took the kid and "THE BIG ONE" into the Adirondak Mtns for the night.the same wilderness and stomping grounds as the famous and revered NESSMUK.

the weather was damp with sprinkles and the entire forest was soaked which we where soon to be as well.the leaf color was in its peak and was stunning.down state the leaves are still green.

we were hoping to see a bear or moose but didnt see crap.not even the big 'ole bear prints and dropping that usually litter the trails up here.this was my first time on this particular set of trails which probably go for 20 miles or so.

the access road i saw on the map turned out to be private property so a planned 2 mile hike on the way in turned into 4.i cant expect an 8 year old to carry too much so i carried most of both of ours gear,around 60 pounds.

except for the first 3 pics all of these where taken on the way out since the majority of our hike in was in the dark.

here's a pic of my nightmare.this kifaru pack thats supposed to be so comfortable absolutely killed me.i gotta give them a call.


here's my comrad


the first 1/8 of a mile are up a murderous incline where you have to use hands and feet to climb.here's the top.


someone beat us to the lean-to we where hoping for but i brought the tent in case and we found a nice spot right on the lake.this is untouched wilderness and i was thinking that as i stood there on that lake that i had the same exact view some indian had 200,300 years ago and more.





NMFBM,S6,ZT 301,GB 20"


some of these boulders are bigger then 2 story houses and my camera really cant give you a fell for their size.these boulders here go up about 200ft and are full of caves perfect for the healthy bear population.


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small beaver dam
[img]http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee295/dave9431/image12-9.jpg[/img]

the trail
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me after about 3.75 miles on the way out hunched over and hurting.my lower back was rubbed raw and is all red from the pack and my shoulders are killing me from where the straps bit into them for the 8 total miles.its not my most flattering picture.
[img]http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee295/dave9431/image19-4.jpg[/img]

i put a little "dent" in "THE BIG ONE" and got it looking like a user.the metal underneath looks black instead of the usual flat gray for those interested in stripping one.
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this thing is so sweet and is the only knife i have the actually digs deeper into the wood than my GB 20in hatchet.i just threw the hatchet back in the pack and let it take it easy for once.i did a lot of batoning with the S6 as well.