Duck Hole Part 1

Duck Hole via Henderson Lake, August 19-21, 2011 Part 1

After a long talk with one of my colleagues I finally found a new spot in the Adirondacks to explore, Duck Hole. A little more secluded then most canoe camping venues in the park it requires 4 portages. 3 are short and easy, but the other, is one of those carries that makes you question your passion for the outdoors. Duck Hole is the essence of flat water paddling in the Adirondacks. It offers some of the best and most unique views of the high peaks in the park. It is a man made lake, originally dammed to help fight forest fires by a logging company around 1912. The dam has been in rough shape for the past decade or so. The issue to repair or replace a dam in an area designated as forever wild has brought with it a large debate. More on that later…

Joining the real world last summer has put a major ruffle in getting out in the woods in a timely fashion. The plan was to leave work in Syracuse area as soon as possible, pick up the puppy and the canoe and take off for Upper works a short 4 hr. drive away. I was to meet Tyler at a Lean-to at the beginning of the portage between Henderson Lake and Upper Preston Pond. Tyler, who had a considerably shorter drive up, was going to get the 1.1 mile portage out of the way Friday night while I was driving up, and hike back to meet me at the lean-to before dark. It was a perfect plan for the perfect late summer trip.

20 minutes into my drive I hit a 13-mile standstill on I-90…not so perfect. After about an hour and a half delay I was back moving. The goal of getting to the lean-to before sunset is now out of the question. I arrive at the Upper works Parking area at 9:30 PM. For those that have never been, the upper works parking area is at the end of the historic Tahawus tract. This is an area rich in Adirondack history. It contains what used to be The Adirondack Iron works, and the small settlement that formed around the business in the mid 1800's. By day the area would be great to explore, it contains a 50-60 ft. blast furnace and many buildings from around the 1850's. This even includes the house that Teddy Roosevelt stayed at during his hike up Mount Marcy, where he received the news that McKinley had been shot. Very interesting stuff...during the day. At night, Tahawus looks less like an interesting historical site and more like an abandoned ghost town, especially when you are alone without cell phone service.

The parking lot has 20 or so cars in it, but there was no sign of any other people. It is pitch black out, a perfectly clear night, but no moon. I proceed to unload my Hornbeck, gear and Hudson(my ferocious 6-month old golden retriever) by headlight and work up enough courage to start the half mile carry to Henderson Lake. On my way out of the parking lot, I see Tyler's truck (old blue) and I was a little relieved knowing that he was out there waiting; I go to sign in and get moving. I sign in the logbook, but I do not see Tyler's entry. Without thinking much about it I get going.

The carry from Upper works to Henderson Lake is simple. It’s about .5 miles on a nicely groomed trail following the very beginning part of the Hudson River. It was a bit challenging to balance my pack, 14 ft. canoe and a very excited puppy all by headlight. By the time I got to Henderson Lake it was about 10:15 PM. I did not hesitate in packing up my boat and getting out on the water with the dog. The water was much warmer than the air, causing a dense cloud of steam to lift off the lake. My headlamp was about as useful as high beams in fog. I switch off my light and after a minute or so my eyes adjusted to the moonless night. I was looking at, to this day, the most beautiful thing I have ever seen in nature. All I saw were silhouettes of enormous mountains cascading into the water, and perfect reflections of the night's sky being lifted up by a gray steam. No picture could capture the perfection that surrounded me. I continued to keep my light off and I followed the eastern shoreline until I got out of the first Bay of Henderson Lake and then began to paddle towards the northwestern corner of the lake, where according to my map the portage begins and Tyler should be waiting.

As I reach the northwest corner, I turn back on my headlamp scanning those shore for that beautiful ADK reflective trail markers to no avail. I hear a stream a couple hundred feet up from me start heading that way. The portage from Henderson to Upper Preston Pond follows that stream, so I was in luck. Unfortunately it is still pitch black out and I managed to paddle myself and get stuck in about 6 inches of water and 10 feet of muck. I am also getting very concerned that there is no sign of Tyler. No fire, no smoke, no lantern and no answer to my echoing calls from the water. I was able to shake loose from the muck and take my boat out next to the stream. Still no trail marker or sign of other people. I leave my pack and the canoe there and start searching for the lean-to, praying that Tyler is there. After 20 minutes of calling for Tyler and hopelessly following the lakes edge and circling back towards the stream I am getting very concerned. I was beginning to second guess whether or not he was even out there. He didn’t sign in to the book, was that really his truck? Was the lean-to even there? It wasn’t on the map, I am solely going off of information passed on to me by my colleague at this point. Just as I was on the verge of accepting the fact that I was going to be alone in the wilderness that night, I find him, snoring, tucked up in the back of the Lean-to. When I woke him up he was a little jumpy, thought it was 3 AM (it was about 11:30 PM) and told me, " Dude, I didn't think you were coming"…what a good friend.