Adirondack Canoe Adventure l Carrying my canoe 3 miles to a remote lake l Hiking l Paddling

Recently I carried my canoe 3 miles into Middle Settlement Lake in the west central Adirondacks outside of Old Forge, NY. I've been eyeing this adventure for a while now. This is one of the reasons I originally purchased light weight carbon/kevlar canoes in order to explore ponds and lakes further into the wilderness.
Middle Settlement Lake is located in the 26,600 acre Ha-de-ron-dah Wilderness in the western foothills of the Adirondacks, there is a lean to located on the lake as well. Almost immediately after signing the trailhead register you are treated with 2/10 of a mile steep climb. From here the trail descends and becomes relatively rolling all the way to the lake. However there are some muddy sections and at one point I thought I was going to literally loose my shoes.
Once we reached the 46 acre lake we discovered a large group currently at the lean-to. We were disappointed but found a nearby vacant campsite to take a break and have lunch.
I enjoyed paddling this lake and the adventure of getting there and back. I will say by time I got back to my car I was done. It was so humid on the trail and my clothes were completely soaked through. In the end I was happy that I did it!
Gear used:
Canoe: Adirondack Canoe Company "Boreas" 14' long @ 24#'s
Camera: DJI Osmo Action
Water Bottle: Katadyn Be Free
Note: I'm estimating total gear weight including my backpack was about 34-35#'s for this journey.

[@tanacarpenter1219]

That was awesome, Joe... can't imagine doing that carry through the boulders. To do it in cool weather would have been a difficult feat, but in that humidity which we've been experiencing... wow!!! Thanks for sharing and taking me along on your adventure!!!

[@mrgjoe]

The humidity was tough but the boulders were like a mini challenge and it was really neat. Thank you for watching!

[@hike-bike-paddle-and-drone]

Awesome! Not many people have had that perspective of the Lake! I see you featured that initial killer climb and the erratics on the trail at the north end of the Lake! I laughed when you were saying "How's it going" to the dumbfounded on shore! LOL!! I forgot about that huge erratic in the Lake on the north end, cool video!

[@mrgjoe]

Thank you for watching, I greatly appreciate it. You know I don't believe they knew what to think when some random guy paddles past in a canoe🤣🤣

[@justinparker5518]

Great little video. I really enjoy doing the same thing in my ACC Haystack.

[@mrgjoe]

Hey Justin, glad you enjoyed the video. Even better you have an ACC as well.

[@BackcountryPaddler]

3 miles! That's no cake walk. Nice job dude!

[@mrgjoe]

It was tough especially with the humidity. I probably should have not shoulder carried also. Thanks for watching!

[@BackcountryPaddler]

@@mrgjoe I was thinking that too. I'm not sure I even portaged 3 miles total on my 4 day trip! Haha

[@mrgjoe]

@@BackcountryPaddler 🤣🤣 your trip looked awesome!

[@SuperPangloss]

We winter camp there. That first little hill is a pain dragging yer polk up and over it!

[@mrgjoe]

That hill is short but sweet I'll say!

[@ralphgeronimo107]

Very impressive Joseph------- Now for a TEN with Rain Forest Tonic and a Key Lime----

[@mrgjoe]

Amen!

[@davecurtis2970]

Time for some air-conditioning..........yeah right! What a great way to see that "neck of the woods"! I've been canoeing family members that live in the Tampa, FL area and have really enjoyed it. Never done it around here though.........I should......don't have to worry about gators!

[@mrgjoe]

At least my car was air conditioned. I love the adventure of carrying to remote lakes or ponds. And yeah no gators is a huge plus!

[@T3PinR]

Nice cherry gunnels Joe. What does that boat weigh? Hey wait!..........I didn't see a beer.

[@mrgjoe]

Thank you! The boat weighs 24#'s and I had a few afterwards over at Northway Brewing in Queensbury, NY.

[@ADKAddicts]

Hello, is the seat comfortable sitting right on the bottom of the boat like it is? I went with a Swift for the seat but my brother is in the market for a new boat and he is considering the Adirondack Canoe Co Boreas but is concerned about the seat situation. Thanks.

[@mrgjoe]

Ok hands down Swift has the best seat. I find this particular seat mostly comfortable but I believe they changed their seat this year so I'd reach out to them. In my personal opinion and I've owned the boat since June 2019 you cannot go wrong with a Boreas, especially at that price point. If you can definitely try and test paddle it.

[@ADKAddicts]

@@mrgjoe thank you. Yeah I saw there new design is wood with webbing that gets you off the bottom. Not sure which one would be better. We’ll definitely go check them out.

[@mrgjoe]

@@ADKAddicts I think that would be best just so you know. Good luck in your search!

[@johnrusso4970]

I visited Swift HQ in April to check out all the boats and seating options. I chose the Prospector 14 solo with the multi height seat pod traditional seat and carbon foot bar. Paddled it for the 1st time today and its an impressive boat.

[@TRSwanVideos]

So which boat do you like better? The Hornbeck or the Adirondack? What's more comfortable? I'm 6'1" 220 and carry up to 30# of kit/food everytime I am out.

[@mrgjoe]

Honestly I like them both pretty much equally. I'm pretty much the same as you, 6'1 #218 and carry more often 50#. The ADK Canoe has a foam core in the bottom of the boat for its floatation where the Hornbeck uses the seat as its floatation. As far as comfort I'm on the fence. I paddle a true solo boat as well and that in my opinion is the most comfortable. Hope this helps?

[@DJP0413]

@@mrgjoecame to ask this same question! So you have both just for your collection’s sake, or do you find yourself using them for different types of trips? Don’t see a lot of people single blading pack boats either, but I’m gonna pick up a shorter paddle to try with my hornbeck this season. I picked up a new tricks 14 secondhand with the “dog package,” so it actually has a couple small float tanks for extra buoyancy

[@mrgjoe]

@@DJP0413I do not own this boat anymore. Not because I didn’t like it or there was something wrong with it, I wound up selling to a friend. IMO you cannot go wrong with an NT14. I love paddling my NT14 with a single blade

[@leannefrye4341]

Did you ever go to Terror Lake in the Adirondacks?

[@mrgjoe]

I have not and to be honest I've never heard of Terror lake...

[@leannefrye4341]

@@mrgjoe It is in the Pigeon Lake Wilderness area Near Still Water. I have a friend that wants to hike there, but I can’t find any current info. I think the hike is out of our league! Thank you for responding 😊

[@mrgjoe]

@@leannefrye4341 just did some quick research and it appears to have some bushwacks to get there? Here is one thread I found... www.adkforum.com/forum/the-adirondack-forum/general-adirondack-discussion/3485-terror-lake

[@leannefrye4341]

@@mrgjoe Thank you!

[@mrgjoe]

@@leannefrye4341 you're welcome and thank you for reaching out..

[@martinneps9387]

What kind of Canoe is this and where are they sold please comment back thank you for this video

[@mrgjoe]

This is a Kevlar/carbon pack canoe made by the Adirondack Canoe Company in Mineville, NY. They are only sold through the dealer “Adirondack Canoe Company”. Thank you for taking the time to watch.

[@martinneps9387]

@@mrgjoe How expensive are they please comment bacomment back I'm looking for a halfway decent Canoe cheap to retrieve RC boats

[@mrgjoe]

@@martinneps9387 these boats are not cheap, this one is $2,000...

[@martinneps9387]

@@mrgjoe OK thank you

[@mrgjoe]

@@martinneps9387 you're welcome and thank you again for watching!