On Friday the 3rd, I had some time to do a short solo hike to the Great Falls of the Kunjamuk River in the Siamese Ponds Wilderness Area. I had heard that a new bypass circumnavigated the huge flow at the confluence of the mighty Kunjamuk River and the Rock Pond outlet. This was a scouting mission for an eventual Long Pond loop hike using the Kunjamuk, Long Pond cutoff and Long Pond Trails.
The pouring rain didn't deter me as I set out from Charlie John's in Speculator. After passing Oak Mt Ski Center, I left the pavement and headed north on Elm Lake Rd.
The seven mile long gravel/dirt road was in pretty good shape until the last two miles. Once I passed Long Level picnic area, Elm Lake Rd. got a little sporty. The mud wallows near the end of the road rival anything I'd seen on the Crane Pond Rd. back in the Pharaoh Lake area.
The rain was just tapering off as I arrived at the parking lot at the end of Elm Lake Rd. I quickly donned the gortex and headed out towards the Cisco Brook trailhead.
I had to skirt a little blowdown prior to the register, but that was only a precursor for several major blowdown areas along the walk in. This beautiful spruce survived here for many years, but finally succumbed to the major windstorm of 30 Oct, 2017. :(
The blowdown didn't break my stride too much and in no time, I had covered the mile or so to the spot where the old Kunjamuk Trail crossed the huge marsh at the confluence of the two streams. My final destination was 200 yds away, but I would have to walk another mile on the bypass trail to get there.
I had no expectations of how the new trail would be. Heck, I didn't know if was even flagged or marked? Undaunted, I set out on one of the finer trails I've ever traveled on in this part of the Adirondacks. The first half of the blue disked trail meandered on high ground through some beautiful white pine and spruce.
As the trail approached the Rock Pond outlet, the woods got a little thicker with small spruce. The crossing of the outlet caused me a little concern as the heavy rains flooded the rock hopping stones. Fortunately, the beavers had built a 4' high dam about 50 yds upstream.
After crossing on the dam, I followed the new trail through some skinny trees along the southern slopes of Pete's Hill. A few more minutes brought me to the unmarked junction with the old Kunjamuk Trail. The through trail beared to the left and I turned right to follow the old woods road for two hundred yards to the falls. The high water really made the falls shine. While not huge (4-5 feet), they really were a nice spot to take a break and soak in the beauty of the region.
I moused around the falls for a while, kicking up a woodcock from the old roadway. As I glanced down at the ground, I noticed this cold little fellow, no doubt searching for some nice mud to dig into. Fortunately for him/her, there was plenty of mud to explore.
The hike back out was a snap, now that I knew where to cross the creek and what the best routes around the blowdown were. I stopped to chat with a couple of hunters who were staying at their cabin on Owl Pond. They hadn't seen any deer, but were enjoying a nice walk in the woods; as was I. :thumbs:
One the way back to the Hamilton County Mosquito Preserve, I decided to stop at Auger Falls. No slam against the Great Falls of the Kunjamuk, but I figured the Sacandaga River was putting on a show and it would be a shame if I missed it. I was the only one on the trail for the short walk to the falls and as usual, they didn't disappoint. The photo really doesn't do the river justice as the best part of the falls is feeling the roar and power as the water rushes through the gorge. Magnificent.
The pouring rain didn't deter me as I set out from Charlie John's in Speculator. After passing Oak Mt Ski Center, I left the pavement and headed north on Elm Lake Rd.
The seven mile long gravel/dirt road was in pretty good shape until the last two miles. Once I passed Long Level picnic area, Elm Lake Rd. got a little sporty. The mud wallows near the end of the road rival anything I'd seen on the Crane Pond Rd. back in the Pharaoh Lake area.
The rain was just tapering off as I arrived at the parking lot at the end of Elm Lake Rd. I quickly donned the gortex and headed out towards the Cisco Brook trailhead.
I had to skirt a little blowdown prior to the register, but that was only a precursor for several major blowdown areas along the walk in. This beautiful spruce survived here for many years, but finally succumbed to the major windstorm of 30 Oct, 2017. :(
The blowdown didn't break my stride too much and in no time, I had covered the mile or so to the spot where the old Kunjamuk Trail crossed the huge marsh at the confluence of the two streams. My final destination was 200 yds away, but I would have to walk another mile on the bypass trail to get there.
I had no expectations of how the new trail would be. Heck, I didn't know if was even flagged or marked? Undaunted, I set out on one of the finer trails I've ever traveled on in this part of the Adirondacks. The first half of the blue disked trail meandered on high ground through some beautiful white pine and spruce.
As the trail approached the Rock Pond outlet, the woods got a little thicker with small spruce. The crossing of the outlet caused me a little concern as the heavy rains flooded the rock hopping stones. Fortunately, the beavers had built a 4' high dam about 50 yds upstream.
After crossing on the dam, I followed the new trail through some skinny trees along the southern slopes of Pete's Hill. A few more minutes brought me to the unmarked junction with the old Kunjamuk Trail. The through trail beared to the left and I turned right to follow the old woods road for two hundred yards to the falls. The high water really made the falls shine. While not huge (4-5 feet), they really were a nice spot to take a break and soak in the beauty of the region.
I moused around the falls for a while, kicking up a woodcock from the old roadway. As I glanced down at the ground, I noticed this cold little fellow, no doubt searching for some nice mud to dig into. Fortunately for him/her, there was plenty of mud to explore.
The hike back out was a snap, now that I knew where to cross the creek and what the best routes around the blowdown were. I stopped to chat with a couple of hunters who were staying at their cabin on Owl Pond. They hadn't seen any deer, but were enjoying a nice walk in the woods; as was I. :thumbs:
One the way back to the Hamilton County Mosquito Preserve, I decided to stop at Auger Falls. No slam against the Great Falls of the Kunjamuk, but I figured the Sacandaga River was putting on a show and it would be a shame if I missed it. I was the only one on the trail for the short walk to the falls and as usual, they didn't disappoint. The photo really doesn't do the river justice as the best part of the falls is feeling the roar and power as the water rushes through the gorge. Magnificent.
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire