A few facts.... When I first heard about Little Tupper lake, most of
the campsites had never been used. When I arrived the Saturday before
Labor Day the Parking Lot was full! Almost all the campsites on Little
Tupper were in use. By Tuesday morning I was the last person off the
lake, although there was still one party left on Rock Pond. The State
will be adding Thunder Box toilets to many of the campsites soon.
Short Island will be getting two boxes within weeks. I tell you this
because if you value a nice camping experience you should go there
very soon, before it all changes.



Trip Report Little Tupper, what an Upper!
By George Post

After hearing about this lake in New York's Adirondack Park a few
years ago I really had an urge to go there and spend a few days poking
around. I had read two trip report by frequent poster Mike McCrea and
dashed off an post asking for a re-post of his first trip report to
Little Tupper Lake. He replied and sent me a map and a list, grading
each camp-site on the lake. Thank you Mike!

So when my buddy called and asked if I was ready for a fall camping
trip I suggested Little Tupper Lake and we got the ball rolling from
there. Eight of us from the Garden State Canoe Club, plus one fellow
from Boston all planned to meet at on the lake for Labor Day weekend.

I was happy to be on the road well before sun up, but that all changed
when my car broke down at 5am. A few phone calls from the tow truck
operator got me into a rental car and I was back on the road by 8am.
Luckily I was planning to paddle my folding kayak otherwise I would
have to had bagged the trip at that point.

I pulled into the parking lot about 11 am and started to assemble my
kayak. Of course having a boat in the bag leads to chatting to every
person who passes by, this time it was the Ranger.
He owned a few folding kayaks and was interested in mine and the
changed from the older models. As I was talking to him, I was
surprised to see my group paddling up to the boat lunch area.
Apparently they were low on ice and adult beverages. So I got the
scoop on the campsite.

We had planned to meet and camp at Rocky Point (site #6) but it was
filled, so the new plan was to take over the two island camp sites. So
while my group foraged for sustenance like the wilderness campers they
are, (pizza and cold beer) I paddled solo to the camp-site.
I wasn't ten feet from the shore when I hear my first Loon call. The
lake was beautiful and calm. I paddled the four plus miles to the
island in no time at all. And started to set up my tent. I had several
hours alone before my friends returned. I spent the time soaking in
the beauty of the lake and the shady camp site. The island is named
Short Island and is 800 feet across. It has two camp sites on opposite
sides. The whole lake has camp sites well spread out, some a mile or
more from your neighbors. Unlike, say, Algonquin Park that has a camp
site a stones throw from each other near the put-in points.

My group returned and we spent a bit of time catching up on each other
and getting to know the new fellow. At supper time we headed over to
the camp site by a trail marked with TP tied to branches so that we
could find our way back after dark. I hadn't been able to attend the
club's
fall camping trip in a few years and something had changed, food wise
we used to just fend for ourselves, now there was this whole sharing
thing going on. And embarrassing for me because I was totally
unprepared. But this is a good group and they just keep passing me
treat after treat.
We talked and laughed till late into the night. The party broke up and
we headed to our tents by way of the TP trail. I didn't even get my
shoes off before I heard snoring from the next tent over.

The next day dawned early for some, but others slept in. We headed for
Rock Pond intending to eat lunch there and paddle back. The trip up
stream was gorgeous, there must have been 15 beaver hut with in two
miles. We only had to make one real portage (a short one at that) to
get to Rock Pond. The other was just a lift over a small Beaver dam,
some of us didn't even have to get out of the boat to do it.

Rock Pond, to me anyway, is more lake then pond. It's triangle shaped
and each side is a mile or more long. We checked a few camp sites and
headed for the island, two of us wanted to paddle more and the rest of
us wanted lunch. So we split up, my group had lunch and a walk about
and got back on the water. We didn't see our 2 explorers on the lake
and wondered if they headed home already too.

We headed back to camp. We got to the portage just as another couple
dragged their canoe over the rocks and decided to shoot the rapids
that formed after the water passed through a 4 foot wide pipe under
the trail. The fellow called back to us, "We're shooting the rapids,
don't try this." Which were really only rapids in the sense that the
water was moving fast and not quite flat. After asking each other if
we would laugh or rescue each other if we got stuck in the pipe, and
deciding we would defiantly laugh before any rescue attempt. We all
shot the pipe. I hear the look on the first couple's face was
priceless when the first boat came out of the pipe.

We arrived back at camp mid afternoon, hung around the unlit campfire
and Tony brought out his 12 string guitar and sang canoeing, folk and
comedy songs. As the afternoon wore on there was more and more talk of
our two missing explorers. We decided not to worry until 5 pm, and at
5 pm we would only worry about them and not do anything. As these two
fellows were well versed is wilderness paddling and camping. So we
went back to singing and light campfire well before dark.

At 5 pm we were still worried about our two missing explorers but not
enough to go after them. Besides if they headed far enough up stream
they would have been outside the park onto private property and either
shot or arrested, and we hadn't heard any gunshots all afternoon. But
every few minutes one of us would get up and look out from the hill to
see if they were coming. This happen enough to start calling the hill
"Widows Peak." At 5:30 they were sighted paddling out of the glare of
the sun reflecting off the water. When they got back we gave them a
bit of a hard time and laughed at ourselves for being worrywarts.

That night there was more sharing of food, stories and fun but this
time the party ended slowly with people heading off to bed one by one.
This night I was luckier then the night before, I was all the way in
my sleeping bag before the snoring started, and it was coming from
more then one direction.

Monday broke with a snap, not really, it was more the sound of tent
zippers being undone.
Everyone was leaving today, but me. I had to wait until Tuesday to
pick up my car. So I just might just as well spend that extra day
camping as in some hotel.

After my friends shoved off, I waited until the clouds broke up and
the sun came out to paddle around and explore some. I didn't see
anything too great until I was almost back to camp, then I saw two
Bald Eagles circling over my campsite. Too bad that's where my camera
was, back at the campsite!

I made lunch, and set about doing chores. Firewood was gathered.
Tinder and kindling set just so, ready to go. I washed my socks and
started packing. I was bored. I missed my friends already.
Once I realized what was bugging me I was able to relax and enjoy.

I started my dinner about 5pm and I was making homemade Lentil stew. I
simmered it to perfection I let it cool and savored it like no other
meal. Later after the campfire died down, I roasted and ear of corn
for my late night snack. Oh man, did that turn out good. Not to brag,
but that was also the best corn I ever had.

I wanted to get up before the sun and paddle out before the wind
picked up, the lake is shallow and you can get white caps with just a
moderate breeze. Oh well, so what if I didn't stir before 8.
I was still packed and on the water before 10 am. A coffee mug still
steaming as I rounded the island and headed up the lake, a slight
breeze at my back. A loon call to me, saying good bye.
I took his picture. I paddled on. I stopped now and then to rest and
sip coffee. I had to go, but didn't want it to end.