William Woodcleft Journeys

 Essex Chain Lakes

July 15-19, 2021

Day 1: Thursday, July 15, 2021

I left home around 6:30am, stopping first at the deli for a sandwich. I made good time to Hornbeck Boats in Olmsteadville, NY, arriving around 10am. They were quick to fit and install a yoke for my canoe. The yoke screws into the gunwales, just in front of the seat. The yoke has screws that go through the gunwales and is secured with wing nuts. I stow the yoke in the back of the boat when it is not in use. 

After leaving Hornbeck Boats, I continued on route 28N, arriving at the turn-off for the Essex Chain Lakes just after 11 am. The drive into the Essex Chain Lakes put-in is long, with some rough and wet spots enroute. I had to go very slow to avoid damage to the car. Having a high clearance, AWD vehicle would certainly be advantageous. Driving 5-7 mph, it seemed like it took forever to get to the parking area, which was around 12 pm.

There was only one other vehicle in the lot, a Jeep with Illinois license plates. Only one other person was signed into the register. Interestingly, someone from a town near home signed into the register the previous week. 

There were quite a few deer flies present as I organized my gear for the carry to Deer Pond. After signing into the register, I decided to single-carry my gear and canoe the quarter mile to Deer Pond. After arriving at Deer Pond, I removed the yoke, loaded the gear and did the short paddle across the pond to the carry on the other side (which was visible from shore). Both landings on Deer Pond were easily accessible and in good shape.

Once on the other side of Deer Pond, I decided to double-carry the half mile to the put-in on Third Lake. For the first trip, I took the pack, the thwart bag (which clips to the front of the pack) and the food dry bag. I stowed my PFD and the camera gear in the mesh bag that clips onto the back of the pack. 

The carry begins with a trail that goes through the woods, emerges into an open field area and on to a former logging road. There are signs that indicate that this is a canoe carry. Once at the logging road, I turned right and headed down the road towards the Third Lake put-in. The road was wide and clear with only a few slight uphills. After about 10 minutes of walking I saw a sign indicating that Third Lake was to the left and proceeded down a trail, through the woods, arriving at the lake in about a minute. There is a large, clear landing at the put-in, which makes it easy to load and launch the canoe. I deposited the gear and took a few minutes to drink some water and have a snack. I then headed back to Deer Pond to get the canoe.

After attaching the yoke and secured the paddle to the canoe thwarts with ties. I headed up the carry trail and onto the road. Part way there, I adjusted the paddle towards the back of the boat so that the front would go up, making it easier to see when walking. I also attached a piece of cord to the front of the boat to help control it when walking. In a short time I arrived at the Third Lake put-in. After setting the boat in the water, I loaded the gear into the boat and pushed off into Third Lake for the paddle towards Sixth Lake.

Third Lake is fairly large and very picturesque. There are small mountains that come close-by the lake. I paddled near the shore towards Fourth Lake, passing campsite #3, which is small and close to the water. 

A relatively narrow stream with many lily pads and standing dead trees connect Third and Fourth Lakes. Fourth Lake is smaller than Third and in my opinion, more attractive, particularly the areas with lily pads and standing dead trees. There is one (unattractive) designated campsite on Fourth and the island has a what looks like another site, but apparently camping is not permitted there.

Crossing Fourth Lake and continuing on towards Fifth Lake, I soon arrived at the culvert that connects the two lakes. Even though the current was strong, I was able to use the rope to pull myself through the culvert and into Fifth Lake. 

Fifth Lake is larger than Fourth but not as attractive. In the trees to the left of the culvert is a designated campsite. This site is handicap accessible, so many improvements have been made to it.

Crossing Fifth Lake, I soon came to the passage between Fifth and Sixth, again with lots of lily pads, standing dead trees and three beaver lodges. 

Sixth Lake is small but very interesting. I paddled along the right shoreline, passing a number of large white pines. Campsite #1 is on this shoreline, situated near some of these pines. It is a small site, right on the water.

I decided to continue on towards the end of the lake where campsite #2 is supposed to be, soon arriving there. Campsite #2 is the nicer of the two Sixth Lake campsites. It sits on a rise of land at the end of the lake, affording a view down Sixth Lake and also of Seventh Lake, which is nearby. 

The landing is to the right of the site and is good, making unloading/loading the canoe very easy. There is actually a firering there, but since fires are not yet permitted in the Essex Chain, I was not going to use it. A trail out of the back of the site leads back into the woods to the thunderbox. 

There are trees for a hammock and a flat area for tent, which I used to hang my tarp and bug shelter.

Day 2: Friday, July 16, 2021

There were noisy frogs all around the campsite last night making constant noise. I had a really good, flat hang in the hammock, but had a restless sleep. That sometimes happens on the first night out in the woods, but the noisy frogs and humidity could also have contributed to it. I woke up around midnight and the next time was at 6:30 am. After dozing off again, I got up around 8 am. I did a few camp chores, visited the thunderbox and then made breakfast: oatmeal with freeze-dried mixed berries, a breakfast biscuit and coffee with dried milk.

The weather is unsettled - much different from yesterday. It is mostly cloudy with an occasional glimpse of the sun. There is a steady wind with some gusts, which is good because it keeps the bugs at bay. Having the anemometer with me would be helpful, as it would be interesting to know just how strong the wind and gusts are. Some of the gusts are pretty strong, moving the tarp around. Sixth Lake is not that big, so it doesn't get too rough. Since the trees on the site are dispersed, the site is a bit exposed. Sixth Lake really gives one the sense of being remote, especially from this campsite, with the view of Seventh Lake and its dead trees and lily pads as well as in the other direction, looking down Sixth Lake towards Fifth, with the dead trees in the passage.

Later I went out for a paddle to get some water and explore Seventh Lake. It is the smallest of all the lakes I have seen thus far. It is lined with dead trees and water lilies. Like the other lakes, the DEC has put up a sign with the name of the lake. One must paddle through Lilypad beds to enter it. I would imagine that in low water, this might be somewhat difficult. I paddled the perimeter of the lake, with the exception of the far right, as there was a mother loon with two babies there that I didn't want to disturb. There are also two beaver lodges in Seventh. Since the loons were there, I was unable to poke around to try to find opening to Eighth Lake. Seventh is lined with low hills which come close to the lake. After paddling back out into Sixth and getting some water, I returned to the campsite. Once back at the campsite, I saw a tandem canoe enter Sixth Lake and paddle towards Seventh, enter it, paddle around a bit, turn and head back out towards Fifth.  These would be the only people I see during my trip.

Once I settled back into camp, I made lunch - half a package of Tuscan White Bean Soup (by Alessi), which was very filling. I was planning on having tuna on a pita as well, but the soup filled me up. Finishing lunch around 1 pm, I cleaned up from both breakfast and lunch and then boiled some water for Ovaltine. I took my book and chair, heading to the front of the campsite to site and read. The weather was still very unsettled, very cloudy and windy. Some of the clouds were dark, looking like they could bring rain. The wind was gusting strongly from time to time, keeping the bugs at bay. As I arrived at the front of the campsite, a small brown water bird scurried off to hide.

I had a small dinner - only tuna (from a pouch) and some crispbread.

There was a lot of bird activity around the campsite when I first went to bed around 10 pm. Loons and other water birds were calling. Also, a fox came near camp and did a lot barking. I had the tree ears up and recording, so hopefully all of that got recorded. 

The frogs made a lot of noise again all night long. I can see that as a reason why one might want to carry earplugs in your kit. I had to make a trip to the thunderbox around midnight, but that was not problem. I also got up again around 3:30 am. 

Day 3: Saturday, July 17, 2021

I slept much better that night. Looking back on the previous night, I think the inflatable pillow contributed to my discomfort and not sleeping well. It was also cooler (mid-60s), which made it more comfortable. The Costco down blanket, which I converted to an underquilt has worked great for summer hangs. The Pine Down blanket makes a good top quilt for the summer.

There was a light drizzle when I got up around 9 am. I had oatmeal (with freeze-dried berries), breakfast biscuits and coffee for breakfast. It got really quiet for awhile last night and I recalled hearing the stream in the woods behind the site that feeds into the lake. I decided to get my water from there (instead of the lake), so I took the water bag and the inReach and headed into the woods. A short ways into the woods I intersected with the stream and just followed it a short distance into the woods until I found a good place to collect the water. I marked this place with the inReach. Having this clean water source really makes this campsite complete, since it is already well situated - elevated (for breezes), good views in multiple directions, a fire ring, a good landing, plenty of space and trees nearby to hang a food bag. I decided I would stay here a couple more nights before relocating to one of the other lakes.

Around 10 am, as I was having breakfast, the rain picked up in intensity. I was dry and bug free under the tarp and in the bug net. Having the Marchway chair makes it comfortable, but the high back Marchway chair would have been even better. I checked the forecast and it was calling for rain all day, so it looked like it might be a day of reading and relaxing in camp. That's fine, it is part of what I enjoy doing when I am here, just taking in the sights, sounds and smells of the woods.

Day 4: Sunday, July 18, 2021

It poured hard all last night and until about 10 am this morning. There was not much wind, but it was a downpour all night. There were some leaks at the spreader pole tie outs that need to be seam-sealed when I get home. The rest of the tarp did fine, as did the Paria Outdoors tarp. Around 10 am a light drizzle started and continued on and off all morning. The forecast called for a 90% chance of rain with the temperature around 65 during the day and 57 at night. The weather is supposed to improve the following day, so that would be a good day to paddle and fish.

It is very peaceful here on Sixth Lake. The only people I have seen the entire time were the two paddlers the previous day and they just paddled in and out. Of course, the weather is probably keeping people out. The loons on Sixth really add to the experience, as they call out often. There are also other birds on the lake, including a bird of prey that I couldn't identify before it flew off. Besides the usual songbirds that are in the woods around the campsite, there are a couple of blue herons that have been flying in around 6:30 pm and land in the marshy areas around the lake to hunt. They even came in during the downpour last night. They fly out again around 8:30 pm. The rain was really heavy last night so I couldn't hear them calling out as usual, but I did see them fly in. 

Today I went to the stream again to get water. This time I decided to take the Platypus gravity filter system with me to filter a bag of water while I am at the stream so I could bring the "dirty" bag of water back to camp with me to filter later if more water was needed. I am thinking that having two "dirty" bags would make sense, as I would have more water on-hand to filter when needed.

About 1:20 pm, the rain started again, coming down heavy. The weather certainly limits what I can do (if I want to stay dry). Since I can't make a fire to dry out, staying dry is important. So that means I stay in the bug shelter, under the tent most of the time, only going out when the rain lets up. When it did let up, I ventured out from under the tarp and took photos of the flora around the campsite.

So I guess this is one of those relaxing Sunday afternoons. Around 2:30, the rain intensified again; the mountains that were usually visible at the far end of Sixth Lake were fully obscured by clouds.

Day 5: Monday, July 19, 2021

The heavy rain picked up again last night around 4 am and tapered off to a moderately hard rain around 6. It had stopped by the time I got up around 8. It is mostly gray skies with a few small patches of blue once in awhile. Around 9:45, it turned almost entirely cloudy and gray. The forecast is calling for a slight chance of moderate rain between 11 am and 1 pm, increasing chance until 9 pm. Tomorrow is supposed to be sunny between 9 am and 3 pm, with the heavy rain returning after that. So it looks like tomorrow is my window to leave dry. There is a slight breeze, which is drying out the tarps. Hopefully the rain will hold off to aid the drying out. 

Later I took a paddle around the circumference of Sixth and then Seventh lakes, taking photos and shooting some video. I rigged up the tree ears to the front thwart of the canoe to make a field recording as I paddled the lakes. 

The sun is out as I paddle and the lakes are beautiful. The loons are out and calling as I paddle. There is a slight breeze, making it very pleasant to paddle. Songbirds are singing in the forest as I paddle close to the shore.

I found Seventh Lake, though small, particularly interesting. There was a lot of bird and wildlife there and the plants were interesting, so I took my time paddling the circumference of this small lake, pausing to take photos and listen.

After my afternoon paddle, upon returning to the campsite I made lunch. I decided that if the forecast for good weather tomorrow turned out be correct, I would paddle to Third Lake and camp there for my final night in the Essex Chain Lakes. I spent some time in the late afternoon doing some preparation of gear for leaving tomorrow. After dinner, I sat by the shore of Sixth just taking in the sights and sounds as the sun set. Once darkness arrived, I turned in for the night.

Day 6: Tuesday, July 20, 2021

I did not make a journal entry for this day. The weather looked good. There were blue skies and scattered puffy white clouds. After getting up, I had a quick breakfast, broke camp and packed up for the paddle to Third Lake.

It was a beautiful day for a paddle. By the time I left (around 11 am), there were blue skies with a few scattered clouds. It was sunny and warm as I pushed off into Sixth Lake and said good-bye to campsite #2, offering thanks for a great stay. As I paddled across Sixth toward the passage to Fifth, one of the local loons called out. It was almost like he was bidding me good-bye. Passing one of the beaver lodges and entering into the passage between Sixth and Fifth, I paddled through the lilypads and noticed three blue herons sitting in trees near the water. As I approached, they flew off and landed on trees further ahead. This repeated itself a couple of more times until I came to the end of the passage and entered Fifth Lake. When I did that, they stayed put and watched me paddle by and head across Fifth Lake.

Once at the end of Fifth Lake, I approached the culvert to see if I could paddle through to Fourth. It quickly became evident that this was not going happen, as the water level had risen significantly because of all the rain over the last couple of days, making the opening in the culvert too low and the current too strong for me to enter and get through safely. So, I noted the landing to the left for the short carry over the road to Fourth. The landing ended up being partially submerged, so rather than unloading all the gear, each piece had to be taken out of the canoe one at a time and immediately carried up to the road. Last was the canoe. 

There is a small dock on the Fourth Lake side of the road. I carried the gear and canoe over to it, but quickly determined that it was not usable, as it not securely tethered to the shore. 

There was a suitable area nearby to place the canoe and load it. After doing so and taking a few photos, I decided to walk over and check out the Fifth Lake campsite. It is a large site with some obvious modifications for handicapped campers. Apparently, if one is handicapped, a permit may be obtained for use of the campsite and a gate opened so that they can drive into the site to camp. 

After a quick look around, I returned to the canoe and pushed off. Fourth Lake is small but picturesque. I paddled along the right shore to the island near the passage to Third Lake. When passing by the island, I noticed a table near the point and although I didn't get out to check it out, it appeared that the island had a suitable area to camp. This had me wondering why the DEC did not designate the island as a campsite, rather than the small, unattractive site they established on the opposite shore of the lake. 

Paddling past the island, I continued on into the passage between Fourth and Third lakes. The standing dead trees, lily pads and other water plants once again getting my attention. Upon entering Third Lake, I decided to check out the other campsites (besides #3) to see which one would be best. The closest one was campsite #4, so I turned to left and paddled along the shore, which was mostly lined with cedar trees and large rock formations. 

I was halfway along the shore and had not seen the site and knowing that I had already passed where it was supposed to be, turned around and paddled back along the shore, this time finding the site, which was tucked into a small cove. It was set back a short distance into the trees. I was about to the land to check out the site when the five loons that were just offshore when I paddled to the site all began calling out loudly. One even pretended to be hurt. I quickly realized that there is probably a nest nearby so I reversed direction and paddled away from the site so as not to bother them further. 

I headed across the lake to the shore I had paddled previously, passing campsite #3 and looking for campsite #2. I never found it. This was the second site that was difficult for me to find, so I think better marking of the campsites is needed. I soon reached the take-out for the carry to Deer Pond. Campsite #1 lay just beyond it, so I decided to check it out. As I paddled, I inadvertently took a look at the sky and noticed some dark clouds, which seemed to indicate the chance of rain. It was around 3:30 and I remembered that the forecast called for the return of rain in the afternoon, so quickly paddled over to site #1. It turned out to be a decent site, with suitable trees to hang a hammock. The sky had turned darker now and the chance of rain was clearly increasing. 

I drifted offshore from the site for a few minutes to consider my options: land, unload and set-up camp for the night; breaking camp the next day and then heading out or heading out earlier today and avoiding another evening and possibly a day in the rain tomorrow. I opted for the latter. It was 4:00 PM when I landed at the Third Lake put-in and unloaded the gear and pulled the canoe onshore. I decided to double-carry again, so I took the pack, thwart bag, food and camera bag first. It took me about 10 minutes of steady walking to reach the shore of Deer Pond. I dropped the gear and immediately headed back for canoe and paddle. 

Upon my return to my canoe at Third Lake, I fastened the yoke to the canoe and hung the PFD (with a carabiner) from the rear handle of the canoe to pull it down and afford myself an easier view of the ground ahead of me as I walked. After going up the trail from Third to the road, I noted that it was no longer sunny and had actually gotten significantly darker. I quickened my pace down the road, turned left at the trail and headed into the woods. In a minute I was by my gear at the edge of Deer Pond.

By this time it had gotten very dark and I had heard thunder in the distance. My options were to load up quickly and get across the pond or hunker down and wait out the approaching storm. I opted for the first option, removing the yoke and loading the canoe with my gear as expeditiously as possible. As I was doing so, the rain arrived. I quickly put on my rain jacket (no time for the pants), quickly got into the canoe and headed across the pond. 

The rain began coming down harder as I reached the shore. I heard thunder not too far away as I landed and quickly began unloading the gear from the canoe, laying it against the large white pine in the landing area. Just as I was doing so, there was a loud a flash and a loud crack of thunder right above me, so loud that I was startled by it. Then it seemed like the sky opened up as it really poured. I was under the trees and partially protected from the rain, but I knew I didn't want to be anywhere near that tall white pine, so I quickly grabbed some gear and nearly ran up the trail to the road that leads back to the parking area. 

When I reached the road, I dropped the gear and went right back down to get the rest of it and the canoe. It was still raining hard, but by the time I carried the remaining gear and canoe up to the road, the rain had stopped and the sun came out. I had gotten a good showering, but the rain jacket kept my upper body dry, only my pants were wet. It was sunny again and actually very warm as double-carried the gear and canoe up to the car, which was now the only one in the lot. Once everything was up and by the car, I signed out of the register, loaded the car, retrieved my "go bag" and after a quick sponge bath with a wash cloth, changed into fresh, clean clothes for the ride home. 

My trip to the Essex Chain Lakes had been both an exciting adventure and a chance to relax and enjoy the wilderness. It was interesting to visit a new area and it was all that I hoped it would be. I was presented with both physical and mental challenges which provided a sense of accomplishment. I now knew the upper lakes (Fourth-Seventh) in the chain very well, but still had the lower lakes (Third-First) to explore and get to know. I look forward to an opportunity to return to the Essex Chain Lakes sometime in the future to do so.