I've been fascinated with the little trailless peaks all around my folks camp in Eagle Bay for the past few years. After hiking most of the trails in the area (saving Constable Pond>West Mountain for an eventual through hike/ camping trip), it's been great finding new terrain.
Last year, I started a hike along the Cascade ridge (starting from the height of land on Big Moose rd) in search of a band of cliffs looking down on Eagle Creek. Or any good overlooks really. After about 45-60 mins I hadn't found anything and headed north off the ridge to take the Cascade Lake trail out.
This past weekend, I stayed on the southern slope for over an hour, following herd paths full of deer scat through nice open forests looking for that magical opening in the trees. I struck out again and before going any further (I had made it maybe another half mile along the ridge than the previous hike) I made a bee line up to the top. Lo and behold I came out to the first major overlook described in Barbara McMartins Discover the West Central Adirondacks . It was gorgeous! Not all that different from the summit of Eagle Cliff but higher and with slightly less open rock. The balanced rocks were lovely and some blueberries were just begining to ripen. I found a small cairn which marked a pile of empty beer bottles. Lame. Into the pack they went.
We (forgot to mention I was hiking with recent 46er Koda the german shepherd) climbed on a southwest bearing following the steep ridge down to Big Moose rd. The summit was protected by thicker evergreen, really the only thick woods I've found so far in that area. I was VERY happy to have found that lovely spot. When I got down, my dad lent me his copy of the guidebook and I excitely found out that was the first of three overlooks on the ridge, including views into the western high peaks! Lots left to explore!.
This was on Friday. That night, my wife, cousin, his girlfriend and Koda all climbed to the top of Eagle Cliff and watched the Inlet fireworks. It was a fun but buggy time and I was very proud of Koda who didn't flinch once during the ruckus. I guess that's why sheps are great working dogs! I spent Saturday doing more family stuff (I have a gorgeous 6 month old niece who NEVER stops smiling) and spent a little time exploring the woods behind our cabin which is at the base of Eagle Cliff. Lots of lovely fern meadows and tall pines.
On Sunday, the dog and I headed out one more time to try and find the cliffs I was after. My dad and I had seen them overlooking Eagle Creek from the Evans Horse trails . He's had permission to cross this private property to access the Pigeon Lakes wilderness for 50 years, since when he hunted it with his father and his fathers brothers. A deal that was sealed with much venison through the years though he no longer hunts.
I went in from the horse trails and got a clear look at the cliffs from where a bridge crosses the creek. I took a bearing, crossed it and headed into the woods. I kept a pretty much due north track which had me in a big pile of boulders in less than 15 minutes. THe way I'd been approaching it before, trying to hit it from above along the ridge, was like looking for a needle in a haystack! I was elated to be there but reigned in my excitement knowing the next part would demand focus and attention.
Koda and I made our way through a truly impressive jumble of shed-sized boulders with ever-increasing views of what now looked way more like a steep slide than a cliff. I think a slide-climber would have a ball on this, though short. I'm a bit less into that sort of thing (plus I have a four-legged friend I'm responsible for getting out of the woods safe) so we stuck to vegetated chutes and lower pitches. It was still very challenging and very steep. The views though! It was a stunning day and knowing how close I was to a goal I've been working towards for 2-3 years had my heart pounding as much as the climb.
I took my time though, carefully placing each foot and hand, sometimes helping Koda, sometimes following his excellent route choices. There were even some nice deer paths on this steep terrain making the going a bit easier. Finally we reached the top, on the left center of the slide. I got some pictures that had some trees partially obscuring the view but as we worked our way right (northeast), the views got more and more open until the trees were merely a lovely frame to center shots of the beaver meadow on Eagle Creek, Eagle Cliff and Fourth Lake beyond! We had Arrived! We Were home.
More pictures and several minutes of quiet reflection on the hike and all the planning, studying and bumbling through the forest that led to this day. Before long though, the exploration bug got the best of me and I made my way up. I wanted to see if I could figure out how to get from the ridge top to this spot without having to cross private land for the future.
More beer bottles were an odd clue of what was to come. Into the pack those went. Through the trees I could see an open, sun-soaked meadow of ferns and some exposed rock. My heart started pounding again at the possibilities. I kept pushing on and my suspicions turned out to be right: I was on the overlook I had visited on Friday!!!!! If I had merely dropped down 150-200 ft off the summit that day, I would have been there. OH well, now I knew exactly where the cliffs were and would be able to access them easily (well, as easy as any bushwhack goes) from here on out. We didn't linger too long, making our way back down the ridge in order to spend the rest of the morning with family.
Our last activity together was a hike up Eagle Cliff with my wife, my sister and her partner. It was a perfect finish to a truly perfect weekend in the Adirondacks. I'm so grateful for family, the Adirondack wilderness and the ability to share it with them. I hope everyone had as lovely a weekend in the woods as we did.
some pictures
Last year, I started a hike along the Cascade ridge (starting from the height of land on Big Moose rd) in search of a band of cliffs looking down on Eagle Creek. Or any good overlooks really. After about 45-60 mins I hadn't found anything and headed north off the ridge to take the Cascade Lake trail out.
This past weekend, I stayed on the southern slope for over an hour, following herd paths full of deer scat through nice open forests looking for that magical opening in the trees. I struck out again and before going any further (I had made it maybe another half mile along the ridge than the previous hike) I made a bee line up to the top. Lo and behold I came out to the first major overlook described in Barbara McMartins Discover the West Central Adirondacks . It was gorgeous! Not all that different from the summit of Eagle Cliff but higher and with slightly less open rock. The balanced rocks were lovely and some blueberries were just begining to ripen. I found a small cairn which marked a pile of empty beer bottles. Lame. Into the pack they went.
We (forgot to mention I was hiking with recent 46er Koda the german shepherd) climbed on a southwest bearing following the steep ridge down to Big Moose rd. The summit was protected by thicker evergreen, really the only thick woods I've found so far in that area. I was VERY happy to have found that lovely spot. When I got down, my dad lent me his copy of the guidebook and I excitely found out that was the first of three overlooks on the ridge, including views into the western high peaks! Lots left to explore!.
This was on Friday. That night, my wife, cousin, his girlfriend and Koda all climbed to the top of Eagle Cliff and watched the Inlet fireworks. It was a fun but buggy time and I was very proud of Koda who didn't flinch once during the ruckus. I guess that's why sheps are great working dogs! I spent Saturday doing more family stuff (I have a gorgeous 6 month old niece who NEVER stops smiling) and spent a little time exploring the woods behind our cabin which is at the base of Eagle Cliff. Lots of lovely fern meadows and tall pines.
On Sunday, the dog and I headed out one more time to try and find the cliffs I was after. My dad and I had seen them overlooking Eagle Creek from the Evans Horse trails . He's had permission to cross this private property to access the Pigeon Lakes wilderness for 50 years, since when he hunted it with his father and his fathers brothers. A deal that was sealed with much venison through the years though he no longer hunts.
I went in from the horse trails and got a clear look at the cliffs from where a bridge crosses the creek. I took a bearing, crossed it and headed into the woods. I kept a pretty much due north track which had me in a big pile of boulders in less than 15 minutes. THe way I'd been approaching it before, trying to hit it from above along the ridge, was like looking for a needle in a haystack! I was elated to be there but reigned in my excitement knowing the next part would demand focus and attention.
Koda and I made our way through a truly impressive jumble of shed-sized boulders with ever-increasing views of what now looked way more like a steep slide than a cliff. I think a slide-climber would have a ball on this, though short. I'm a bit less into that sort of thing (plus I have a four-legged friend I'm responsible for getting out of the woods safe) so we stuck to vegetated chutes and lower pitches. It was still very challenging and very steep. The views though! It was a stunning day and knowing how close I was to a goal I've been working towards for 2-3 years had my heart pounding as much as the climb.
I took my time though, carefully placing each foot and hand, sometimes helping Koda, sometimes following his excellent route choices. There were even some nice deer paths on this steep terrain making the going a bit easier. Finally we reached the top, on the left center of the slide. I got some pictures that had some trees partially obscuring the view but as we worked our way right (northeast), the views got more and more open until the trees were merely a lovely frame to center shots of the beaver meadow on Eagle Creek, Eagle Cliff and Fourth Lake beyond! We had Arrived! We Were home.
More pictures and several minutes of quiet reflection on the hike and all the planning, studying and bumbling through the forest that led to this day. Before long though, the exploration bug got the best of me and I made my way up. I wanted to see if I could figure out how to get from the ridge top to this spot without having to cross private land for the future.
More beer bottles were an odd clue of what was to come. Into the pack those went. Through the trees I could see an open, sun-soaked meadow of ferns and some exposed rock. My heart started pounding again at the possibilities. I kept pushing on and my suspicions turned out to be right: I was on the overlook I had visited on Friday!!!!! If I had merely dropped down 150-200 ft off the summit that day, I would have been there. OH well, now I knew exactly where the cliffs were and would be able to access them easily (well, as easy as any bushwhack goes) from here on out. We didn't linger too long, making our way back down the ridge in order to spend the rest of the morning with family.
Our last activity together was a hike up Eagle Cliff with my wife, my sister and her partner. It was a perfect finish to a truly perfect weekend in the Adirondacks. I'm so grateful for family, the Adirondack wilderness and the ability to share it with them. I hope everyone had as lovely a weekend in the woods as we did.
some pictures
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