I'm putting this out to any RICKA members who have overnight canoe-kayak camping experience. If you have at least been on one of my overnighters (or one of Eric Eckilson's), and have the equipment for some cold-weather off-grid wilderness camping, read on for more details:

I am planning a three-night trip over Columbus Day Weekend, Friday-Sunday night, returning on Monday. My intended destination is the area of Follensby Clear Pond, Fish Creek Ponds and Floodwood Pond. I would want to put in at the Spider Creek access point and camp somewhere on Follensby Clear Pond that night. After that, it is flexible and may be weather dependent. One option is to paddle down Spider Creek to Fish Creek Ponds and up Fish Creek to Floodwood (or another) Pond. This also gives us some hiking options if we want to stay at the camp the next 2 nights. Another option is to head out to Upper Saranac Lake and grab either a peninsula or island campsite, with opportunities to explore some other portions of the Lake the next day (if we stay the next 2 nights). A third option is to hop over to one of the other ponds off Follensby Clear for a night, and then hop back for a third night...this would require carries. We can decide what we want to do when we get up there, depending on the weather.

This is rain, snow or shine. I plan to go regardless and deal with the conditions. If we get to the first campsite and have to hanker down under a giant tarp drinking and pigging out on comfort food all weekend, I'm good with that. It's good practice for longer trips where one often doesn't have a choice.

You must have your own boat, and your own camping equipment. Right now, food is also all on your own, but once I have a group finalized (I have three openings, max group is 6, and I have 2 others besides me who are in) we may arrange some group meals if the group is amenable.

If you want to sign up for this trip, you must contact me at chorbert13@gmail.com. If I do not know you, or if you have not camped with us before, I may ask questions before I let you in on this, for my safety and the safety of others. This is wilderness camping with little to no comforts other than a fire ring and, if we are lucky, a table or thunder box.

-Chuck Horbert, Wilderness Chair