Berrymill Pond, PLWA, 30 Mar, 2021

This weeks "Lunch at a Lean-to" found Tredhed and I back in the Pharaoh Lake Wilderness Area for a pleasant hike into Berrymill Pond. Another bluebird day greeted us as we hit the trailhead at the Putnam Pond campsite.

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After signing into the woods, we headed up through the white birches on a reasonably dry trail.

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The trail was in really good shape after having been visited by a DEC crew last week.

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When we reached the re-route around the outlet marsh, we stopped to enjoy the nice waterfall along the outlet creek.

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After taking a bunch of waterfall pictures, we walked the short distance to Berrymill Pond. Since it was still early, we followed the old trail out the peninsula to the main area of the pond where we were surprised to see about half of the ice gone. An otter glared at us from across the ice, never getting close enough for a good photo.

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Completing a short explore, we walked back to the lean-to for our lunch break. As always, the lean-to was in great shape. Many thanks to the folks who have adopted the LT and work hard to keep it clean.

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When lunch was finished, we checked out the outlet and the large rocks around the outlet's bay. I noticed that the memorial plaque on top of the large rock was missing. Does anyone have any info about that?

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Back at the lean-to, we made an entry in the log book and packed up our gear. We worked our way back down the trail and decided to make a loop hike by incorporating a bushwhack down the Berrymill Pond outlet. The route immediately came to the first of several spectacular waterfalls swollen by the spring melt.

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The bushwhack was pretty straightforward. It followed the creek downhill passing through some nice forest, marvelous water features and even a super-secret hidden campsite.:cool:

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Shortly before emptying into Putnam Pond, the outlet stream made one final plunge over another fantastic 15' waterfall.

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Another few minutes downstream of these falls, we hit the Long Swing trail around Putnam Pond. Turning right, we made the short walk back to the boat launch parking area. While we've been on this trail a dozen times or so, we never knew how beautiful the Berrymill Pond outlet stream was. It just goes to show that a little exploring can lead to some fantastic rewards. Today proved that in spades.

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AMR parking

https://www.perugazette.com/2021/03/...PvQX39FsrvqzO0

Discuss....I am for any potential solutions...we'll see how this works

Locally correct pronunciation of Au Sable

For an upcoming project I will need to read the name of the Au Sable river aloud, and I am wondering how the first part is pronounced in the area. My very limited knowledge of French would incline me to say it Oh, but it also seems possible that it might be Ow or Aw, or even possibly Oo. I live near Pulaski and not too far from Vienna, so the way foreign vowels can get altered in New York is not unfamiliar to me. I am assuming that the Sable part is said like table, but if it's not I'd like to know that too. I'll be very grateful for any advice.

DEC Releases Draft RMP for Flatrock Mountain Conservation Easement near Old Forge

This easement is located between Route 28 and the railroad tracks, and is located just several miles southwest of Old Forge.

The DEC is encouraging public comment on the draft RMP, comments are due by April 23, 2021.

Here is a link to the the Press Release: https://www.dec.ny.gov/press/122600.html

For more detail on participating, see the DEC webpage for the Black River Wild Forest located here (see the Planning and Management section near the end of the webpage): https://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/75310.html#Planning

The draft RMP proposes:
1) A 0.5-mile multiple use hiking, mountain biking, and skiing recreational trail.
2) 0.7 miles of new snowmobile trail also open to hiking and mountain biking.
3) Construction of a new lean-to near the top of Flatrock Mountain.
4) Designation of an existing logging road and snowmobile trail for ATV use by people with mobility impairments who hold a Motorized Access Program for People with Disabilities (MAPPWD) permit.
5) Construction of two accessible parking spaces along with a nearby informational kiosk; and
6) Construction of a three-car parking lot at the trailhead for one of the new trails off Minnehaha Road.

Please consider participating in this if you can contribute!

2021 ADK ice out

This weather is looking good for an earlier than normal ice out. Fingers crossed. I was out on East Pine Pond ice fishing last weekend. 12-16 inches of ice. The ice had 3 layers with pockets of slush in between each layer. Will try to keep everyone posted with local waters and info as often as i can. The floodwood road area will most likely be a zoo this year as it was last year. Cuomo has been pressing RV camping across the state the last few years. It seemed as if every time i drove that way last summer 90 % of the sites where loaded with full size campers. And now with the train tracks removed and it being advertised as a bike trail there will be little to no roadside availability. Anyone planning to come up always have a plan b to find sites off the beaten path.

Essex Chain Area

Hi All,
Wondering about some of the features around the Essex chain area. Looking to spend 3-4 nights, typically I would do this in an area or traverse of much greater size (lowes to O for example)

First, i'm unclear about some of the campsites and gates. Are the sites on Deer Pond and Fifth Lake Accessible by Car or is there a gate at Deer Pond Parking Lot? Anyone have preferences on water campsites (good swimming areas?)

Second, any interesting features to note on the trails and woods around the ponds. I suppose a hike to the Hudson would be reasonable for a day trip.

Third, are any of the inlet or outlets amongst the lakes /ponds navigable? from what I have read from stripperguy the chain drain is via first lake(?) to the cedar sounds promising for exploration.

Thanks all, appreciate any insights

Hamilton County Leads the state in covid vaccines

https://covid19vaccine.health.ny.gov...accine-tracker

Hamilton County

1,660 People with completed Vaccine Series

2,470 People with at least one Vaccine Dose

55.7% of Population with at least one Vaccine Dose

4,434 Total County Population

I look around at the stats most days and Hamilton is crushing the competition!

Any theories on why?

Ecology of American martens in the transitional boreal-deciduous forests of Adirondac

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPPXyILnIcw

Mirrorless Camera Recommendation

Hi. Getting back into photography after a very long hiatus (my last camera was a 1980's fully manual Pentax MX!). Looking for an easy to use camera that is compact. Lens quality is key. Video is not important. I do not take fast action photos. Wide angle shots not important but the ability to add a telephoto lens at a later date is. Price range about $500 w/o extra lenses. I think I have it narrowed down to Canon EOS M200, Panasonic Lumix GX85 and Sony A6000. Too many mind numbing reviews on line but I would respect the opinions of people here after reading so many great posts. Thanks very much.

Wolf Pond, VWMWF, 23 Mar, 2021

Today found Tredhed and I back in the Vanderwhacker Mt. Wild Forest. Our "Lunch at a Lean to" menu brought us to Wolf Pond and an early start got us to the Boreas Rd. trailhead at 9:30.

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Inspecting the trail, we decided to slip on the micro spikes and sign into the woods.

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Spikes were a good choice as the spruce/balsam forest shaded the trail and kept the conditions firm.

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About halfway to the pond, we passed some neat ice falls alongside the trail.

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After an hour of walking, we approached the lean-to.

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It was well sited in the deep forest away from a swampy bay of the pond and had a nice filtered view of the water.

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After settling down, we took a walk out into the marsh to check out the scenery. The views of Wolf Pond Mt. were stunning on this blue bird day.

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Venturing a little farther out, we caught a nice look at Mt. Marcy and her slightly smaller friends.

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After gawking at the scenery for a while, we headed back to the lean-to for some hot soup. Just as we were finishing up, we met two women from Schroon Lake who were doing the same thing we were. Great minds think alike :)

Too soon, it was time to head back down the hill and get home. What a spectacular way to spend a picture perfect day in the mountains.

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Quehanna Wild Area

https://endlessmountains.wordpress.c...nna-wild-area/

An overnight backpack into this beautiful wilderness to explore an off trail view and meadows. The meadow hike was incredible, really reminded me of Dolly Sods with miles of meadows with large white rocks. Pebble Run, and then Mosquito Creek, flowed in the valley below the meadows. There was even a view of an oxbow loop along Mosquito Creek. We camped along Mosquito Creek and the stars were spectacular, particularly Orion. Next morning we hiked to Crawford Vista and on the east cross connector with more meadows. We passed two backpackers from Detroit who were just starting their hike. Quehanna Wild Area has landscapes very different from others in the PA Wilds and is a superb place to hike.


https://www.instagram.com/p/CMfhufoD..._web_copy_link


https://www.instagram.com/p/CMdXhwMD..._web_copy_link


https://www.instagram.com/p/CMdHgkAj..._web_copy_link


https://www.instagram.com/p/CMatsGhD..._web_copy_link

Loyalsock Trail questions

A few friends and I are tentatively planning to backpack the Loyalsock Trail in a few weeks. We're looking at doing it over 5 days, Mon-Fri, so roughly 11 miles and change per day. A few questions:

Give the choice to do this trail eastbound or westbound, which is the better option? I know there's a couple of hefty climbs on the west end- if we went eastbound we'd get them out of the way early on, but if we went westbound our packs would be lighter for the climbs as we'd have eaten most of our food by then.

Also, is there any considerations with scenery regarding the direction hiked?

Where are there nice campsites located along this trail? A few of us have hiked the Loyalsock-Link Loop previously, so we have some knowledge about the campsites on this eastern-most end of the trail- the Haystacks, Sones Pond, etc. But west of World's End is new to us- so any info on campsites on the rest of the trail would be helpful- especially on sites that can accommodate 3-4 tents.

Specifically, if we stick pretty close to our 11 mile per day plan, that has has camping at the following locations (assuming we hike west to east):

Night #1: Near Grandad Run. AllTrails indicates that there's a couple of campsites on Grandad and Little Grandad Runs.

Night #2: In the vicinity of Kettle Creek Wild Area. MidAtlantic Hikes indicates that there's a few sites along Kettle Creek in Kettle Creek Gorge.

Night #3: Near Ketchum Run. MidAtlantic hikes also indicates that there's a few sites along Ketchum Run, plus a dry site up high near the Alpine View about a couple of miles beyond.

Night #4: Along High Rock Run, north of World's End State Park. I don't remember seeing any campsites along High Rock Run during our previous Loyalsock-Link Loop trip, but from the photos the forest is fairly open so primitive camping might not be too hard. We could also continue a few miles further on to Big Run/Toms Run where there's sites, but from what I recall those sites were kind of on the smaller side.

Is there anything along the trail we should make sure not to miss? AllTrails mentions a cemetery near the 19 mile marker. I know there's a number of waterfalls, and also the Haystacks. Anything else worth checking out along the way?

Thanks in advance.

Trees will save our planet

Nice mini-doc talking about some modern ecology featuring Cranberry Lake Biological Station.

https://youtu.be/RjDWLaGjGi0

Gates closing this week/next (March 19th, 2021)

DEC notice today regarding many gate closures for mud season this week and next.

Wilderness Medical Certification Courses

For those who might be interested, a local provider near Lake Placid is offering Wilderness Medical Certification Courses in June 2021. See attached.

Attached Files

WMTC Courses in Keene - Flyer .pdf (394.7 KB)

Prompton State Park

https://endlessmountains.wordpress.c...on-state-park/

A superb mini-hike in Prompton State Park where the trail winds up along ledges with impressive ice flows, cliffs, and a red rock glen with waterfalls. A lot of scenery along a short loop. Prompton has over 20 miles of hiking and backpacking trails.


https://www.instagram.com/p/CLiEuj6D..._web_copy_link

Windstorm Vista-Worlds End State Park

https://endlessmountains.wordpress.c...nd-state-park/

A great hike to a view created by a windstorm in WESP. This is a short hike off the Worlds End Trail. Cottonwood Falls also had some beautiful ice.


https://www.instagram.com/p/CLknVM-j..._web_copy_link

Stony Pond, VWMWF, 16 Mar, 2021

Today was a great day for Tredhed and I to re-visit Stony Pond in the Vanderwhacker Mt. Wild Forest. Our last trip here was way back in the late fall of 2012, way too long ago. Since this isn't a terribly long or strenuous hike, we arrived at the Rt. 28N trailhead in mid-morning; uncharacteristically late for us.

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We figured micro-spikes would be good for todays walk and after suiting up, we headed up the trail. There was a slight skiff of snow on the ground and fresh tracks from a solo hiker over the weekend. We made note of the deliberate gait and masculine stride of said hiker. Much to our surprise, the last entry in the register was by a long-time Forum member and esteemed trail guide author. No doubt researching his next masterpiece.

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The trail was in great condition today. Hard packed snow made it feel like we were walking on concrete; we made good time.

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The trail did have a slight identity crisis though. There were multiple styles of markers throughout the 2 mile route to the pond. The DECinfo Locator lists this as a multipurpose trail.

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We also noticed, snowmobile markers, foot trail markers and old aluminum disks from the 1960's. Of course, we saw every permutation of the markers along the way.

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After a few ups and downs, we crossed several solid bridges and began the final push to the pond.

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Arriving at the old lean-to site, we weren't shocked to see the old boats still poking up from under the snow.

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We checked out the "new" lean-to and were impressed. It was re-located up the hill from the old site and is in great shape. Sure, there was a little trash around, but it was easily cleaned up.

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The view down to the pond and Green Mt. is superb.

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We took advantage of a good picnic table and fired up the stove to have some hot soup for lunch. It was a beautiful, late winter day, but nothing improves morale like a cup of hot soup.

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Soon enough, we finished lunch and walked back down the trail to Rt. 28N. It was an absolutely glorious day to be in the woods. One of these days, we'll get back here in soft water season and see what things look like. Until then, we have some good memories from 2012 and today.

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MacIntyre Blast Furnace

THE MACINTYRE BLAST FURNACE
by Thomas Joyce and John Oxenford
This is the third in a series of articles about our historic blast furnace. The authors continue to explore the great problems the original owners faced. At this point in the series, the authors and editor gratefully acknowledge the magnificent assistance being given them by Miss Marcia Smith, Librarian of the Adirondack Museum, Blue Mountain Lake. Without Miss Smith's fine cooperation in making valuable documentary research possible, this series would, indeed, not be possible.
The Seventh (1850) Census of the United States, Census of Manufacturers, stated that Adirondack Iron Co., Town of Newcomb, produced 600 tons cast iron valued at $15,000, 600 tons of Rought (wrought) valued at $36,000, used 12,000 tons of ore and 70,000 tons of charcoal, had a capital investment of $15,000 and employed 150 people.
Cast Iron
Cast iron was produced in a cupola furnace, a small blast furnace around 15 - 20 ft. high, 4 - 6 ft. in diameter, and lined with fire brick. Air was supplied from blowers or bellows via tuyeres situated near the bottom of the furnace. The charge was charcoal, pig iron and limestone. As the metal in the cupola was in contact with charcoal, the main tendency was to pick up carbon; alloys could be added here to obtain any desired mechanical properties of strength and hardness. McIntyre directed in 1846 that this recipe of alloying materials be tried, "to every charge of ore put in the blast furnace likely to produce 480 lb. metal, add the following mixture, either with the ore or fuel viz. Manganese 42 lb., charcoal 14 lb., plumbago 8 lbs., saltpetre 2 lbs. making together 66 lbs. The same may be
10 CLOUDSPLITTER
applied with equal advantage in the puddling furnace, say two or three pounds when the metal is fused, and con tinuing to do so at intervals of a few minutes, incorporating it by stirring it with this metal until 66 lbs. are used or until the metal begins to thicken or till, as the workmen say, it comes to nature.
I have consulted an able chemist on the above. He sees clearly that manganese and saltpetre may be very ser viceable but cannot conceive how charcoal and plumbago can be . . . I know not whether it will do any good but anything that has the least probability of aiding ought to be tried and therefore let this be done." Sir Robert Hadfield's introduction of high manganese steel was a landmark in the history of steelmaking, but this was not until 1888!
In contrast to this amateur attempt, the last blast fur nace to be built incorporated one of the most up-to-date innovations of the period. In 1829 a Scots engineer, J. B. Neilson, took out a patent entitled, "Hot Blast for Fur naces"; he found that by heating the cold blast, three times as much iron could be produced from the same amount of fuel and the same amount of blast did twice as much work as the cold blast was able to do; furthermore, the temper
THE IRON DAM.

"Northern Pike"

We've owned our home in Tupper Lake now for about 5 years now. Have spent time in the Adirondacks for decades now. I recently bought a used Lund 1725 tiller boat. Looking for some helpful advice for pike fishing. And yes.....I'm in search of the big ones.

Any help or advice would be helpful. Have no problem trailering to close by water if needed.

Any help would be appreciated. If a public forum isn't the way to go. Just PM me. And if you'd like to join me let me know!

Patrick

Foxes are cat software running on dog hardware

Foxes are cat software running on dog hardware.

Split scuba fins

Looking for a used pair of split scuba fins.

Pack canoe question

I'm considering buying a light weight pack canoe. After watching some videos on how to get in and out of them, I'm wondering how does one do that in order to lift over beaver dams or other locations, such as steep banks, where the water is more than knee deep? I currently have a solo canoe with a hung seat and in those situations I sometimes just kind of crawl out of it.

Hickory Creek Wilderness Loop (Allegheny National Forest) 10/15 - 10/18/20

Click Here For Full Photo Album

Quick write up for a 4 day trip I did with friends last October- our annual "Columbus Day Duck Hole Trip." This year, we selected the Hickory Creek Wilderness Loop in PA's Allegheny National Forest. At roughly 13 miles, this is the shortest Duck Hole trip we've done in a while. We picked something easy this year so as to accommodate two ability-impaired group members- one who was at the end of the second trimester of her pregnancy, and one who was still recovering from hip surgery.

Obviously, the pandemic was a concern- and for a bit we weren't sure we'd even be able to conduct an annual trip this year (a similar group trip was canceled last spring due to the pandemic). In the end, we dictated that all group members were to isolate for 2 weeks prior to the trip so as to enable us to more comfortably spend time in close quarters with each other.

The Hickory Creek Loop proved to be exactly what we were looking for- while it was lacking in spectacular scenic views, it was easy hiking. We were able to take our time traversing the full loop over 4 days without any rush or concern for the less-abled group members (and 3-4 miles per day proved to the limit for the hiker recovering from hip surgery, so we chose well). The trails were well graded (apart from a couple of short but moderately steep climbs), and passed through beautiful open hardwood forest. Blowdowns were few and far between, and while many of the blazes were faded the trail was nevertheless obvious and easy to follow.

To be sure, the area is definitely a solid one for anyone looking for a beginner-friendly backpacking trip (or for that matter, a kid-friendly backpacking trip). It would be a great area to try to introduce someone to the activity without risking overdoing it (and scaring them away in the process).

The easy terrain also enabled us to include another participant- the canine companion Charlotte. Charlotte was a frequent Duck Hole attendee years ago, but she's aged considerably and hasn't attended in recent years. This was almost certainly her last Duck Hole trip, and she seemed all to eager to take in the excitement with enthusiasm- even if she did need some help getting over the few blowdowns we encountered.

She was also quick to take advantage of any and all opportunities to sun bathe.

A few additional photos of Charlotte in her youth, all taken on Duck Hole trips in years past:

There's a number of established campsites along the loop. We encountered one on the east side of the loop, in the broad drainage that eventually feeds Middle Hickory Creek. We briefly considered staying here on Night #1 (we hiked the loop clockwise), but the nearby stream bed was bone dry so we chose to move on instead.

Instead we ended up camping on the southeast corner of the loop. Where the trail first turns west, it passes around the end of a broad ridge. A short walk uphill here lead us to the top of the ridge, where we found plenty of flat ground to camp primitively.

The site was nice, although the water run could be described as "epic." The nearest source was Middle Hickory Creek, over a quarter mile of bushwhacking away and 200 feet below to boot. And once we reached the bottom of the valley, we also had some difficulty finding running water in the open meadows there (and some of us began to question whether there was even any water to be found at all), but we did eventually find a good spot to fill up at.

That first night light rain moved into the area and we spent the evening hanging out under the group tarp chatting. Some of us hadn't seen each other since the previous year's Duck Hole trip, so there was a fair amount of catching up to do.

The next morning brought with it fog as the rain tapered off and moved out of the area. It made for a beautiful sight in camp.

Sections of the trail parallel both Coon Run and Jacks Run respectively, and both of these drainages had several well-established sites. We elected to eat lunch in one such site on Coon Run.

Coon Run was also running pretty low, but there was enough water there nonetheless to fill up on.

Jacks Run is about the halfway point for the loop, and we chose to camp for the second night in another well-established site there. Jacks Run was also running pretty low, but there were a few deeper pools here and there with plenty of water. We enjoyed a beautiful night under clear (but cold) skies.

Our final site was along the north leg of the loop, which follows the top of a broad ridge. We'd expected to camp primitively at a non-established site again, but to our surprise there's a few moderately-well established sites along this stretch. We found a fire pit decently far off trail (just enough to be out of sight) and elected to camp there. This was a dry site, without any water nearby at all, but we'd planned ahead and carried enough for the night (and the hike out the next day) with us from Jacks Run.

After the light rains Thursday night, the rest of the weekend was gorgeous- and we saw a number of other groups out for the weekend. Clearly the Hickory Creek Wilderness is moderately popular at times. We saw a couple of groups out on Friday evening, and on Saturday the woods really started to fill up. We didn’t leave camp #2 until early afternoon Saturday, and by then most of the other established sites on Jacks Run were already occupied. I’m sure that in our wake, a latecomer group was undoubtedly happy to find our vacated site. I was also glad that we’d decided to camp at a dry site atop the ridge on Saturday night, well away from anyone else.

Continued in next post…