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A member of our group recently asked me what he needs to bring to White Pine Camp. Cooking Gear? A week's supply of food? Any other general supplies? Fortunately, the camp and its cabins are quite well equipped. Considering that the camp even has a washer and dryer, including laundry detergent, you could literally show up at camp with a sack of dirty laundry and still be adequately prepared for a week stay. Nonetheless, to make the most of a week at camp, here is a more precise list of what you will find at camp and things in general that you might want to consider bringing.
Cooking Facilities
Unless you anticipate doing cooking or baking with some highly specialized utensils, the kitchens have everything you will need. First the basics: the kitchens each have a full sized refrigerator-freezer, stove and oven, microwave oven, toaster and drip coffee maker, as well as a basic but comprehensive collection of cooking and eating utensils. Outside there is a barbecue grill and a stock of charcoal. The consumables provided include:
- salt and pepper
- a few packets of sugar
- a starter supply of coffee and tea
- filters for the coffee maker
- kitchen paper towels, plus cloth dish and hand towels
- dishwashing detergent
Groceries
Even though White Pine Camp gives you the feeling of being deep in the woods, there are stores and a supermarket relatively nearby in the village of Saranac Lake.
Here is a list of supermarkets that we tend to use in Saranac Lake and on the outskirts of Lake Placid:
Here is a list of supermarkets that we tend to use in Saranac Lake and on the outskirts of Lake Placid:
- Tops Market on 156 Church Street, Saranac Lake (7:00 AM - 9:00 PM, 7 days) is slightly less than a 25 minute drive. The selection and the produce are, well average.
- Hannaford Supermarket on 45 Hadjis Way, Lake Placid (open 6:00 - midnight, 7 days) is just over a 35 minute drive and has a more substantial selection and produce.
- Price Chopper on 1930 Saranac Ave, Lake Placid (24 hours, 7 days), is just slightly closer than the Hannaford Supermarket and falls somewhere in between Hannaford and Tops with regard to selection and produce. Coming from camp, you will pass Price Chopper on your right just before you get to Hannaford, which is on the left.
All of the above mentioned stores are more-or-less close to camp, but as we are all coming from the north, we would have to drive past camp to get to them. If you want to pick up some groceries on your inbound journey, then a logical stop would be in Malone NY, which is about 45 minutes north of camp.
Grocery Stores in Malone
- Walmart, 3222 State Rte 11
- Aldi, 3324 US-11
- Price Chopper, 53 Finney Blvd.
- Big M, 619 E Main St
Coming from Ottawa, you will pass through Malone if you cross at Cornwall. However, if you cross at
Ogdensburg, your best bet will be to do your shopping there. Ogdensburg has an Aldi, Price Chopper, Save-A-Lot and Walmart. Ogdensburg would be on your most direct route to camp, but it is still 1:45 from there to camp. So, if you are picking up perishables, you may want to consider the crossing over to the States at Cornwall, which only extends your journey about 5 minutes, compared to Ogdensburg.
Ogdensburg, your best bet will be to do your shopping there. Ogdensburg has an Aldi, Price Chopper, Save-A-Lot and Walmart. Ogdensburg would be on your most direct route to camp, but it is still 1:45 from there to camp. So, if you are picking up perishables, you may want to consider the crossing over to the States at Cornwall, which only extends your journey about 5 minutes, compared to Ogdensburg.
Sanitary Facilities
The bathrooms are fully stocked, including soap, small bottles of shower gel, bubble bath, shampoo and conditioner. The towels are generally refreshed once a week and are not intended for use on the beachfront. There is a separate stock of towels at the old boathouse for use when swimming in the pond. You may consider bringing a towel if you want a large beach towel to lay out on or if you are considering going swimming somewhere beyond the reaches of camp. Gardner's cottage has a full bath including a claw foot bathtub and separate shower stall, plus a half bath with toilet and sink. Gate cottage has one bath with a claw foot tub with shower head and a second bath with a shower stall.
Recreational Equipment
At camp, you will find a large supply of gear for free-time activities, including canoes, kayaks and a rowboat free to use on a first come, first served basis. Sporting equipment includes a pool table, a two lane, set-your-own-pins bowling alley, ping-pong table, croquet set and an assortment of sports balls and frisbees. The cabins and the great room have a collection of books available. The cabins, great room, tennis house and bowling alley have wood-burning stoves or fireplaces and a stock of firewood. There are also designated fire pits in a few locations around camp that can be used. For those who can't spend a week offline, WIFI is available in the great room. We haven't had much success with cellphone connections at camp or in large sections of the Adirondacks, but our innkeeper says he doesn't have trouble getting a signal. Perhaps it is our European pre-smart phone era equipment or our provider. At any rate, you can make a collect call from the great room if you need to use a phone and can't connect via cellphone. See also the White Pine Camp website description of their amenities and services. The camp's website also has a list of suggested activities, as well.
What you should bring
- sunscreen
- bug repellent
- towels (if you want to have a large one to lay down on or if you plan on going swimming away from camp)
- rain gear: We have been known to hike in the rain and have recently added rain pants to our collection of gear. However, no one should feel compelled to do a rainy day hike with us.
- clothes for hiking: It is an open question as to whether my knee will be in sufficient shape to do hiking in the higher elevations this summer, but others should feel free to hike as much or little as they wish. Particularly in the alpine zone, you need to be prepared for rapid changes in weather. Button down or zip open clothes are good options to adapt to changing elements. Also, a light pair of pants and moisture wicking materials are good tools to keep comfortable. We also suggest a light long sleeve shirt as well as long pants as an additional defense against biting insects.
- sturdy shoes: Some of the more gentle trails can be navigated with a sturdy pair of sneakers, but you should have hiking boots if you plan on doing more serious climbing.
- flashlight: Each cabin has at least one flashlight and/or electric lantern, some have two. It gets dark at night in the woods, and a significant portions on the camp's grounds are without outdoor lighting. The darkness is a benefit as it makes for terrific stargazing - and I have had the pleasure of watching shooting stars numerous times. Ideally, each person should have some kind of flashlight.
- binoculars: There is lots of wildlife to investigate and much of it is too shy to be catch a glimpse of up close.
We have a relatively good collection of topographic maps and trail guides, and quite a number of hiking ideas for just about any level of difficulty. The staff at White Pine Camp has even more ideas still.
Camp Policies
Check-In is 4:00 PM.
That is everything that I can think of at the moment. Please feel free to let me know if you have any additional questions about what to expect or what you might want to bring to make your week great!
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