My friend and I drove up north for the last four days of NY Brook Trout Season.  We paddled into the St. Regis Wilderness Canoe Area as part of the GetOutinIt2018 YouTube Challenge. Please sub the channel to see the entry videos and support the generous sponsors.

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I try to schedule time off work for my trips at peak seasons.  I was glad to see the autumn foliage and cool temperatures were cooperating on schedule even though it came with a bit of rain and wind.

My shelter the first evening was a fast setup with a Bushcraft Outfitters poncho used as a tarp over the side of my canoe.  The canoe completely blocked the wind off the lake and provided plenty of coverage even on a rainy night. I wouldn’t have done this in bug season so was glad to have the opportunity to camp so simply in the cooler temperatures.  An added Y stick helped provide some extra security preventing the canoe from rolling should the wind blow in extra hard.

The winds kept us at bay for sometime. I meandered around and found some lions mane mushroom that was attached to a red maple tree nearby.

and someones bush toilet at the ready.

Most often I like to visit new places but had my mind set on a favorite pond. After paddling across two ponds, it took over a mile portage with elevation gain to reach the destination. The autumn colors from the trail were gorgeous and I enjoyed the challenge of carrying all my gear and 54lb Mad River Explorer canoe as a hat.

Upon arrival at the shoreline, I selected a silver phoebe and went about trying to catch a brook trout for supper.

The smaller phoebe and mepps lured them in on this trip as well as a wabbler with a worm following 18″ behind on a bait hook. The wabler gets trolled at 1mph behind the canoe and you have the setup and speed correct when the rod tip twitches.

The pond was full of color including a few lovely patches of pitcher plants growing on a floating log.

The trout fishing was a success and it was time to get camp in order.  Only dead and down wood is allowed within the Adirondack Park so we found a decent white pine log to buck and split. Although pine (14btu) doesn’t do well at making coals, it did help create plenty of light and the heat needed to burn the damper hard red maple (24btu) we found.  It’s great having a partner in camp to help with these chores. As much as we like the process it can be time consuming especially when the days are getting shorter.

Once the wood had burned into a solid base of coals it was time for some campfire cookery.  The bacon went in first and sizzled and cried for the trout, lions mane mushroom, oyster mushroom and witches butter. It was delicious and eaten in the warmth of the fire as the cold creeped into camp.

The next morning I got the coffee pot boiling before fishing the quintessential Adirondack pond another day.

and took a moment to scrub the cold handle pan clean. I like to brush it with pine needles and than boil a bit of water to leave it ready.

We fished on and off with the rain and caught dinner again for the third night.  I used a trusty Mora Classic knife on this trip and cut the trout in half so they would fit in the pan.

That next morning we packed up, enjoyed the peacefulness and calm of the Adirondack landscape on a slow return paddle and drove back down south.

 

My friend helped me clean up the fire pit, pack out a pile of trash from the campsite including a broken folding chair and leave a bit of firewood behind for the next group.  It’s important to me that we act as stewards of these special places and always leave them better than we found them.

Cheers!  Health and Happiness My Friends.

“Being able to catch and eat fish on a journey provides a deep spiritual connection to the land” – Ray Mears