Day 1 – 8/22/04 – Northville to Silver Lake

Dave

A perfect start to the trip, absolutely beautiful. We are just now settling into Silver Lake Lean-to after an easy 7 miles. On the way here we took the .1 mile side trip to Rock Lake, a very short walk to a pleasant body of water, and I am glad we did as it was something I neglected 2 years ago.

Took a nice swim in Silver Lake after pumping some water and getting set up in the lean-to. Looking forward to trying out the new sleeping bag and pad and I am LOVING my trail shoes so far.

The trail itself is very wet and muddy compared to last time – we even had a stream crossing that required us to take off our shoes and roll up the pants. . . because of the drought, I did not encounter anything like this on my solo hike. It will be interesting to see how the trail is different because of this rainy summer.

Trail Tip: The single best piece of advice I can give thru-hikers is to consider your footwear carefully. Make sure that it fits properly, and that it is broken in and comfortable. On this hike I decided against ‘traditional’ hiking boots and instead set off in a pair of light trail runners. This turned out to be the best gear decision of the trip, one that paid off in healthy and happy feet for the duration of the hike.

Silver Lake Sunset

Jess

Dave’s parents gave us a nice sendoff this morning; they are two of the nicest people I have ever met. Makes me wonder all the more just where the heck he came from. Excitement and nerves combined for a sleepless night last night, but caffeine and adrenaline managed to motivate me for the first 7.5 miles of the trip. We arrived at the trailhead around 11:30, just in time to meet another thru-hiker who was about to set out. He planned to do the whole trail in 8 days – a sprint compared to our marathon 13 days.

The trail is gorgeous so far. I think we’re both just thrilled to be out here and realize just how lucky we are. Silver Lake was the perfect first destination and we couldn’t have asked for better weather—65 degrees and perfectly clear. After a nice swim, and some unnerving leech sightings (or the Adirondack Freshwater Eel, as we have come to call them), we had some dinner and are settling in for our first night.

Additional Photos
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Silver Lake Lean-to

Stream Crossing - Dave

Stream Crossing - Jess

Pumping Water - Dave

Pumping Water - Jess