Northville Placid Trail

Camp at Cold River 

Just after turning the corner at Duck Hole I was on the Northville Placid Trail. A popular trail in the area which draws a good number of backpackers from all over. Not a mountainous hike it’s known for its spectacularly scenic lakes and rivers. The TransADK will overlap the Northville Placid Trail for the next 80 miles or so. 

I spent much of the day hiking along side the Cold River. I passed several lean-to’s along the way and all were amazing. With about 17 miles on the day I decided to stop and camp at the Cold River #3 lean-to. I don’t sleep in the lean-to’s since they tend to be dirty, mice ridden, I don’t sleep well next to others, and I have a hammock, which allows you to sleep with no pressure points on your body. I will though, gladly camp near them when available as they tend to have pit toilets, good clearings and sometimes great swim holes.

Immediately after arriving I dropped my pack and made a bee line for the water. It had been unusually hot and humid for the mountains and I could not wait to take a dip. Shortly after a gentleman and his dog arrived. His name was Mark and his dog was Cairo. We talked about hiking, gear and life in general till we turned in for the evening. He was good people and it was nice to have someone to chat wit for a short bit. I was in my hammock by dusk since I wanted to get up early and head to Long Lake for resupply and r&r.