I tried to do a search here and the internet in general about Pine Pond and really couldn’t come up with anything. Now I know why; finding the start of this path is really, really hard so I’m sure not many have hiked it. The hike is outlined in McMartin’s Discover the Eastern Adirondacks. She says the hardest part is finding the start and she’s not kidding. The directions she gives are to drive east on CR4 (Ensign Pond Road) from the intersection of NY 9 which is just north of North Hudson. Drive for 5.5 miles or 0.3 miles from an old stone town-line marker painted white on the right-hand side of the road. She says to look for a red paint daub on a large tree that stands 20 feet from the road. Well, first off, my car’s odometer doesn’t do tenths. Secondly the red paint daub or blaze was nowhere to be seen. After driving along somewhere between 5 and 6 miles I spotted a car parked on the opposite (left) side of the road so I figured there’s gotta be a reason someone parked at that particular spot so I pulled over, got out and poked around at the periphery of the woods. Sure enough there was a faint path that I investigated for about 50 yards to make sure it was what I was looking for and not just an area worn down by serial urinators.
Confident I had found the path, I got my day pack and continued on. It was a nice, somewhat warm day and the mosquitoes were minimal. It’s only 1.6 miles to the pond with a net descent of 160 feet. This is a really pleasant path, going through hemlock and balsam at first then as one climbs a bit, pines dominate. McMartin comments a few times that this is a path and not a trail and that some time will likely be spent searching for it when encountering blow downs or such. No red paint was to be seen, but the path, while faint in a spot or two, was pretty distinct and posed no problem to even this somewhat newbie hiker. There is one small stream crossing that was easy to rock hop across, but in high water a dry crossing would likely not be possible. In about 50 minutes I came to the northeast end of Pine Pond. It really is a beautiful pond and larger than I supposed. Looking at a map it’s about the same size as Hammond Pond just to the southwest. There was a rowboat at the end of the path with oars, it looked to be in semi-decent shape.
I didn’t have time to explore too much, but the woods around the lake are pretty open and the slope to the water is fairly moderate. It looked like there would be some good camping possibilities on the opposite side of the pond among some high, somewhat exposed terrain.
After a snack and some relaxation I headed back at a relaxed pace, with a stop at a beaver pond just off the path. I was back at the car in just under an hour. I’ll definitely be back here now that I know where the heck this is, I’d love to try an overnight on the western shore. If that other car hadn’t been parked directly opposite the start of the faint path, there is no way in hell I would have ever found this. A big red daub on a tree right off the road would be a big help; maybe the locals don’t want to advertise this hidden gem.
Confident I had found the path, I got my day pack and continued on. It was a nice, somewhat warm day and the mosquitoes were minimal. It’s only 1.6 miles to the pond with a net descent of 160 feet. This is a really pleasant path, going through hemlock and balsam at first then as one climbs a bit, pines dominate. McMartin comments a few times that this is a path and not a trail and that some time will likely be spent searching for it when encountering blow downs or such. No red paint was to be seen, but the path, while faint in a spot or two, was pretty distinct and posed no problem to even this somewhat newbie hiker. There is one small stream crossing that was easy to rock hop across, but in high water a dry crossing would likely not be possible. In about 50 minutes I came to the northeast end of Pine Pond. It really is a beautiful pond and larger than I supposed. Looking at a map it’s about the same size as Hammond Pond just to the southwest. There was a rowboat at the end of the path with oars, it looked to be in semi-decent shape.
I didn’t have time to explore too much, but the woods around the lake are pretty open and the slope to the water is fairly moderate. It looked like there would be some good camping possibilities on the opposite side of the pond among some high, somewhat exposed terrain.
After a snack and some relaxation I headed back at a relaxed pace, with a stop at a beaver pond just off the path. I was back at the car in just under an hour. I’ll definitely be back here now that I know where the heck this is, I’d love to try an overnight on the western shore. If that other car hadn’t been parked directly opposite the start of the faint path, there is no way in hell I would have ever found this. A big red daub on a tree right off the road would be a big help; maybe the locals don’t want to advertise this hidden gem.
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire