Lye Brook Wilderness (#2)

We were lucky enough to have a fellow backpacking enthusiast visit for a few days, so we headed back to the Lye Brook Wilderness for some adventure. Here's a write up from the trip. 

Day 1

We arrived at the trail head at about 11am after a couple of stops to pick up sandwiches and then at Ball Mountain Dam on the West River. After unloading our packs and making final preparations I drove the car a couple of miles to the other end of the loop we would be hiking. It was about noon by the time I’d make my way back to Erin and James, but I knew we’d all appreciate it in a couple of days at the end of the hiking.

We set off up the forest road towards the wilderness. It was a brutal uphill hike for the next couple of miles in the heat of the day with our fully loaded packs. We stopped briefly at Prospect rock to admire the view and get a sense of how much elevation we’d gained. Finally we left the forest road and hit the trail, crossing the first river and stopping to soak out hands/heads/hats in the cool and refreshing water.

We continued hiking for several more miles along the wooded AT/LT encountering a few other people along the way. We stopped at Winhall River for a short break and a snack. Pressing on we covered more distance and as we neared Stratton Pond there were a few passing rain showers. Once at the pond we found the north tail closed due to flooding so made our way around the south side and doubled back to reach the tenting area. We were the first to arrive which gave us the opportunity to secure one of the tenting platforms. Next priority was finding water and filtering water. Once the water shortage/crisis was over I took a refreshing dip in the lake which was one of the highlights of the trip.

Swimming in the lake.

With camp setup James and I began working on the fire. Having yet to discover the full potential of birch bark, it was hard work, but we got it going as Erin presented us with some very tasty burritos. As it got dark, the fire continued to thrive and James was able to utilize a drying bush that was near by. We finished the day off with some ginger-o’s and hot chocolates before turning in for the night.

The blazing campfire of the first night.

Day 2

We woke up to the sound of heavy rain on the tent in the morning. We gave it some time and fortunately the worst of it passed. Breakfast was oatmeal. I went to the spring to get more water to filter and saw the morning fog rising on the lake.

Enjoying breakfast on the second day.

With our bags all backed up again, we set off towards Bourn Pond at about 11am. The terrain/scenery was slightly different for this section. The trail was wetter and harder to follow in parts as we pushed through dense thickets. After a couple of river crossings we stopped for lunch at the side of the pond. We did a quick exploratory hike to the site of the North Bourne shelter to see what it was like.

One of several river crossings.

We left the pond and headed onto an overgrown trail with the intention of finding somewhere to camp for the night. One section of the trail ran through a blackberry patch where the berries were a sweet surprise as headed onward. We crossed a small stream, but weren’t able to find a place to camp in the original target area. After some time we stopped to regroup and agreed to continue along the trail while looking for a place to camp.

On the trail.

Water was the priority so when we encountered a stream I dropped my pack and completed a scout of the surrounding area for anything suitable. The first search was unsuccessful, so we continued along the trail, our legs tired and our spirits fading.

We crossed another small stream and then a larger stream. I knew we had to take on a serous scout of this area as we were losing daylight. We left the trail and started searching up stream. The terrain was difficult to get through so I followed the stream looking for somewhere that could accommodate two tents. I found nothing within a reasonable distance of the main trail.

I headed back with the intention of finding somewhere closer to the trail and met back up with Erin, and then James. James said he’d found something we might want to check-out - a flat spot on the edge of pond like area. It sounded too good to be true. We followed him through the bushes, around trees, and up-and-over mounds a short distance to the area he was talking about. It looked good and had a plentiful supply of fire wood.

With camp established at our new location. We set forth on fire-making, water-filtering, cooking dinner. We had noodles followed by freshly baked cupcakes. We had a great fire that we hoped would keep the bears away. After a late night mission to get more water, we put some more wood on the fire and retired to our tents.

Our wild campsite.

Day 3

After a night spent listening for bears we ate breakfast, packed up camp and hit the trail for the final leg back to the car. The trail began descending and after several miles we reached the spur to Lye Brook falls. We stopped at the falls for lunch and then continued downwards. After miles of downhill we finally reached the car after completing 19 miles.

GPS Track

Click the "View larger map" button at the top right to open in Google Maps.

Lye Brook Wilderness

Erin at Lye Brook Falls

We spent 3 days backpacking in the Lye Brook wilderness which is part of the Green Mountain National Forest in Vermont. Lye Brook Falls (above) is one of the tallest in Vermont and one of the best I've seen. We covered 21 miles and camped at Bourn Pond and Douglas Shelter.

River Crossing

Crossing Stratton Pond

Camping at Douglas Shelter

River Rescue Tips

Whitewater kayaking can be dangerous. We recently had an encounter with a river-wide tree, known as a "strainer". Fortunately we were well prepared and knew what to do. Here's the video:

Xmas 2014

Fireplace Heat Exchanger

For a while I have been thinking about how to make our fireplace more efficient. Modern fireplaces are not efficient and are known to suck air from inside the house and send out of the chimney. That lost air is replaced by much cooler outside air, resulting in a net heat loss (less the heat radiated by the fire).

Calculating the exact heat loss is difficult, but the way I look at it is: most of the heat from the fire is going up the chimney and while the fire may be heating the room, it's actually cooling the rest of the house.

So I decided to make a heat-exchanger grate to use in the fire place to see if we could "reclaim" some of the lost heat. The concept of a heat exchanger is for the fire to heat metal tubes which circulate and heat air that can be directed back into the room.

The first step was to acquire the tubes. I considered bending my own, but it was much easier to purchase some already bent to shape. I used some wood supports to keep the tubes in position prior to welding:

Heat-exchanger tubes aligned with wood guides.

I needed to bend some metal rod for the leg supports. This required some ingenuity as using a propane torch did not get the metal hot enough to easily bend. With the help of a jig and hammer I was able to bend (or break) the metal for the legs:

Metal bending jig for the legs.

With all the metal pieces all setup, I was able to weld everything into position. This was a bit harder than is sounds and even with the wood in place, it was hard to get everything lined up:

Ready for welding.

After a few welding, grinding, adjusting, and more welding cycles, things were looking good.

After welding, almost ready for paint.

I added a coat of high-heat paint and the heat-exchanger was ready for testing. Would it really make our fires more efficient?

After paint, ready to test.