Tredhed and I decided to brave the heat and humidity today for an easy trek to Crab Pond in the Pharoah Lake Wilderness Area. The early morning fog was lifting as we turned on to Pharaoh Lake Rd.
The new parking lot was amazing. They had directional signs, diagonal parking and a nice outhouse.
We noticed that the register had been restocked with paper last week and there were already two full pages of entries; all going to Pharaoh Lake. We signed in and quickly struck out through the thick, tepid air, anxious to make time before the fog burned off and it got too hot.
After about 20 minutes of walking on the old road, we came to the turn off for Crab Pond.
The trail started out fine, but after a hundred yards, flooding from Mill Creek obscured the footpath and we had to bushwhack uphill to find a crossing on spongy ground.
Once past the obstruction, the yellow disked trail wandered through the hemlocks and provided occasional views of Mill Creek.
The trail eventually left the "cool" hemlocks and entered a sunny stretch of hardwoods. However, soon enough we crossed a small brook draining the notch between #8 and Little Stevens Mt. A short uphill brought us to the 50' waterfal on the outlet of Crab Pond. It must be something during the wet season.
Another short uphill brought us through a nice white pine grove and on to the Crab Pond designated campsite.
The scenery around Crab Pond was delightful. The views of Little Stevens Mt. were especially nice.
While we didn't see any crabs, there were plenty of ducks, salamanders and leeches to keep us amused. I managed to see a rather large northern water snake as well. An added bonus.
After rehydrating and taking a small snack, we headed back down the trail. The heat and humidity kept us at an honest pace and soon enough, we cut the old Pharaoh Lake Rd. and headed back to the parking lot. After downing the remainder our water, we moved down the road to the the Main Street Ice Cream Parlor in Chestertown for a delicious lunch. The beef barley soup and burger were great!
The new parking lot was amazing. They had directional signs, diagonal parking and a nice outhouse.
We noticed that the register had been restocked with paper last week and there were already two full pages of entries; all going to Pharaoh Lake. We signed in and quickly struck out through the thick, tepid air, anxious to make time before the fog burned off and it got too hot.
After about 20 minutes of walking on the old road, we came to the turn off for Crab Pond.
The trail started out fine, but after a hundred yards, flooding from Mill Creek obscured the footpath and we had to bushwhack uphill to find a crossing on spongy ground.
Once past the obstruction, the yellow disked trail wandered through the hemlocks and provided occasional views of Mill Creek.
The trail eventually left the "cool" hemlocks and entered a sunny stretch of hardwoods. However, soon enough we crossed a small brook draining the notch between #8 and Little Stevens Mt. A short uphill brought us to the 50' waterfal on the outlet of Crab Pond. It must be something during the wet season.
Another short uphill brought us through a nice white pine grove and on to the Crab Pond designated campsite.
The scenery around Crab Pond was delightful. The views of Little Stevens Mt. were especially nice.
While we didn't see any crabs, there were plenty of ducks, salamanders and leeches to keep us amused. I managed to see a rather large northern water snake as well. An added bonus.
After rehydrating and taking a small snack, we headed back down the trail. The heat and humidity kept us at an honest pace and soon enough, we cut the old Pharaoh Lake Rd. and headed back to the parking lot. After downing the remainder our water, we moved down the road to the the Main Street Ice Cream Parlor in Chestertown for a delicious lunch. The beef barley soup and burger were great!
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