot. An sign with an arrow pointing "right" marks the way.

And so this marked the spot to the start of 6.6 glorious miles of trail that ran through the woods. The thick tree provided for some great cover from the sun overhead but it didn't help much with the muggy air.

For the first 2 miles we had a few changes in elevation but nothing drastic and the kids really enjoyed spotting some really cool things along the way like a snake, toads, mushrooms, different tree types and massive rocks. Ariana my almost-two-year-old walked some parts on her own. We came across a few returning hikers who genuinely thought they knew how much more time we had to hike and surprisingly we kept hearing 30 minutes.

We did come to another sign with an arrow pointing "left" because it does appear as though the trail could be going straight. We took a few short breaks along the way to drink and sit down and everyone was still in good spirits.

Most of the hiking forums and write-ups state that the last bit before the top is steep and graded as moderate intensity. I would like to clarify this part because it is NOT moderate intensity for people of any age category but closer to high intensity. I have hiked 28 high peaks at this point and could easily say its like a section right off one of the high peaks. My best recommendation for appropriate hiking age would be 12/13 years old or a very mature 10/11 year old. We saw a couple of elderly ladies that were very challenged in this section as well. Definitely a great place for a cardiac stress test!

This would definitely mark the spot when more intense complaining came into play and I seriously contemplated about turning around and never making it to the top for the sake of my children's little legs. But how does someone test the limit of their abilities and will power, other then by completing the task and reflecting on the experience? And so we trekked on!

After a lot of encouragement and persistence we made it to the top in 2.5 hours. The views were very rewarding at the top with the Saranac Lakes to the south and high peaks to the east and southeast. Another lesson learned: never forget the snacks because it would have made a big difference if we had some type of refueling before the journey back down.

At top there was also a fire tower that is currently maintained and climbing to the top provided even better views. At this point only 3 out of 5 made it to the top of the tower. Alexis took a nap on the warm rocks while Lesya took advantage of the available phone service.

After a long 30 minutes at the top we started to make our way down. Thankfully Ariana enjoyed the ride in the carrier for most of the ascent and descent. She was so comfortable she napped both ways. I did my best to not bounce her around to much as we slowly make our way down.

On our way down there were tears, maybe a lot of tears, frustrated conversations and definitely all of us felt some aches and pains. But I am proud to say that my 3 little munchkins hiked 6.6 miles (5 hours) to the top of St. Regis and back because they had strong will power to get to the top and they mustered even more to get down. I am also super blessed to have an amazing wife that stuck by my side even after I made some crazy decisions.

I very glad I didn't need to call for a helicopter evacuation.

On the way down I may have carried my 5 year old son and 2 year old daughter at the same time for longer then my spine wanted to but it was all worth it at the end. There may also have been some bribing in the form of snacks that we later bought at the local grocery store on the way back to camp but at the end of the day it was more of a reward then a bribe.

This year most of our short family trips have been decided at the last minute and so this camping trip was planned in the same fashion. Our friends Sergey and Olya proposed taking this trip 2 weeks before we went. It so worked out for us because there were some changes to our Canada trip that weren't anticipated and therefore we decided to cancel that all together and do something that we really enjoy doing together as a family.

We usually book our camping trip to the Adirondacks 9 months in advance because the water campsites at our favorite campgrounds, Limekiln and Rollins Ponds get booked really quickly. This time around we stumbled upon a couple campgrounds that we have never been too simply because there were sites available on the water. After reading some reviews and seeing the photos of our campsite, we were excited for a new adventure.

Packing for a family of 5 is never a fun thing, then add all of the camp gear and the once spacious truck bed is no longer big enough. I'm seriously thinking about a small enclosed trailer for next year.

Last minute pit stop at Wegmans

Buck Pond is located in the tiny hamlet of Onchiota, 30 minutes north of Saranac Lake. Our favorite route to the northern Adirondacks is via Route 3 which weaves its way through many small towns and also has several places for bathroom breaks. The photo below represents that first moment you get an awesome view of the high peaks in the distance.

Just outside of Saranac Lake on Route 86

When either camping or renting a house in the ADK we love to check out new places to eat and it's become a tradition that before we settle into the place we will stay for a few days we will go out to eat. This way we don't have to worry about food as soon as we arrive and we can support the local economy.

The Shamrock caught my attention, just off Route 86, it had good reviews and we didn't have to go far out of the way to get there. There is no sign indicating that its the restaurant other than the "OPEN" letters on the window with a small shamrock. It doesn't help that it looks like a house.

Inside we were greeted and asked to find a seat in a very open and not busy place. There was a couple people at the bar and two more in another corner of the restaurant. By the time we left the place was slowly filling up.

The menu had plenty of great lunch options for adults and children. I settled for a fish sandwich and fries which were very delicious. The one waitress did a great job to make sure that everyone was well taken care of. If the place was a little busier I can imagine the wait times may be a bit longer.

When we made it to Onchiota, NY we saw the entire town in less than a minute which consisted of 3 buildings, 2 of which were built in the late 1800's. It had one stop sign at a 3 way intersection. The entrance to the campground was only minutes from the center of town, and we came back for ice few times. The ice freezer was stocked and was for sale beyond business hours, just place the cash in the box.

Reserve America added a great feature to the check-in process a few years ago, pre-checking can be done online before arriving. If there isn't a line at the entrance booth, check-in is only a 5 minute process.

Buck pond is divided into 4 loops, A,B, C, and D. Loops C and D are located further north on Lake Kushaqua and Loops A and B are on Buck Pond. The major difference between the two bodies of water is that motorized boats are not allowed on Buck Pond. It's a smaller campground which has 112 campsites with 17 on the water.

Once at our campsite we always set up the overhead tarp. After several years of camping in the ADK we learned some great lessons and one of them was rain or shine we always put up a tarp (25' x 50'). Last year our friend Mike M. recommended we get a permanent center pole made of 4" PVC and therefore we could use it every year and not worry about looking for scrap wood thats tall enough. Although this year it only sprinkled for a few minutes on the last day, we were really happy to have the tarp to protect our table, food and equipment from thousands of pine needles that fell every day along with drops of sap from tall pine trees.

Set up generally takes us around 2 hours but its something that we have done many times before and its fun to do when everyone is helping out. This year the kids began to plug themselves into the setting up process.

Checking out the loop with a stroll

Dinner on the 1st night

Playing with fire, why not?!

Evening paddle

One of the cool perks of this campground was the showers at each of the bathrooms. Granted it was one shower per bathroom, but we never had to wait in line and it was clean.

Perk #2: a nice lighted spot to wash dishes with hot water and place to put the washed dishes. It made the cleaning up process so much faster and more pleasant.

I don't know why it took us 10 plus years to find this amazing Coleman coffeemaker but we bought one just before the trip and it was simply amazing! Easy use: place filter and coffee into the container above, pour water into the reservoir and then set it over the campfire or stove. Ten minutes later you have a great cup of coffee!

We were really lucky to find a water site this late into the game and the kids took advantage of the water every second they got.

Playing with a drift wood gun

Cedar planks don't work well on an open fire

Bathhouse at the beach

Who needs to roast the marshmallows? Just eat them off the stick!

Long swim for Alexis

Adrian and his buddy the caterpillar

Lesya in the "water lavender bushes"

Fallen tree roots look like a ship in the water

Mama on her own

After all these years, cooking on the open fire is still challenging! But its always more fun and successful with two cooks on the job.

Some quite time while the kids nap

The Family Journalist!

On of the days after lunch we went to the beach across the lake. Instead of driving over, the kids piled into the kayak and we paddled across the pond. The beach is a fairly good size but most of it is on a hill, which makes great views for all. The water is shallow for about 40-50 yards before it drops off a bit. The kids really enjoyed the comfortable depth and it kept them busy for 2-3 hours.

During the first paddle around the pond I noticed that it had a lot more vegetation at the bottom then most Adirondack ponds and lakes in the area. Sergey had an opportunity to catch a couple northern pike.

An exciting bunch

Playing with fire was always fun

One of the things that we as parents really enjoy about camping is hanging out by the fire to snuggle or the camp table to snack after we put the kids to sleep.

Overall this was a great camping trip for our family along with the Tomoroksa's that traveled with us. If you enjoy a longer drive and a smaller campground then its worth the extra effort to get to Buck Pond. I do have to mention that the rangers strictly enforced the quiet time after 10 pm like I have never seen before in the Adirondack state campgrounds. We had one ranger hang out by our campsite in the dark because our kids made some noise before 10 pm. But to enforce the rule a little better, we made 10 pm their bedtime.

THE WILD CENTER

On our way home we stopped by to experience some more fun at the main attraction in Tupper Lake. This was our second time there but I felt like we definitely missed some things last time were here, partly because of a rain threat. Once again it was a really neat experience for the entire family!