Since we were finally able to get a car on the road (after nearly 3 years), we've been doing a lot of hiking. This weekend we chose the Hoffman Notch Wilderness Area, which has a tailhead in Schroon, NY. I had done quite a bit of research because this was the first designated wilderness area we've hiked in. The hike, itself, was expect to only be 2.5 to 3 miles round trip. There is one marked trail from the trailhead on Hoffman Rd. There are no signs for the parking area, so it's pretty hard to find. If you hit Pottash Hill Rd, coming from Rt 9, you've gone too far. I had planned to hike in to Big Pond (the second pond on this trail), which the sign says is 1 mile, but realistically is closer to 1.5 miles. We followed the trail until suddenly there was no more trail. Big Pond was right in front of us, however, so we walked down and followed the shore until we found one of only two designated primitive campsites. The view was simply amazing, and we were very much alone. Big Pond looks more like a small lake. I took these shots standing just 50 feet or so from the campsite with dragonflies flying around me in the sun. We toyed with staying overnight. We had the essentials, a sleeping bag, blankets, food and some water. I was concerned about not having enough clean water, tho we did have purification tablets. We decided we weren't fully prepared, so we headed back out. Despite how easy I thought it was, we weren't able to quickly find the trail again. It was getting dark, and we were getting worried. We never really lost site of Big Pond for more than a few minutes at a time, and I did have a compass with me and a general bearing of where to go, but even 1.5 miles in from the road it's very deceiving and very easy to get turned around. Without a compass, and the fact that I memorized parts of the map (I knew heading south from just about anywhere would eventually hit a road), we quite possibly could've wandered and got ourselves lost. We were able to pick up the trail, and hiked out with no other issues. The only annoyance were the flies. Big honkin' black flies that feel like they're stabbing you with little spears when they bite. So this was one hell of an experience. We're recuperating today, but looking to the future when we'll hike in with enough water and a tent and watch the sunset, alone, on our own little private beach. Edit: Replaced with a larger, albeit lower quality, image.