For our Friday the 13th hike, Tredhed and I thought about going to Terror Lake or maybe even Big Bad Luck Pond. However, due to us both being a little under the weather from the "itis", we settled on Nine Corner Lake in the Ferris Lake Wild Forest. I've heard this area get a lot of human impact and wanted to see for myself how it measured up.
As we hit the trailhead (photo 1), the sound of snowmobiles was soon upon us. This was the first of maybe six or seven groups we saw riding this morning. Looking at the weather forecast tonight, this might have been their last good day to ride this season. Fortunately, we were able to clear the trail with plenty of time and they were no big impact and all seemed very friendly.
Snowmobiles aside, it was a great day to be out in the woods; calm, cool and filtered sun. Perfect late winter conditions as we headed up the wide stair-stepped trail to Nine Corner Lake (photo 2). The 300' climb was not that big of a deal and within half an hour we were at the east end of the pond. Even though there was still two feet of snow, the negative human impact was evident with denuded trees, exposed roots and paint on the rocks.
After a quick break, we headed out onto the lake to explore it's hidden reaches (photos 3/4). Once we cleared the immediate area of the trail, the lake became an absolute gem. The northern lobe was untouched and remote, a true wilderness retreat. This lake begs to be explored by a canoe.
Soon, we headed back down the hill and arrived at the Rt 29A trailhead. Since it was still early, we decided to follow the snowmobile trail south towards the West Lake Boat Launch. While the Nine Corner Lake trail climbed 300' to our destination, the West Lake trail may have had 20' of elevation change. It was very flat and fast. Other than a small flock of turkeys, there were not a lot of distractions along the way, but we did get a good view of Sawdust Creek with Kane Mt in the background (photo 5). After about 30 min. of walking we came out at the West Lake Boat Launch (photo 6) and declared victory.
A quick walk back to Rt 29A allowed us to have a tailgate picnic with venison sausage, clam chowder and cool refreshing adult beverages. We spent about four hours exploring this corner of the Ferris Lake Wild Forest on a beautiful day. We're making plans to return as soon as we can since there are plenty more areas to explore.
As we hit the trailhead (photo 1), the sound of snowmobiles was soon upon us. This was the first of maybe six or seven groups we saw riding this morning. Looking at the weather forecast tonight, this might have been their last good day to ride this season. Fortunately, we were able to clear the trail with plenty of time and they were no big impact and all seemed very friendly.
Snowmobiles aside, it was a great day to be out in the woods; calm, cool and filtered sun. Perfect late winter conditions as we headed up the wide stair-stepped trail to Nine Corner Lake (photo 2). The 300' climb was not that big of a deal and within half an hour we were at the east end of the pond. Even though there was still two feet of snow, the negative human impact was evident with denuded trees, exposed roots and paint on the rocks.
After a quick break, we headed out onto the lake to explore it's hidden reaches (photos 3/4). Once we cleared the immediate area of the trail, the lake became an absolute gem. The northern lobe was untouched and remote, a true wilderness retreat. This lake begs to be explored by a canoe.
Soon, we headed back down the hill and arrived at the Rt 29A trailhead. Since it was still early, we decided to follow the snowmobile trail south towards the West Lake Boat Launch. While the Nine Corner Lake trail climbed 300' to our destination, the West Lake trail may have had 20' of elevation change. It was very flat and fast. Other than a small flock of turkeys, there were not a lot of distractions along the way, but we did get a good view of Sawdust Creek with Kane Mt in the background (photo 5). After about 30 min. of walking we came out at the West Lake Boat Launch (photo 6) and declared victory.
A quick walk back to Rt 29A allowed us to have a tailgate picnic with venison sausage, clam chowder and cool refreshing adult beverages. We spent about four hours exploring this corner of the Ferris Lake Wild Forest on a beautiful day. We're making plans to return as soon as we can since there are plenty more areas to explore.
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire