My girlfriend and I are going to take 4-1/2 days off (including travel) with another friend to do some camping. This means we'll have two cars, and will not be bound to making a "loop".

So the question I pose is: Where to go?

My girlfriend has not camped overnight before, so I want the first experience to be a good one. I think that would include: Some good swimming opportunities, the ability to ease her into the camping aspect by spending some nights in a hut or lean-to, as well as the tent. I think it would be great if we could mix in some canoeing as well.

So what do you all think? We're thinking about:

• the Whites
  
• the Dacks
  
• the Catskills?
  
• Maine?
  
• Pennsylvania?
  

Our first thought is to drive, but I suppose we could train to our destination as well.

I am grateful for your suggestions.

-em

Adirondacks, baby.

Here's an idea. it requires a non-trivial amount of car jockeying tho....

Park one car at Adirondack Loj (or the free parking area just before the Loj) and then all of you drive on down to the Upper Works Parking Lot in Tahawus. Spend your first day of backpacking with an easy day to Lake Colden. Set up a tent camp there or if you are lucky, get a lean-to. Swim in Lake Colden. The view of Mount Colden first from Flowed Lands and then from Lake Colden is an outstanding view.

On the second day, break camp and move it to the lean-to or camp site at the confluence of Feldspar Brook and Opalescent River. The Flumes on Opalescent River Trail are remarkable. Drop your camp and hike up Mount Marcy and Skylight. Mt Marcy is the highest peak in NY and offers, obviously nice views. The view of Marcy from Skylight is really nice too. Don't forget to carry a rock up Skylight and put it on the pile otherwise it WILL rain that day. A little bit of Adirondack Lore for you. This is a kinda big day so you won't mind chilling in camp the remainder of the day when you are done. ON day three break camp and follow the lake arnold trail out to meet the trail from Avalanche Pass. IF you are feeling good, then drop packs and hike up Mt Colden from Lake Arnold. Interesting views of Avalanche Lake from here and a summit that is rich in the arctic alpine vegetation that is very protected (supposedly 85 acres in NYS only) If not, when you get to the trail junction, drop your packs and fast walk up to Avalanche Pass and chill and/or swim, then grab your packs and head out to the car that you left. The walls of Avalanche Pass are guaranteed to inspire the climber in you. If canoeing is a necessity than you could prolly rent a canoe in Lake Placid or Schroon Lake which is kinda on the way back to your other car.

I have other, possibly more elegant ideas, that I will send in a private message later on.

Right on strat! Excellend recommendations. I would add, if at Feldspar Brook lean-to area, a bushwack SE up the drainage from the Opalescent Lean-to to Redfeild. It is a superb one way view of Elk Lake and the widening valley (the other three views are blocked, but this one view was the longest unobstructed view of wilderness I can recall up there). Plus, the bushwack goes up some similar flumes as found in Opalescent.

Mount Colden is definitely worth the trip as well. I went up Marcy and Algonquin many a time before I finally realized that Colden had the best views of both! And that huge erratic up there! Whoa!

Also, Avalanche Pass is a must. Be sure to continue past the pass down to the edge of the lake for some inspiration.

Oodles more if you'd like....

jk

Good three-day canoe-trip in Maine from Fryeburg to Brownville on the Saco river. One very short "rip" of "whitewater" (I use the term very loosely.) Just throw up a tent on the river's sandbars. This might be too long/boring for her, though...

White Mountains: If she's up for it, there's always backpacking into Franconia Notch. About 3 miles in to a tent site with platforms. Lots of options, there's a "gorgeous" (haha) gorge where I think you can get some swimming in (natural waterslide? dont remember if there was one or not, but there were wide slabs in the stream...)

Maine: too many options to list. Camden, Acadia, Moosehead Lake, or the Katahdin area make my short list. Katahdin has the Screw Augur Falls Gorge over by the old Katahdin Iron Works. (So called "Grand Canyon of the East") There are rock climbing possibilities in all four areas (canoe in to Mt. Kineo on Moosehead lake; Barrett's Cove in Camden) in case you need to feed the rat.

Edited to add: I grew up in Maine. So, on second thought, while the Saco river is a nice enough thing for a local to do, I'm not sure it's an attractive "destination" if you're coming from out of state.

I'm a little leery of advising someone's FIRST overnight camping experience to be tacked onto a backpacking trip. Unless she has some significant and enjoyable day-hiking already. I have just seen a few too many folks who decide they don't like carrying a pack and/or sleeping miles from the car. As we know, bugs and blisters can make the difference between a borderline nice experience e.g a T storm at dinnertime, and a miserable one. In such a case, you want to be able to bail out FAST. So my $0.02 is to "car camp" and hike out from there. Stay away from the big state campgrounds if you're in NY - these tend to attract all-night beerfest types with their pickup trucks full of bonfire wood. The Putnam Pond campground OTOH is quiet and caters to tenters, fishermen, and hikers. It's near Ticonderoga NY, off Rt 74. Recommended hikes from there are Treadway Mt, and the north end of Pharaoh Lake (STELLAR swimming off the rock peninsula). A short drive away is the Tongue Mt trail overlooking Lake George.

Evan,

You never told us how it went? What did you end up doing? Did she have fun?

I've got a gf who will probably be spending her first nights in a tent this spring. I was thinking about the Seneca Shadows campground at Seneca Rocks. There's showers (girls like that) and I can introduce her to rock climbing at the same time. :-)

She's not in her 20's just yet...

dirty dirty dog!