Caitlyn Bay Lean-to

After doing some hiking in the high peaks wilderness, Zack and I decided to head over to Long Lake and stay the night on Caitlyn Bay lean-to.
I've been doing a lot of hiking on the Northville Placid Trail and had yet to
see the Long Lake section and was eager to go.

Before stepping onto the trail we decided to go into the Town of
Long Lake and check it out. There we found a nice general store where we
stopped to get some grub for the night. It was late in the day because we had
already hiked Malcomb Mountain, broke down camp, and hiked out of the Dix
Wilderness. So we went all out with dinner buying 6 sausages, a green pepper, a
Spanish onion, and pitas knowing everything would stay good long enough for us
to hike in and set up camp. 

Lean-to and Vlei

The hike to the lean-to was short and lead mostly downhill
heading towards the lake. As soon as you hit the lake there are fire places all
along the water, I didn’t see any camping signs so I am pretty sure that these
are day use areas. Right after reaching the lake we had to cross a stream to
stay on the trail, which then lead to the right away from Long Lake and towards
the Caitlyn Bay Lean-to.

After arriving we set up our hammocks and immediately starting
looking for fire wood to start cooking. The wood was pretty abundant in the
area which was surprising to me seeing how popular the NPT is, and how little
of fire wood I have been seeing at other lean-to site along the trail this
year. I was sure as hell not complaining though! Once we had a big stack built
up and processed it down into good sized pieces, we started the fire. 

Fire Place and Hammocks

One of the nice things about the lean-to along the NPT is that
most of them have nice cooking grates to through over the fire. Once we had a
nice strong coal base built up, we set up the grate so it was stable, and
through on the sausages. At the same time I had the MSR Pocket Rocket going sautéing
the chopped up peppers and onions in olive oil. When everything was done, it
all went into the pitas and then quickly into my stomach! It was a great meal, especially
for backcountry!

As far as the site goes, it was pretty nice. A little farther
from the water than I like, but there was a nice vlei directly across from it.
It was a nice view but I defiantly made the site buggier. There also was a
weird pit that had a good amount of trash that looked like it had been there
for at least a decade. You couldn’t really see it unless you were looking so it
wasn’t too bad, but defiantly doesn’t belong in the wilderness. 

Caitlyn Bay Lean-to

The Lake was huge and very popular. I am usually more of a fan
of secluded lakes where motor boats are not allowed, but besides the girl who
could not stop screaming while tubing throughout the day, I did not mind all
the boats. It also is pretty cool to me that a 10 mile section of the NPT
follows Long Lake....Its HUGE as Billy Fucillo says! 

There was a citronella candle that had almost no wax left in it
at the site. The bugs were getting really bad so Zack and I found a metal
container out of the garbage pile in the pit to the side of the lean-to, melted
down the remaining wax, poured it into the container, and added a wick made of
gauze. We didn’t have much wax to work with but the candle ended up stay lite
for over 2 hours. I was very happy with the outcome!

Homemade Candle

At the time there was someone through hiking the NPT staying by
the water for the night. She had heard us from her campsite and decided to come
over to say hi. She said that the trail had been pretty dead and that she
missed talking to people so we ended up hanging out with her for a little
while. The NPT didn’t seem to faze her, seeing that she had already completed
the Long Trail in Vermont which is twice as long and has more elevation gain.
She had asked us to keep an eye out for her mother and father who were hiking
in for the night to stay with her. She had planned out her trip smart, having
friends meet up with here to hike part of the trail with her and at the same
time making food drops so that she didn’t have to mail it ahead. Always
learning on the trail!

Overall it was a nice short hike that would be great for any
backpacker who is unsure how they are going to feel about spending the night in
the woods. Civilization is all around you and help is only three whistle blows
away!