Today was my last free day to hike before I start my summer job as counselor at nerd camp. I've been eyeballing Hillabrandt Vly in the Ferris Lake Wild Forest for some time now. There's something about hiking on one of the most southern marked trails in the ADKs that intrigued me, so today was the day to check it out.
Arriving at the Glasgow Mills parking area at 10:00, a little later than usual, but it didn't hurt us in terms of the black flies. They were still down due to the near freezing temps this morning. In fact, the only time they bothered me was on the walk back to the parking lot later in the afternoon. Still no biters, just swarmers.
The old road/snowmobile trail had three moods today; rocky, muddy and delightful. We were pleased to see the recent ATV tracks stop at the sturdy barrier at the edge of the Wild Forest. The first mile or so to Glasgow Mills was uphill and rather rocky, but firm, with plenty of water flowing down the track. It was still fairly easy to pick our way along the rocks and soon we arrived at Glasgow Mills.
The old mill site was pretty neat with plenty of old foundations, iron bolts and evidence of early industry. The huge stone dam held back an absolutely beautiful pond. While not huge, the pond was very charming, especially for this far south in the park.
As the trail left Glasgow Mills for Hillabrandt Vly, it turned from soft pine needles to a rocky/mucky quagmire (giggity). However, soon after crossing a height of land, the trail improved as it approached Hillabrandt Vly.
A loon greeted us as we took in the view of the large body of water. I was impressed at the size of Hillabrandt Vly (55 ac.) and admired the view from a nice campsite and the old stone dam. Soon it was off to the old camp to explore and have some lunch.
The trail was re-routed through a beautiful hemlock grove due to a large swampy area and the folks who did it knew what they were doing. Although only a couple hundred yards long, this was probably the most pleasant part of the hike. Arriving at the cabin, I was surprised to see a completely habitable camp adjacent to a snowmobile trail in the middle of the Wild Forest. We poked around the camp for a little bit and agreed that it was a nice thing to have if it started raining.
After lunch. it was time to head back down the mucky and rocky trail after stopping at the ponds one more time. I wish I had a boat to explore them properly. The few nagging raindrops hustled me out of the woods a little faster than I walked in, but not so fast as to miss the singing warblers and swarming blackflies.
Arriving at the Glasgow Mills parking area at 10:00, a little later than usual, but it didn't hurt us in terms of the black flies. They were still down due to the near freezing temps this morning. In fact, the only time they bothered me was on the walk back to the parking lot later in the afternoon. Still no biters, just swarmers.
The old road/snowmobile trail had three moods today; rocky, muddy and delightful. We were pleased to see the recent ATV tracks stop at the sturdy barrier at the edge of the Wild Forest. The first mile or so to Glasgow Mills was uphill and rather rocky, but firm, with plenty of water flowing down the track. It was still fairly easy to pick our way along the rocks and soon we arrived at Glasgow Mills.
The old mill site was pretty neat with plenty of old foundations, iron bolts and evidence of early industry. The huge stone dam held back an absolutely beautiful pond. While not huge, the pond was very charming, especially for this far south in the park.
As the trail left Glasgow Mills for Hillabrandt Vly, it turned from soft pine needles to a rocky/mucky quagmire (giggity). However, soon after crossing a height of land, the trail improved as it approached Hillabrandt Vly.
A loon greeted us as we took in the view of the large body of water. I was impressed at the size of Hillabrandt Vly (55 ac.) and admired the view from a nice campsite and the old stone dam. Soon it was off to the old camp to explore and have some lunch.
The trail was re-routed through a beautiful hemlock grove due to a large swampy area and the folks who did it knew what they were doing. Although only a couple hundred yards long, this was probably the most pleasant part of the hike. Arriving at the cabin, I was surprised to see a completely habitable camp adjacent to a snowmobile trail in the middle of the Wild Forest. We poked around the camp for a little bit and agreed that it was a nice thing to have if it started raining.
After lunch. it was time to head back down the mucky and rocky trail after stopping at the ponds one more time. I wish I had a boat to explore them properly. The few nagging raindrops hustled me out of the woods a little faster than I walked in, but not so fast as to miss the singing warblers and swarming blackflies.
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