Boreas Ponds -A simple trip with friends

Justin and I had been trying to figure out when to go back to the W. Branch Sacandaga River for a few years now. This seemed like the perfect weekend. It was all set and my college roommate was joining us. A few days prior I mentioned to Justin the possibility of the Northern Lights (due to a recent coronal discharge). Immediately the plans changed to find a location with a northern view. We settled on the Boreas Ponds with the high peaks backdrop to the north.

I picked up Jeff early in the morning and we made the long drive to the Vanderwhacker Forest and drove along the gravel road to the trailhead. A few cars, including Justin's, were already there. Jeff and I hiked along the rest of the road past the gate the few miles to the dam. Along the way a truck passed us. As we approached the dam we could see a few people gathering having a chat. we stopped to take in the view and down the trail came Bill. He and Justin had come in earlier with their canoes and said they would meet us at the dam. The timing was perfect. I had a rough idea of the campsite location, it shouldn't have been too difficult to find although the trail was not not visible from the main trail/road. So it was great Bill and Justin met us at the dam. We all hiked the remaining way to camp every once in a while on the remnants of an old wagon road in the woods. we made camp, explored a bit, took a short paddle.

While the northern lights did not appear, the sunset did not disappoint. When we returned home, many people from around the Adirondacks has posted photos of the sunset. The next day, Jeff and I hiked out first by bushwhacking back to the main trail and then past the dam.

While this was not an extreme adventure, it was still great to hang out with friends in the woods. The Boreas Ponds are quite pretty. I may return to try some fishing at some point, but I do not think this will be a recurring destination on my list.