Since this was our first hike after hunting season, Tredhed and I decided to take it easy with a short snowshoe trek to Buckhorn Lake in the Silver Lake Wilderness Area. I had done this hike with my daughter back in the summer and wanted to get out on the lake with snow shoes and explore the marshes.
The temperature was a blistering 11° when we arrived at the Piseco Town Barn on Rt 8 (photo 1). Fortunately, the sun was out and the wind wasn't blowing. Soon after heading south on the Northville-Placid trail, we were peeling off layers to stay cool. I can't understate the importance of layers. I'm always amazed how much you can sweat when it's 11° out.
The 1.3 miles to the outlet of Buckhorn Lake went by pretty quick once we got our layers right and binding tightened up. The snow conditions were good for snow shoeing, but not that great for skiing. Plenty of crust and bare spots with rocks poking out.
After a short break at the outlet bridge, we bushwhacked the 200 yards to the pond (photo 2). While it has been pretty cold lately, the lake wasn't completely frozen over. There was quite a bit of open water in the middle of the lake near one of the beaver lodges. We stayed near the shore and walked pretty far around the lake, getting a good idea of the size and dimension of this wilderness body of water. The views of Poplar and Buckharn Mts. were pretty spectacular.
After drinking in the view, we headed back down the outlet to view the falls (photo 3). While not huge, there was plenty of water flowing and they put on a nice display for us. Our plan was to hike back to Rt 8 via Dead Vly and Little Lake. However, when we got out on Dead Vly, it was apparently that it hadn't completely frozen over (photo 4). So, not wishing to push our luck on a place called "Dead Vly", we backtracked on the NPT (photo 5) to the car.
While this was a short hike of only a couple miles, it was a good shakedown for the equipment and a good reminder that our snowshoeing muscles need a little more attention. The bright blue skies and non existent wind made this a great kick-off hike. After a fine lunch at Logan's in Speculator (Ubu on tap! :dance:), we headed back home and started to plan the next hike.
The temperature was a blistering 11° when we arrived at the Piseco Town Barn on Rt 8 (photo 1). Fortunately, the sun was out and the wind wasn't blowing. Soon after heading south on the Northville-Placid trail, we were peeling off layers to stay cool. I can't understate the importance of layers. I'm always amazed how much you can sweat when it's 11° out.
The 1.3 miles to the outlet of Buckhorn Lake went by pretty quick once we got our layers right and binding tightened up. The snow conditions were good for snow shoeing, but not that great for skiing. Plenty of crust and bare spots with rocks poking out.
After a short break at the outlet bridge, we bushwhacked the 200 yards to the pond (photo 2). While it has been pretty cold lately, the lake wasn't completely frozen over. There was quite a bit of open water in the middle of the lake near one of the beaver lodges. We stayed near the shore and walked pretty far around the lake, getting a good idea of the size and dimension of this wilderness body of water. The views of Poplar and Buckharn Mts. were pretty spectacular.
After drinking in the view, we headed back down the outlet to view the falls (photo 3). While not huge, there was plenty of water flowing and they put on a nice display for us. Our plan was to hike back to Rt 8 via Dead Vly and Little Lake. However, when we got out on Dead Vly, it was apparently that it hadn't completely frozen over (photo 4). So, not wishing to push our luck on a place called "Dead Vly", we backtracked on the NPT (photo 5) to the car.
While this was a short hike of only a couple miles, it was a good shakedown for the equipment and a good reminder that our snowshoeing muscles need a little more attention. The bright blue skies and non existent wind made this a great kick-off hike. After a fine lunch at Logan's in Speculator (Ubu on tap! :dance:), we headed back home and started to plan the next hike.
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