August 3 2001 I drove to Thendara and headed into the wilderness. I parked at the end of Tower Road, the trailhead for the Big Otter Lake trails. On the GPS track below, you'll notice a very straight line across the bottom - the GPS signal was too weak to navigate, and so the machine simply plotted a straight line between where it lost the signal (left end of line) and where it regained the signal, which was on the road at the Okara Lakes trailhead.
I left the trailhead on Trail 69 heading generally W. This trail was very good hiking - really a road, wide, gentle slopes. It would make a good ski or snowshoe. On the drive up I called Bob for the weather forecast, to see if I should pack my rain gear. He said there was no sign of any rain on the radar. But in the parking lot, it looked threatening, so I took it along. Less than a mile from the car, it began to thunder, and I donned the rain jacket and pack cover just as it began to rain. It didn't rain hard or long, but I was soaked from sweat by the time I took the jacket off. Probably would have been drier without it.
After about 5 miles, I turned left on the yellow-marked Middle Branch Lake Trail (72). After 0.7 miles I reached the junction with the red-marked side trail to the R (W), which descended 0.2 miles past a glacial boulder and ending at the Middle Branch Lake lean-to. This was 5.8 miles, and I spent Friday night here.
I took some photos, filled my water bottles and pans for dinner (later) and went into the lake in my clothes. They were soaked anyway, and I thought I might wash the salt out of them. Then I hung them up and went skinny-dipping for a swim. After that, I got dressed, put up the bear bag ropes, and called home. A woman hailed me from the shore, and asked if I minded if she camped near the lean-to. I said that was fine, and she could share the lean-to if she wanted, but she didn't. She put up her tent and went in for a swim. I cooked and ate my dinner. After dinner, the thunder started again, and it began to rain pretty hard. It didn't last very long, though.
After eating, it was getting dark, so I went to hang the garbage bag up with the bear bag. Around the corner of the lean-to I met two large dogs, a boxer and a Great Dane, and a big guy and a woman. They were hiking in wearing headlamps. They said not to worry, the dogs were friendly. I hung up my bag and went back to the lean-to to move my gear to one side. The dogs were into the lake, and then shaking. The Dane didn't like me much, and kept growling.
These folks were from Ithaca, the guy is a PhD candidate and his wife just finished her bachelor's degree. The boxer was 4 years old and the Dane 3. They began to spread out and cook dinner as the bugs began to step up activity. I decided to erect my Bughut and get away from the bugs, so I set it up in the corner. It was dark now. They mentioned that another couple was driving up from Ithaca, but later. They said they talked about hiking in in the dark, but maybe they'd sleep in the car and hike in in the morning. Anyway, I laid down and could not sleep. After they had dinner and fed the dogs, they began to lay down. The dogs were whining. The boxer was in the lean-to, the Dane pacing. Then they tried bringing the Dane in the lean-to. Then the Dane jumped back out. Then they took the dogs to the tent they had set up behind the lean-to. Then they came back. Then they went back to the tent. I wasn't sleeping much.
Then about 11:30 I heard some more voices, and their friends had arrived. There was much back and forth. I didn't see the friends. Eventually, about 1:30, they all decided to sleep in their tents, and I finally went to sleep in the lean-to.
About 3:15 I woke up to the thunder and lightening. It rained hard for most of an hour. The lightening was pretty impressive. There was one really close blast. I woke up sometime later and the sky was clear, because I could see the nearly full moon setting. I went back to sleep. I was hoping to sleep in and get some rest. After all, the whole idea was to de-stress.
At 6:39, two women and two dogs came to the lean-to with some gear, and I was up. It turned out the second couple had a 3rd dog, that was very large. As I hustled to pack up, the dogs were in and out of the water. As I cooked my water for oatmeal, the boys laid out an inflatable raft and pumped it up inside the lean-to.
While I drank my coffee I went over to say hello to the swimming woman. She had been across the lake again this morning. I sensed a need to relate with someone polite. I wished her well. I hitched up and set out.
I was planning to head to Pine Lake lean-to for lunch, and then around toward Big Otter Lake for the night, maybe. I got back onto Trail 72 and headed south. I was having a lot of trouble. My left knee was aching and swollen, and didn't move quickly. I started having second thoughts about going that far. I also started sweating profusely, which I attribute to the heat and humidity. And, I realized I hadn't gotten much rest the night before.
After 1.1 miles, at the next junction, with Middle Settlement Lake Trail 73, I stopped, took the photos below, and looked at the map. I decided to take the Cedar Pond Lean-to Trail 74 instead of trail 73. This would bring me 2.2 miles to Brown's Tract Trail 76, which would in turn take me 3.9 miles back to the Thendara trailhead, after which another 0.8 miles I would be back to my car. I decided to bag the big loop for this shorter one.
At the branch to the Okara Lakes trailhead, a boardwalk bridge leads to the trailhead. This is where I took the Brown's Tract trail. This trail is not traveled much and is hard to see in many places. It is marked with yellow discs, but there are long stretches between discs. It helps that the trail follows the border of state land, and the yellow blazes on the trees help you follow the intended path.
After skirting the lakes, and coming very close to some homes there, you reach another trailhead which has a register, and is very close to the Okara Road. This is where I was able to re-acquire the GPS signal. From this point to the end of the trail, it is an old jeep trail, with little maintenance. In some places it looks like the bed of a washed out creek. But it is clear to follow and wider than the previous section. The trail comes out on a dirt road that then turns to blacktop, which comes out to NY28. I had been hearing the traffic for a long time, and the trucks hitting the bridge over the Moose River. I heard one blast that may have been a gun, but sounded like a cannon.
When I got to NY28, I could see traffic backed up heading North, and stop and go. The traffic was way backed up going into Thendara. I was keeping up with them on my way back to the trailhead. I don't know what the big hold-up was, but the traffic was backed up several miles back toward Utica. There must have been some festival in Old Forge.
