First camping trip with the hammock, and I'm sold! Not only was there almost no way to pitch a tent where we camped, but I slept better than I ever have camping before. I'm using a budget setup purchased on Amazon: Oak Creek Outdoor Supply Lost Valley Hammock bundle (which includes the hammock with integral bug net, tree straps, carabiners, tarp and guy lines).
My friend Eric and I arrived to the Boreas Ponds Tract access road late Thursday night, May 2. We snoozed in the car overnight, and then packed the Kayaks for the hike in first thing in the morning 5/3. Unfortunately the gate to the access road was closed, effectively doubling the length of the hike in - to about 6 miles. Not bad if we weren't dragging kayaks in the pouring rain... up hill.
The 6 mile hike took about 6 hours on Friday, including a stop to make some lunch and refill on water. Then we arrived at the dam between the Boreas River and Second Pond, where we unpacked the kayaks and loaded them for the paddle across the pond to find a campsite. After exploring a couple of spots, we finally settled on one that wasn't too thickly overgrown with underbrush. The terrain here is very uneven, with a thick layer of soggy moss and leaves, and LOTS of deadfall. There was seriously no way to camp with a tent if we had brought one; even finding a good spot for hammocks was a challenge.
Short video of our little camp:
https://youtu.be/bJpNCOXtB1k
Saturday morning was just as misty and foggy as Friday evening had been after the rain died down, but that's better than the downpour we had for most of the day Friday. We spent Saturday morning paddling around the pond, attempting to fish - without a single bite all day. Not one little brook trout or minnow to be seen. Nada! About half the pond was still frozen over with about a 3" layer of ice, so that made the kayaking more fun at times.
The sun finally came out Saturday afternoon, so after lunch we tried some more fishing in the pond and then in the river - both without any luck. It rained lightly again Saturday evening, but stopped long enough to produce a gorgeous sunset! And even with all the rain, I stayed warm and dry in my hammock! I was really afraid of getting cold as temps dipped into the mid/low 40's, but I was snug and cozy all night in my 0° bag with pad under it.
Sunday morning we had perfect weather for the trip out - sunny and warm, with just a light breeze. We had some breakfast, packed up camp, paddled back to the trail (where we were very surprised to see a couple mountain biking, encountering other people out there was unexpected), and then loaded the kayaks for the 6 mile hike back out to the car - which went a lot faster in the nice weather than it had on Friday in the rain.
All in all a good trip despite the weather, and the hammock was great - I'll be posting a review of it soon. If you're looking for a remote/wilderness area to camp in the Adirondacks, but one that still has easy access - give Boreas Ponds a look. Other than the access road, its basically completely untouched.
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Originally Posted by wsp_scott
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