Little Santanoni and Moose Pond 9/29-9/30/2018

I couldn't resist getting out this weekend despite having a minor cold and plenty of chores to do around the house. It took some careful map browsing to find a quiet area I hadn't been to with the bonus of having a HH peak nearby. :D It didn't hurt that it was is an area that would have good fall colors. :clap:

After a copious amount of sleep, I awoke Saturday morning and made my way up to the Newcomb Lake Road trail head. Little time was wasted making my way down the road and then the old woods road on my way out to Moose Pond. I moved into my new waterfront accommodations and enjoyed a brief lunch break. The cool air and changing leaves were very enjoyable.

I made way over to the Ermine Brook crossing then headed off trail into the woods. The incredibly open bushwhack was enjoyable and within 90 minutes I made it to summit under a light misty rain.





Returning to camp I gorged myself on an early dinner. I sat by the fire for a few hours reading and relaxing :boozing: I retired early to get some quality rest. Overnight I was frequently serenaded by coyotes and the occasional owl.

A cool night kept me in my sleeping bag until I was good and ready to start moving. Upon rising, I was treated to a beautiful morning fog lifting over the pond.





My exit was made on the incredibly under-loved trail around Newcomb Lake. On the way I checked out the Lean-to and took a short break to check out the Great Camp. This was where I saw the first people of the trip. :) A future bike ride may be required to explore it more adequately.

Do u buy Home Appliances from Online Shop?

hey, do u and Malaysians buy Home Appliances / Kitchen Appliances
from online shop?? :s11::)

If NO,
reasons?

Thanks.

Out of State Fishing Report - Rangeley, ME Brook Trout Ponds 9-24 - 9-27-18

I finally made another fishing trip.....my first since early June.....and my first to Maine. I'd been researching the area since last year and selected a few area Brook Trout ponds.

Arrived in Rumford on Sunday afternoon around 1:30 pm. After checking into the motel, I made the 40 minute drive to Spencer Pond, located just south of the Swift River/Rangeley Lake divide. This is a FFO pond with a 1 or 2 fish limit (I believe there is a minimum size length as well). The pond is about 0.6 miles up a trail which takes off ME 17. This was my first carry with the Hornbeck and immediately noticed the canoe was tilting forward during the hike in....not a good situation when hiking up a moderately steep trail. It was close to 3:30 by the time I arrived. I opted to get to know the canoe instead of fishing, so paddled around the pond for about an hour. The second thing I found out was my wading flat boots were too short resulting in wet feet getting into and out of the canoe. This practice run went without incident.

Next morning (Monday), I hiked back into Spencer. This time, I moved everything in my daypack's top pocket into the main pack in an effort to resolve the boat tipping forward. That made no difference and I had to resort to holding the front of the boat up with one hand while hiking. I also found a workaround for the wet feet: I took my ultralight waders and some oversize Teva sandals I'd bought years ago for wading. This worked perfectly (and I still wore the PFD). I fished for several hours, catching two Brook Trout. The first one was about 13 inches long and a bit skinny.
The second was a small hen about 11 inches along. I missed at least 6-7 strikes. One difference between trolling in a canoe vs. a float tube is you're not holding the rod, so, there's about a 1-2 second delay in your hook set while you drop the paddle and pick up the rod. The other issue I found was even a small breeze blows the stern of the boat around making it difficult to cast and fish in one direction. I left between 3:30 and 4 pm and headed back to Rumford.

Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday were forecasted to be rainy. Tuesday morning, I made the drive from Rumford, past Weld, to Beal Pond.
This is another FFO pond with a one or two fish limit and its drive-to. I fished for about 3 hours.....didn't even see a fish.....though the iBobber did show fish. About 1 pm, the rain started and I concluded that day.
(partial post - more to come)

Strange noises in Pharaoh Lake Wilderness

Last weekend I was hiking in the Pharaoh Lake Wilderness with a buddy of mine.
We were headed back to the car around 9pm when we heard what sounded like 5-6 howler monkeys on the other side of a swamp close to the parking area. The noises went on for about 30 seconds before it went quiet. We then heard something large moving through the swamp grass out of sight from our flash lights. I have been racking my brain as to what it could have been and I thought that it was maybe bears fighting because I have experienced that before and the noise was a little similar. The strangest part of the whole thing was that there were clearly at least five individuals making these howling type noises. We also did not see any cars leaving the area so it’s very unlikely it was humans. We are both experienced hikers, hunters, and campers and have been recreating in the Adirondacks for years and have never heard anything like this before. I’m sure there is a logical explanation as to what we heard that night and was wondering if anyone has had a similar experience while in that area or in another area in the park.

Trail Supporter Patch

http://www.dec.ny.gov/press/114766.html

DEC Encourages All Outdoor Enthusiasts to Purchase New Red Trail Supporter Patch and Habitat and Access Stamps

Patch Sales Support and Maintain Non-Motorized Trails throughout New York

Habitat and Access Stamps Support Public Access for Fish and Wildlife-Related Recreation

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos today announced the release of the second of three New York State Trail Supporter Patches. The patches resemble trail markers used by DEC, with the newest to mark east-west directional trails, a red round disc with white lettering. DEC also reminds hunters and outdoor enthusiasts that purchasing a $5 Habitat & Access Stamp helps fund projects to protect and improve fish and wildlife habitat and improve public access for fish- and wildlife-related recreation.

"New York residents and visitors can partner with DEC and support our ongoing efforts to upgrade trail systems and preserve New York's natural habitats and access areas," said Commissioner Seggos. "Purchasing the new Trail Patch and our Habitat and Access Stamps helps support and maintain our state's superb recreational trails and public access to the outdoors."

The Trail Supporter Patch is available for $5 at all sporting license outlets or on-line at the DECALS website for current New York State sporting license holders and will officially be available for purchase on October 1. Patch sale proceeds help maintain and enhance non-motorized recreation trails throughout the state. All monies raised from patch purchases will be deposited in the Conservation Fund's Outdoor Recreation, Trail Maintenance, and Development Account.

DEC remains committed to promoting all the amazing opportunities for hiking throughout the Adirondack Park, and is actively working with partner organizations and tourism promotion agencies to highlight and encourage sustainable recreation and responsible hiking on trails across the state. Under Governor Cuomo's Adventure NY initiative, DEC is making strategic investments to expand access to healthy, active outdoor recreation, connect more New Yorkers and visitors to nature and the outdoors, protect natural resources, and boost local economies. Read more about the Adventure NY initiative (PDF, 10.57 MB).

The patch was first introduced in 2007 to help raise funds to maintain trails across the state. To date, DEC has used funds from patch sales to purchase material for construction of a boardwalk and pit privy in Texas Hollow State Forest, foot bridges on the Northville Placid Trail and Catskill Visitor Center, maintenance of Otter Creek Horse Trails, a horse mounting platform to improve access for people with disabilities at Brookfield Horse Assembly Area and lean-tos in the High Peaks Wilderness. Patch funds were also used to purchase materials for the new mountain bike trails at Elm Ridge Wild Forest. Since 2007, sales of the trail supporter patch have raised more than $34,000.

In addition to supporting New York State trails, hunters are also reminded to be a "Habitat Hero" this fall, by purchasing a $5 Habitat & Access Stamp. Donations will help fund projects to protect and improve fish and wildlife habitat, and to improve public access for fish and wildlife-related recreation. This year's stamp features a barred owl and is available through all license issuing outlets. For more information on the Trail Supporter Patch or the Habitat & Access Stamp, visit DEC's website.

Trail Supporter Patch
2018 Habitat Access Stamp

Cedar strip canoe build

https://youtu.be/Hr5FGhbm8N8

My cedar strip canoe build. Northwest Canoes "Merlin" hull design.

Western red cedar hull
Maple laminated inner and outer stems
Cherry gunwales, seat, and thwarts.

Stillwater

NYSDEC Press Release 9/27/2018

Stillwater Fire Tower, Herkimer County, Closed to Visitors

The New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is asking the public to respect trail closure dates and do not trespass on the Big Moose Tract Conservation Easement that leads to Stillwater Fire Tower. According to a Recreation Management Plan agreed upon with the landowner, the private land is closed to visitors the second Tuesday, October 9th through December 20th. Please respect the trail closure signage and do not trespass. The lands on the Big Moose Tract are posted and patrolled during this time

Grizzlies

Not sure if this has been addressed before and a poll may be appropriate but how do we feel about the proposed Grizzly Hunt out West and its apparent stay whether permanent or temporary. How does that relate to our moose population? Opinions?

DEC Moose Video

Was at Fish and Wildlife Management Board meeting last week when a DEC biologist showed this video on the big screen. Now they've posted it on their Facebook page. Simply incredible. 'Love the vehicle backing up as the two bulls go at it.

https://www.facebook.com/NYSDEC/?__t...ref=nf&__xts__[0]=68.ARAzbEQcLKycJMQ_Z15YHJvCyXRkKcmzGUrVhSQEP23RaR bfPFP_lKQcdnO0GA95UTyVrZBBxMOaRubeYJrB7zXNnBnDTpow b523YCnG-7fVk8wzWOCmRkBYLiocF7J-IiT_HPWyYjtbtsOkkYhtuv3tijrIHuKhE21lohyxzhvEKpNGMX-5

ADK NY Chapter vote for Board of Directors Oct 20th

Its time to vote for our Board Of Directors again.
Check the Trailmarker news letter for a ballot or request a proxy ballot from the ADK NY board.

Link to ADK NY web site.... http://www.adkny.org/
request a proxy ballot via email here..... ray@adkny.org

I will scan a proxy ballot and post it here for download.

Eagle Pond, WLWF, 27 Sep, 2018

Today, I had a chance to get back to one of the most "remote" spots in the Wilcox Lake Wild Forest. While only a mile from Rt. 8, Eagle Pond is nestled high in a isolated valley, 600+ feet up the slopes of Harrington Mt. in Johnsburg. I hadn't been here in three years, so I figured today was a good chance to stretch my legs and pay it another visit.

Probably the hardest part of this hike is finding the right parking lot along Rt. 8. The unmarked path is pretty straightforward for at least two-thirds of the walk. ;)

The first steep pitch leads through a mixed forest of pine and fir.



Since it rained last night, the dew was heavy on the spider webs. This made them a little easier to locate seconds before I plowed through them with my face :mad:



The path ascends to the pond in three steps. The first third of a mile brings you up 300' to the first beaver flow. This one had a nice 8' dam holding back the water of the Eagle Pond outlet.



The path circumnavigated this scenic pond and plunged into a hardwood forest. The foot tread was a little harder to follow in this section. After another third of a mile, the "blown out" beaver pond appears with it's views of the Blue Hills.



The path completely disappears in the last third of mile. Fortunately, the bushwack is pretty straightforward. Heading up the last several hundred feet, I passed some massive, house sized erratics. Being careful to approach from the west, the Eagle Pond soon came into view.



Trying to stay uphill of recent beaver activity was a challenge as the terrain "sucked" me downhill towards the thick stuff. Eventually, I came out at the rocky point adjacent to the designated campsite.



I lounged around for a while enjoying the view.



The leaves were just starting to change around the pond. Next week ought to be prime.



While I was basking, I noticed an animal swimming in the pond. First I thought it was a beaver or otter. However, as it got closer, it was very small; almost like a mink, but not swimming like one. I was shocked to see a red squirrel get out of the water, shake itself off and climb a spruce tree adjacent to my perch. That was the first time I've seen a squirrel swim; very strange. :eh?:

All too soon it was time to leave this beautiful pond. I decided to retrace my steps from 2015 and inspect the ledges located a few minutes to the west of the pond. The hazy sun and young vegetation restricted my view somewhat, but I did sneak a nice peak of the Blue Hills in the distance.



All that was left was to head downhill to the path and walk back to Rt. 8. However, there was time for one more short adventurous detour. The recent rains swelled the outlet of Eagle Pond and since the trail closely parallels the small stream, I took a short walk to check out a nice 15' waterfall.



Once I left the wonderful little cascade, it was a five minute walk back to the road. All told, I spent about four hours poking around this rugged chunk of the Wilcox Lake Wild Forest. Not a bad way to spend an early fall day.

Waterfalls of Huckle Run-SGL 134

https://endlessmountains.wordpress.c...ntain-sgl-134/

An incredible hike in SGL 134 (PA) to the gorge of Huckle Run, a small stream filled with falls, glens, and boulders. The creek has carved into the bedrock, creating superb scenery. There are also ledges, large trees, hemlocks, and an excellent view over the mountainous Loyalsock Valley. A best kept secret.

Failed attempt- William Whitney Loop

So I thought I'd get some opinions from the forum on my failed solo attempt at paddling the William Whitney loop. I was told this is a "do-able loop". Its a suggested route on many outfitters web pages.

I started at the Bog river lower dam around 10am. Carried my Hemlock Peregrine canoe and my Cabela's portage pack across the dam and put in at the stream at the bottom of the dam outlet. Water was deep enough to paddle for roughly 15 minutes. All was going smoothly,the water was warm, sun was out, and the gear I brought was a touch heavy but I though I had things under control. Im in good shape, 39yrs old, comfortable outdoors, and good at navigation. As I paddled East and headed down stream, the rocks started to appear and paddling soon became impossible. I hefted my pack and put the canoe on my shoulders looking for the portage trails which were shown on the map. There were none. Trying to walk up stream with roughly 110lbs combined weight(canoe and pack) was a real struggle. Especially since most of it was like moss covered bowling balls. Really hard on the ankles and knee joints. This went on for a few hours. Finally finding sections of what looked like portage trails, I followed the river where I could and avoided large sections of boulder fields. These trails were marked XC Ski trails on the tree markers. Finally made my way to the Round Lake outlet confluence.

At this point I was thinking the rough stuff was behind me. I was wrong. Turning upstream at the intersection and going towards round lake, it became worse. Boulder fields became unending. Every turn of the river I hoped I could find flat water but there was none. My right knee felt like I pulled a tendon and I was getting a sharp pain on the outside of my knee. I looked to the woods for a trail. I saw what looked like an opening in the trees to get off the river. As I moved toward this gap in the trees, disaster struck. My pack straps ripped out of the bottom of my pack. Totally exhausted and dumbfounded at this current situation I contemplated turning around. But then I thought, how could I go back through all that. i thought I was at the half way point. Roughly 7-8 kilometers still to go. I hoped looking at the map that there was navigable water just ahead. Nope... all rocks. So I figured I'd have to push on to the lake. I bear hugged my bag and decided to make two trips upriver. Once with my pack, and then going back to get my canoe. This was very hard on the back trying to carry my pack in my arms. The canoe carrying was just as difficult. The bow of my boat was constantly getting snagged in the overgrown limbs and bushes, which made my portaging excruciatingly slow. My knee was killing me causing me to limp along. Sweating out more water than I was drinking, I started to feel really crappy. I eventually came upon a section of trail that followed the east side of the river and was able to make better time on my there and back and there again carry. I figured i did 8kms x3 (24k = 14.2 miles) of this. Finally I saw the gap in the trees that opened up to the vastness of Round Lake. It was 7:00pm and I went to the first campsite that was unoccupied. Number #3.

I strung up my tarp and hammock, and started boiling some water to make some food. I dont know if I've ever been so tired in my life. I went down to the water and laid down in the lake to cool my body. I was overheating internally from the effort of the day. I couldnt stop sweating.

After eating and cleaning up, I laid down to sleep and could not. My heart was beating so fast and I was still just so hot. I laid there all night listening to the thunder and lightning getting closer and closer. I couldn't sleep in the hammock and cursed myself for not bringing a tent. I hadn't had enough practice in the hammock to get the hang just right I guess.

The next morning I was struggling with what to do. I wanted to continue my loop but my pack was ripped and there was no way I could repair it. My knee was still shooting pain at every step.

I paddled out of round lake and under the bridge to Little Tupper through pouring rain. Rain so hard I was bailing out my canoe every couple minutes because it was filling up so fast. What else could I endure on this trip i thought?

My spirits were so low at this point I decided to "call it off" at the rangers station at Little Tupper. The rest of the loop looked easier from this point on, but with my current gear and knee issues, and I didn't want to go through another night in that damn hammock. I thought it best to call it quits. There were no other points on the loop that had an exit option. I was beyond disappointed because I felt I had gotten through the hardest part of what this loop entailed. Two nice DEC interns offered to give me a ride back to my car at the bog dam. I took them up on that offer.

What could I have done differently to make this a success? I would like to finish this loop next year. Im going to paddle from the ranger's station at Little Tupper clockwise around the loop to Lowe's and down to the lower Dam. I suggest never trying that river section. Well thanks for reading all of this if you got through it.

Bog River to Lowes trip vid

https://youtu.be/te8GO9hVMgU

Never uploaded a movie before so we'll see if this works.

A movie I made of our trip in 2016. Enjoy.

GPS and/or GLONASS and/or WAAS ?

Just got a shiny new GPSMap 64s, woohoo, now I can give back to OpenStreetMap (thanks Trail Boss)! Oh, and not get lost and stuff. That's also a plus.

Experimenting with the reception on my windowsill on a rainy Montreal day I find that the unit reports a consistently better accuracy with GPS+GLONASS compared to GPS-only. WAAS doesn't seem to make a difference.

Some guy on the Internetz said that using GLONASS and WAAS reduces your battery life, but I dunno if it's significant enough to be a consideration.

Thoughts? Experiences?

Cell service in general and Canadians in particular

Being from Canada, I turn off my phone when I cross the border in a southerly direction, to avoid roaming fees (though they're not as onerous as they were). Now that we're venturing into the high peaks, and winter is coming, I'm wondering whether I ought to have some emergency comms device.

• In general, is there a cell provider that gives better service? AFAIK AT&T and T-Mobile use GSM (the kind of phone Canadians have), while Sprint, Verizon and US Cellular use CDMA (needs different phone hardware).
• Canadians, do you carry your phone and switch to roaming on the fly if necessary? If so is the GSM voice service acceptable? I have a Virgin SIM and Mrs. Spork has Koodoo, I wonder if they use the same physical network in the ADKs?
• If it's strictly for emergencies only, perhaps better to carry a VHF radio? I'm planning some small craft activity in the Atlantic next summer, so I need one anyway.

Touch wood, we don't actually need any of this stuff :)

Finally!

I found a feather weight canoe I can afford.

Deer Season 2018

OK Folks, deer season will be officially here at sunrise on Thursday morning, Sept. 27. Who’s heading out? I don’t bowhunt as seriously as I used to but I’ve been shooting my Martin compound and recurve quite a bit this summer and am about as ready as I can be. While I won’t take a doe with bow or muzzleloader in our big woods spots, those in the foothills (near my home) hold a lot more deer, so I’ll take a shot if presented. Apples are pretty much gone and deer are hitting the acorns hard here in the Lake George region. Good luck, and be safe in those tree stands.

A classic revisited: Avalanche Pass 9/22

I had not been in the area since 2002. I did however remember its beauty and had been wanting to go back for quite a while.

We got the Loj at 7:50 on a Saturday morning. Parking lot was full (but not by much), but there was plenty of parking still available on South Meadows lane where there is another trailhead - be warned that this adds 0.7 mile each way.

Walk to Marcy dam is quite enjoyable, no rocks, litterally a walk in the park. Boy has this area changed since Hurricane Irene! You can still walk on the remaining part of the dam but I understand they are in the process of tearing it down.

The trip from Marcy dam to Avalanche Pass involves some moderate elevation, but nothing I would call strenuous. However, it was quite muddy and I'll be looking to purchase some gaiters. Entering the Pass feels like entering another world - so calm, green and mushy, glistening rock face, everything beams with zenitude. And then, bam!, a fantastic unobstructed view of the Avalanche lake jumps to your face.

This is where the fun begins and where I regretted leaving my poles in the car. Since the lake occupies the entire valley floor, the trail is a jumble of boulders, ladders and bridges, so progress is slow. There are a few interesting-looking caves. And of course, you've seen the hitch-up mathildas. There are two places in this obstacle course where you have no other option than to put a foot in 2in of water - which is fine if you're wearing boots. There seemed to be some trail maintenance under way so I assume the crews will get to that. Took us maybe an hour to get from the North to the South side of the Lake for another fantastic view. There is what I assume is a beaver dam that allows you to take pictures at water level. If you look to the cliffs of Avalanche Mountain (to the West), you might see some brave rock climbers.

We wanted to get to Lake Colden, got a glimpse but did not make it because of time. Portion between both lakes was very muddy and unremarkable.

All in all, a great trip, although it was more milleage (13.6mi according to my hiking app) than my spouse cared for.

p.s. does full parking = overcrowding? certainly not on this hike, the only time we had to wait briefly was when some kids had to go through the portion mentioned above

Dial and Nippletop

Hello all, I'm doing Dial and Nippletop this weekend and I see the weather is going to be a little chilly. Does anyone think I will need micro spikes for the peaks or any part of the route?

Thanks

Brown Pond and Panther

My normal hiking partner had to last-minute cancel on what would have been a fun adventure: Brown Pond proper from the dam, the peak, down and up Panther, returning, then hitting up Brown Pond S, along with all 3 of the highest points on the ridge SW of there. Fortunately, my father (aged 61 – good for him!) came up last-minute from NYC, as he still needed both of the aforementioned top 100 peaks. We were on our way by 5 AM, and were to the dam by 7:30. At 7:40, we began our march. This included the typical approach to Buell: along the road, then taking the old road S then E to the height of land around 780 meters. We then descended to the N side of the swamp (always nice to get back there), then continued a bearing of E then ENE until we arrived at the stream at the 744 meter contour about 100 stream meters from the confluence of the stream which descends from Brown Pond. A lovely spot, so we stopped for lunch. The stream was absolutely beautiful in this wide valley, with open forest yet a canopy-covered stream. This made for very easy walking as we continued along either side of the stream for the next few hundred meters. We came across a large old oil tank which had washed downstream many years ago. It still has a long way to go before it weathers away into nothingness. We re-joined the moss-covered old road a few hundred meters before it entered the old Buell Club property, and continued forward to the main road. Both of the old interior buildings have now been demolished/burnt since the last time I was there about 5 years ago. After a few minutes, we continued along the road on the W side of the valley heading NE to the col between Panther and Brown Pond. We arrived after a mere 35 mins of walking, then began our ascent. After the first ~500 ft of easy bushwhacking, we came across the ferns. The fern-whacking took us literally to the top of the mountain, shy the remaining 25 vertical feet at the top. I’d never seen anything so incredibly open an easy. We had not a single hard spot to push through. We did see some areas of thicker conifers, but we always easily avoided them with minimal effort. We arrived on top at 11:40, 4 hrs after leaving the car; it could have easily been faster if we’d wanted by our route. #99/102 for me, leaving only Little Santa, Sunrise, and ST#1. My father still needs around 17 more to go. The top is fully wooded, but descending 20 feet on the E side did offer some lovely views through select openings in the trees.

We descended the same route, and returned onto the road. After some minor effort, I convinced him to ascend Brown Pond, which we made short work of. We then headed WSW for our descent, passing through the col on the SW side of Brown Pond proper. We continued on the same heading to the swampy area At 680 meters. A very high-quality beaver’s dam awaited us there. A true master-carpenter of beaver’s dams, as this one had multiple curves and everything. We were aiming for the lone structure at 43.7355 N x 74.4518 W with plans to follow that logging road back to the snowmobile trail. While we may have passed that road (and despite me having walked it ~4 years ago), we somehow missed that and ended up too far S. So, we continued to bushwhack it heading W/NW, and came out on the swamp just SE of the bridge on the snowmobile trail which is just S of the rapids section. Thanks to the dryness currently present, we easily walked along the grasses of the swamp to the far side, then hopped up and over to arrive at the road. A brief walk had us back to the car.

A lovely day to say the least! Second time up Brown Pond for me, and my first up Panther. Will my 25-year effort to climb the top 102 finish in its 26th year with the remaining 3 peaks? Only time will tell….

Lewey Mountain 9/9/18

Belated trip report: Nice climb on a perfect early fall weather day. The Sucker Brook Trail is in excellent shape. Took this from the Rt. 28 Highway/Lewey Lake Campground to the height of land. Left the trail, over the hogback, and ascended the broad ridge heading generally N. Fairly open woods, never steep. Crossed false summit and achieved true summit shortly thereafter. Very limited views but nice day for a walk in the woods. Returned via same route. Just under six hours car to car. #60 AHH.

Winter descent from Iroquois

I apologize if this has been previously discussed, but I have been unable to locate the information that I am hoping to see.

I would like to do a winter summit of Wright, Algonquin, and Iroquois this winter. My plan is to leave from the Loj pre dawn, and be on wright by sunrise. I would do the next two summits after, and then would like to descend down to colden lake and hike out through avalanche pass.

I would be doing this with my wife - both of us are experienced hikers, with some winter summits under our belt already. We will carry snowshoes, spikes, crampons, and a mountaineering axe. (in addition to the regular gear). My question is to the difficulty of the descent down from Iroquois to Colden Lake. I have done it in the summer, so I know it is steep. Is it just one giant ice fall down the descent that will required ropes? Or is it just a steeper trail that requires a little more caution?

Any input would be appreciated!

Blue Ridges (3497' and 3436')

Best possible weather to hike yesterday. Nothing but blue sky and sunshine, gentle breeze and cool crisp fall weather. I took the old tote road out toward Dishrag pond from the NPT. At the very end of this old tote road was this awesome, circa 1938 automobile just in the absolute middle of the woods. Hard to imagine how it ever got out there with the route in its present condition. So cool to see!
I felt that both of these Blue Ridges were nice mostly wide open woods. I even caught some peak-out views in several places. I made it across the long-ass ridge between the two peaks in 2.5 hours. I think the tree that had the old canister strapping on the easternmost Blue Ridge has fallen over. I searched all over the summit for it and could not find it anywhere, and there was lots of seemingly fresh blowdown.
In part due to the inviting amazingly pleasant weather I made record time yesterday and completed the hike in 6 hours and 45 minutes.

Boreas Ponds Revisit

Enjoyed a very fun return trip to Boreas Ponds this weekend with my good
buddies Russ, Bill, Jeff, & Bella. Bill (along with Bella) & I arrived early, and
prepared our canoes for the 3.5 mile portage along the rest of the road.




We would be meeting up with Russ & Jeff a little later in the day, and we
made pretty good time along the road arriving at LeBier Flow in just under
50 minutes.






New gravel walkways have been installed at the put-in & take-out at LeBier
Flow, but we opted to stick to the road rather than unload & reload everything.






15 minutes later we arrived at Boreas Ponds & headed out across the water
towards the amazing views of the high peaks.












After exploring around the ponds a bit, we noticed that people have been
busy improvising numerous campsites, some of which were right along the road, and right on the shore. :gripe:















So far nothing is offically designated, but there is a new thunderbox behind
the clearing where the lodge once stood.




We opted to camp at a site that we found a couple years ago near the
remains of an old camp. Obviously others have been using the site also,
as the pile of split wood was not there on our last visit.




I was happy to see that the old woodstove is still there, along with some of
the old artifacts from the old camp.






We met up with Russ & Jeff in the early afternoon, and enjoyed the rest of the
day at camp with some cold beers & good conversation, until the sun began
to set. So I took the canoe out for another spin to snap some photos of one
of the most gorgeous sunsets I've ever witnessed! What colors! No filter was needed.














What a great trip!
On Sunday I counted 11 different paddle crafts out on the water, and 2 cars
parked at the dam, which was a little disheartening. One of which was an older
group that got out of the car to enjoy the view from the dam, only to leave 10 minutes later.
After saying hello to the Ranger who showed up as we were packing up,
we made our way down the road back to our vehicles & concluded a fantastic
weekend outing.