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Bog River/Low's Aug '13

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Location
Aberdeen, MD
Hey all. Took a trip up to the Bog River and Low's a couple weeks ago. Rained Wed, Th, and Friday, and I had a great Sat/Sunday. Learned a lot about myself and my gear. This is my 2nd trip with my 'new' 1950 Old Town Yankee, and my first (and last) solo trip with it. At 74#, it is entirely too heavy to handle alone, even on short portages. It's not easy to carry, but I can do it. But getting it up on my shoulders was a near impossibility by myself, and I will be bringing my uncle's OT Fifty-Pounder on future solo trips.

I tried cooking over a fire again, something I've not routinely done since Scouts, using a tripod to hold my pot. Worked great. The only time I burned the bacon was on the last day, when, feeling lazy, I used my stove for breakfast. It took a lot of effort to process as much wood as I did (a 12' section off a dead maple about 8" thick), but the next guy in my site got a nice gift of firewood. I'd forgotten how nicely maple splits, especially in short (7-9") lengths.

It rained Wednesday night as I went in, but cleared enough for me to have a fire at Campsite 3 on the Bog River. Thursday morning was overcast, but the rain held off until I got to Campsite 21 on Low's. Then it cut loose, alternating on and off for hours. I used that time to cut down the standing dead maple, and just jumped in the lake to cool off when I needed to. Thursday night around 1130pm, it really cut loose and didn't stop til noon Friday. The lake was up about 6" the next morning. I spoke with a guy on the way out Sunday who said they'd left a 5-gallon bucket out overnight, and it had 9" of water in it. My gear held up, and I stayed mostly dry. I learned though, that firestarters are a great thing to have, so always bring some.

On the other end of the scale, I met some folks who camp differently than I do... full coolers (beer, milk, eggs, chicken), one guy with a bunch of chemically-laden fire logs (NO fire skills at all), and one group that brought pretty much everything you could imagine... tables, chairs, large stoves, lanterns, giant tents, wine, cigars, etc... not criticizing, just sorta surprised me that they made it that far in having to portage it all... about like car camping. I digress.

Spent a glorious day out on Saturday... spent 4 hours up on a mountain top, and another 2-3 hours paddling around Grass Pond, returning to my camp on Site 21 in the early evening for dinner and a fire. Caught about 9 bass (all little, but they're all fun) over the time I was there (so, about $4 a fish). Pics are here:

https://www.facebook.com/almarte/media_set?set=a.10201027836996105.1073741830.1172884947&type=1
 
Looks like you had some nice weather to hike. Nice boat too! Not surprising you found the cooler crowd. That one carry is cartable and cooler friendly unfortunately. I have met people there who seemed to have their whole HOUSE with them. I LOL when the ranger booted them out. They were camped at the old estate ruins and seemed to have not been able to read the sign "no camping"

And as they took their tents down..it poured! There IS a God!
 
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I LOL when the ranger booted them out. They were camped at the old estate ruins and seemed to have been able to read the sign "no camping". And as they took their tents down..it poured! There IS a God!

That's a hard woman (the ranger) right there... I met her Thursday, just about where she "parks" her kayak, coming back from somewhere, and again, driving into a headwind, Sunday morning, on her way down the lake to check campsites and clean them up before the next crowd came in Sunday afternoon... Really nice lady.

Yes, I did have great weather Sat/Sun. made the previous days of rain worth it.
 
That's a hard woman (the ranger) right there... I met her Thursday, just about where she "parks" her kayak, coming back from somewhere, and again, driving into a headwind, Sunday morning, on her way down the lake to check campsites and clean them up before the next crowd came in Sunday afternoon... Really nice lady.
That would be Dawn. She's the Assistant DEC Ranger. You can always recognize her from a distance by her green kayak and yellow blade paddles. She does her best to keep the area in line. She and her husband Greg and home-schooled kids live right there along the flow, just up the hill barely out of sight from an undisclosed access point. Greg is the full time BSA camp ranger. Since I'm in there at twice a year, I always try to meet her to get caught up on happenings... chatted with her just a couple of weeks ago. Their daughter is getting married one of these weekends (last or next?) at Lookout Point. LP is BSA property, but unquestionably is the best piece of real estate on the lake.
 
Nice shots. Thanks for sharing.

The rain sucks if you come a long way and only get a few days in the ADKs... it is always a risk. But those days like you had at the end are what always keep you coming back, or at least keep me coming back...
 
Yeah. But I can only come up when I have time off. Funny... I was up over the 4th of July weekend, in the St Regis with my daughter, and it rained 3 days straight... at least I got 2 nice days out of this trip. Went down to the Finger Lakes Trail about a week later, with my BiL and the weather was really nice all 3 days. oh well. As my daughter said, the rain is the cost for all the great trips we've had the last couple years.
 
LP is BSA property, but unquestionably is the best piece of real estate on the lake.

Lookout Point was one of August Low's favorite places. His family used to like it for picnics. If you look closely when you pass by, you can see a pipe sticking up out of the ground at the very tip, down near the water. That used to be a pump/well. On top of the Point, which you can't see, is an old bbq pit/fireplace.
 
Lookout Point was one of August Low's favorite places. His family used to like it for picnics. If you look closely when you pass by, you can see a pipe sticking up out of the ground at the very tip, down near the water. That used to be a pump/well. On top of the Point, which you can't see, is an old bbq pit/fireplace.
Lookout Point being BSA property, the BSA National Camping School Voyageur Trek Leader Guide's training course concludes their 8 days of training at Lookout Point with a very special graduation ceremony and traditional breakfast. Generally we have a class of around 20 students plus instructors. At the end of their week, four newly trained crews paddle in from their last night on the lake in silence to arrive simultaneously at LP at precisely 0500 AM. Other instructors have prepared a nice fire in the fire pit to guide them in. I will then prepare a massive supply of bannock and corn meal mush and beans for everyone. Almost as if on cue, several loons will make their calls just at the most perfect time during the closing ceremony. This was my 24th year of having the honor of being a guide instructor.

http://[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/lT6Jjgi.jpg[/IMG]
 
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Nice report Seeker, I checked your pictures, very nice. Did you do some carving while in there, I noticed something by the woodpile that looked pretty interesting. Your hike pictures are nice.
I met Dawn again last October on my way in to my one week deer hunt. She is a nice lady.
I have stayed at campsite 3 twice after a late arrival, I liked the site alot.
74lbs can be tough to get up on the shoulders, especially after some rain, but man, that's a nice looking canoe. I'm bringing my home made canoe cart this fall if I go back there, makes life alot easier on the portage at the falls. I'll just ditch it in the woods along the way in.
With all the rain, did you float down the channel at the floating bog?

yknpdlr:
Great story and picture, very interesting, must be a special evening.
 
Awwww, I can't seem to see those photos. Could it be my firewall here at work? Or is it because I am not part of the "facebook" crowd?
 
Nice report Seeker, I checked your pictures, very nice. Did you do some carving while in there, I noticed something by the woodpile that looked pretty interesting. Your hike pictures are nice.
I met Dawn again last October on my way in to my one week deer hunt. She is a nice lady.
I have stayed at campsite 3 twice after a late arrival, I liked the site alot.
74lbs can be tough to get up on the shoulders, especially after some rain, but man, that's a nice looking canoe. I'm bringing my home made canoe cart this fall if I go back there, makes life alot easier on the portage at the falls. I'll just ditch it in the woods along the way in.
With all the rain, did you float down the channel at the floating bog?

I'm not sure if my comments/labels show up in FB... but yes, I did do some carving/whittling... mostly on Friday, waiting out the rain... I made a chicken (and left it in the center of the fire pit) and a very crude gnome (and left him on the chopping block).

If you decide to ditch the portage wheels, and you see Dawn, let her know you've done that, so she doesn't police it up... she's got quite a collection of broken ones that people have abandoned/trashed, in her garage. occasionally she gets enough "parts" that greg can cobble together a good one. Hmm... maybe we can talk her into leaving a "public cart" there, for all to use...

Going in, the bog channel was ok, but coming out, it was pretty good... hardly had to slow down at all!
 
Nice TR.
I was there August 13th to the 17th. I would bet we passed somewhere, you started on site 3 and I ended on site 3 (last 2 nights).

Talked to ranger Dawn Wednesday morning in grass pond, and again Friday at the upper dam. She is a nice lady and does a great job.

A13D71DE-70CA-4C37-9D7A-D95BDB3C20A6-5089-000007D6455AEB9E_zpsfed6517a.jpg
 
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