Fish Creek Campground - Rollins Loop

[themadindian]

I had a different group trip fall apart in the Adirondacks so rather than give up the time off I started looking at maps and realized I could do both the Rollins Loop and Follensby Clear loop from Fish Creek campground and the Adirondack rail trail was right there as well. I found a site on square pond and booked it for 3 nights.

Since the campground is dog friendly I brought my Texas Heeler since he loves camping, canoeing and the biking.


Made sure we stopped and got firewood once we were in the park


Got lucky with some trees for the hammock although a little close to the neighbors


Got camp set up and made us dinner


Went for a sunset paddle out to Fish Creek pond and back


Our site from the water


Would you believe me if I told you he knows fire prep?








Made breakfast while the steam fog burned off the lake


Packed up the Shearwater with a full overnight setup to see how easily I can single carry a 40lb pack, with the dog and canoe and also to see how efficient my new setup using gear ties for my paddles was.


Here we are going into Fish Creek on the way to Copperas pond, usually he's between the thwart and me but I think the space in the Pocket Canyon is spoiling him


Water was pretty low everywhere but that also made the portage trail dry It took me 2m18s to secure my paddles to the canoe and all the loose stuff to my pack and get the canoe on my shoulders, I was pretty happy. This on the way from Copperas pond to Whey pond


Whey pond


Quick portage over to Rollins pond. You can kind of see how I have the paddles secured, they act as my carry thwart. Funny thing my dog, if he doesn't think he can jump to dry land, I have to go get him and take him out.


We stopped for lunch on Rollins pond halfway to the outlet to Floodwood pond, like I said it was really dry



I skipped the portage to Floodwood thinking the creek would eventually deepen enough, it didn't. Of course my dog didn't want to walk the creek and every time he'd want to be by me the canoe would get too bow heavy and I'd have to stop and move him back toward the center to get the canoe to float again



All in all the tests went well, I think I did pretty good time wise for taking my time. I will say I need a different solution in the Shearwater for my ankles, the seat is lower than I'm used for kneeling and it puts a lot more pressure on my ankles than any of my other canoes, usually about 2ish hours, it starts to get real painful. I try to sit when I can but I can't counter the dog fast enough when sitting in motorboat wakes confidently, well at least not in my mind ;-) And that was the last mile and a half


The next day was SUPER windy and I didn't feel like battling my way around Follensby loop in that so that was it for the canoe stuff.


We spent the rest of the time hiking and biking.


Found a feather while hiking, not sure if it's a red tailed hawk or a barred owl


We were going to take a paddle early Sunday but it rained on us so we slept in and packed up. We will definitely be back to do both loops.




We stopped at Martha's in Lake George on the way home...

 

[Alan Gage]

Thanks for sharing. Looked like a fun trip with a good friend. That dog bed looks super posh!

Alan

 

[themadindian]

Thanks for sharing. Looked like a fun trip with a good friend. That dog bed looks super posh!

Alan

I got it from Chewy years ago, it's even got bolsters that velcro on.

 

[Robin]

Nice pictures, we (family) did Rollins many years ago, what a nice place. Thanks for sharing your trip.

 

[snapper]

Thanks for sharing your adventure. Nothing like having your dog along for the fun. As for the feather; I'm pretty sure it's from an owl. I say that because of the "feathery" edges on it. That feature is what allows owls to fly silently through the nighttime woods when hunting for prey.

That's all for now. Take care and until next time...be well.

snapper

 

[tketcham]

... I could do both the Rollins Loop and Follensby Clear loop

That complex is a nice mix of developed and dispersed campsites with multiple loop possibilities. Due to earlier commitments and recent injuries I haven't been over there yet this year. Your post is good motivation for me to recover quickly and get back in a canoe.

I noticed you use a quilt(?) for your hammock. I'll be using a hammock for canoe tripping when I get back to camping. I went with a sleeping bag and foam pad in the hammock's double layer sleeve. (No particular reason other than I'm a side sleeper and this hammock was recommended.) I'm looking forward to the changeover from tenting.

 

[themadindian]

Thanks for sharing your adventure. Nothing like having your dog along for the fun. As for the feather; I'm pretty sure it's from an owl. I say that because of the "feathery" edges on it. That feature is what allows owls to fly silently through the nighttime woods when hunting for prey.

That's all for now. Take care and until next time...be well.

snapper

Thanks for that, I wasn't sure if it was the "feathery" edge or damage.

 

[themadindian]

That complex is a nice mix of developed and dispersed campsites with multiple loop possibilities. Due to earlier commitments and recent injuries I haven't been over there yet this year. Your post is good motivation for me to recover quickly and get back in a canoe.

I noticed you use a quilt(?) for your hammock. I'll be using a hammock for canoe tripping when I get back to camping. I went with a sleeping bag and foam pad in the hammock's double layer sleeve. (No particular reason other than I'm a side sleeper and this hammock was recommended.) I'm looking forward to the changeover from tenting.

That's my new hammock setup and it's 10yrs old already. I prefer quilts over pads in single layer hammocks. For double layer a pad makes a little more sense especially since it makes going to ground much easier.

 

[tketcham]

For double layer a pad makes a little more sense especially since it makes going to ground much easier.

I hadn't thought about "going to ground" but I guess it makes sense if the trees aren't there at a campground site. I decided to "go to air" this year because I often see better hammock setups than tent spots at dispersed sites. I also like the idea of being able to string a hammock just about anywhere, especially in New England. But I digress...

 

[Alan Gage]

I decided to "go to air" this year because I often see better hammock setups than tent spots at dispersed sites.

I've done both and I definitely suffer from "The grass is always greener" syndrome.

When I want to hammock all the sites seem better suited to tents and when I'm tenting the trees look like great places to hang.

Alan

 

[Rusty Ole' Bucket]

I hadn't thought about "going to ground" but I guess it makes sense if the trees aren't there at a campground site. I decided to "go to air" this year because I often see better hammock setups than tent spots at dispersed sites. I also like the idea of being able to string a hammock just about anywhere, especially in New England. But I digress...

Great trip report! I'm hoping to get the smaller of my two dogs use to going in the canoe, I love having them with me camping. I had a little chi mix that would hang on my kayak and go everywhere with me, but he was only 13 pounds, sadly Louie is gone now. Cheese is 45 pounds and can be calm if he wants to, but he's also a spaz sometimes. He's a pittie mix and still young, not quite 2, with some work I think we can get it going, he's a good boy.

Hennessy has a how-to-page illustrating different ways to go to ground, but it would apply to most any hammock set-up. They even show one coming off a bicycle. I've only had to do it once in all this time camping in hammocks, it was before I got my Hennessy, but it's not hard to do on the fly with a little imagination. I cut 4 willow poles and made a couple of a-frames. We were on a sandbar, it turned out to be super comfy.