Santanoni Camp – Backpacking Trip

Hiking Date: July 25-26 2009: For the second backpacking trip of the Summer, my friend Holly and I decided to go to Santanoni Preserve. Earlier in the year we had previously taken a day trip into Santanoni Preserve and while there, we noticed new camp sites along the trail and wanted to try them out. These campsites were not there two years ago when I had visited the Great Camp so I was a bit excited to give them a try.

Elevation:  Approx. 1760ft (climb is relatively flat)
Distance: 5 miles (one way)
Difficulty: Easy

The Hike: Saturday morning, we arrived at the trail head to find numerous cars in the parking area. I was a bit worried that all the camp sites might be taken as I have never camped in this area before . It is a very popular day hike but I am  not sure how popular it was for overnight camping. A few outfitters bring trips into the camp via a horse and wagon but I checked a couple of their websites and no trips were scheduled. A couple of guys were putting some gear into a canoe for a couple days of fishing while we put strapped on our backpacks. I weighed by pack before I left and it came in around 40 pounds.

Signing in at the trail head, we began our trek. The first mile went quickly. A Santanoni Preserve worker met us at the farm and offered to give us a tour and a little info on it. Since we had been here before we opted out and kept on going. The next 4 miles went quick as well and was uneventful. The stone bridge they had been fixing was coming along nicely and they started working on the bridge going across Newcomb Lake. I was kind of curious why they were fixing that bridge up as the last time I was there it looked great to me.

From the previous day trip we decided to camp at campsite #3 which had a nice beach next to it and both Holly and I chose as the most attractive spot. After arriving at campsite #3 we looked around and got a second look at the site. The only flat spot was a good distance away from the fire pit and it was a bit dirty. Socks and drinking containers were littered in the fire pit. Not feeling the campsite we decided to check out the other sites. Campsite #1 is a bit off the trail and a distance back and campsite #2 was literally right on the trail so we decided to check #4 and #5. My friend was not feeling #4 but when we arrived at campsite #5 I new that would be the one. It had a good view of the lake, a picnic table and a couple flat spots where we could put up our tent.

After setting up camp we went out and got some fire wood. Most of the wood was pretty damp due to the previous night’s rain storm however we made due. On another note that I’m not to thrilled to talk about, while collecting fire wood we noticed a lot of toilet paper behind trees. Were not talking a couple here or there but to the point where it was disgusting. Each campsite has its own outhouse and the main camp has one as well. I understand that outhouses aren’t the best places to go but at least bury it like you’re suppose to do. Follow the rules people, enough on that.

After collecting firewood we headed to the main camp and looked around. We had a nice conversation with the Santanoni Preserve worker who told us about all the work that is going on within the camp. It sounds like the next thing they are going to work on is the kitchen area. We looked around for a while and flipped through a binder they had with some old photos of the previous owners and construction of the camp. It was quite fascinating to see how the interior looked when the camp was occupied. My favorite photo was of Theodore Roosevelt climbing a tree trying to get a porcupine. There was even Theodore’s signature on a log in book and underneath he wrote “Remember the porcupine.”

Arriving back at camp we went for a swim in Newcomb Lake. I thought the water was a bit chilly, especially below two feet but it was still good to get in the water and go swimming. There were a  couple of rocks that were under water that we could sit on and relax. The fish nibbled at our feet which provided with some fun entertainment.

That evening we made a nice fire which took us a little while to get started and I ate my rice. I wanted to try out some flavored rice that I found in Hannaford and thought it would be good for long term hikes. It turned out to be pretty good except my mess kit  bowl  just barely fit all the rice. I’m debating if I should get a new one but would rather not as I just got it at the begginning of the Summer. After marshmellows and hanging our bear bag away from our camp we headed to bed just as the rain arrived. I slept good on my new sleeping pad, it’s one of those that you can blow up with a 1.5 inch height. It was much better than the foam pads we used I used to use.

In the morning, it was still kind of raining so we packed up our stuff and headed out. Nothing really interesting on the way out. We did pass an outfitter heading in with a horse and wagon and arrived at the trail head within an hour and forty minutes. I thought that was pretty impressive for us especially with 40 pounds on our back.

Conclusion: Overall the camping trip was a lot of fun. It was good training for my Fall trip to Cranberry Lake. A lot of the backpacking trips I have done in the past were at most 2 miles but this one was much longer and I felt good doing it. I was a bit dissapointed with the quality of the campsites. The Santanoni workers did a lot of work to get that place up and running and it seems like people are not respecting that. Please people, take care of your own stuff and if you carry it in, carry it out.

Photos: (sorry for the lack of photos, if you want to see more of Santanoni check out my other post)