Three days in the HaDeRondah

 A week or so before our trip someone had posted about their car window being smashed at the trailhead. Of course this was disconcerting to hear but we planned on parking at different spot, off the main road. Also a recent report of a trail runner getting charged by a bear on the same trail we would be taking. So with these two items of note, Jim headed in the day before me. He was actually supposed to meet our former boss earlier in the day and then spend the night in the woods while I was to arrive the next day. His meeting was cancelled but I still was not to arrive until Friday. 

At 8:15a I pulled into the parking area noting only Jim's car. I changed into my hiking clothes and began down a familiar trail. It was about 6 miles on an old 4x4 road to the Middle Branch lean-to where Jim camped. The day was cooler than we have had which was nice. The trail had been recently maintained; drainage troughs have been cut into the trail and the new bridges installed. I noticed the campsite just before the "sand hill" has seen much more use. The trail signs are also fresh. A few stops to get water but the rest of the time was just hiking. Early on a pair of trees was blocking the trail. After climbing over them I picked up a camera lens cap. Knowing Jim was a photographer I wondered if it was his. Another dead log across the trail has some coral fungus growing on it. I carefully took some of the youngest and put it into a bag. I arrived at the lean-to in just over 2 hours. Jim was waiting for me.  I asked him if he was missing anything and showed him the lens cap. It was his., he was surprised I found it. We chatted a bit and soon another hiker arrived. He asked if we were staying which we were not so we told him it was all his. Shortly a small group arrived just to take in the view. 

After an early lunch we headed out towards Pine Lake, about 4 or 5 miles down the old road. I remembered the waterfall on South Inlet so we took a side trip to see it. Did not see empty cans on the far shore this time. I still need to explore the other side of the stream as well as re-visit the site of the old camps Justin and I started to explore a few years ago. Anyway, we continued on the trail which was very easy going. A bright orange mass in the woods caught both of our eyes at the same time. It was what I though, chicken of the woods. I harvested a few pieces of the youngest fruiting bodies. Turning south at the the trail junction also had us crossing into the Independence River Wild Forest. The trail here is the boundary between the two zones. A bit more blowdown on this section. Also quite a bit of evidence of illegal atv traffic. As East Pine pond came into view also did a woman sitting at the shore with her tablet. We weren't sure if she was writing, reading or drawing. So as to not startle her we announced our presence as we approached. She turned and asked of we had lost a walkie-talkie. We hadn't. She said it had a phone number on it so she would call the owner when she got home. 

We were only a half mile from our planned campsite and we kind of expected to see the woman's gear all set up at the lean-to. There was another campsite nearby if we needed it. To our surprise we found the lean-to empty. Also quite clean. With camp set up and a small amount of firewood gathered we took a long break. I skimmed through the shelter log and added an entry. Noting earlier in the summer a hiker had come from Middle Settlement to here and had to traverse a flooded section. We would be seeing this tomorrow. Evening is starting to come earlier now. We both slept in the lean-to. This would be #97 for me. 

Day 2: A storm came through during the night. Heavy rain and some thunder. By morning it was only slightly raining. I had tried to sleep in but a little after 6a is all I could muster. Jim retrieved our food bags. Made some coffee and my breakfast which I wrapped up to eat later. The rain had subsided and the sun began to lift the fog from the lake. Our options for today were a short, medium or long loop back to here and then continue to Middle Settlement. We opted for the medium route. The trail system continued on a snowmobile path also with signs of atv use. At the trail register we saw the lady had left the walkie-talkie. The next few miles would be on the dirt rd. Shortly we passed a private inholding which had a few atvs parked in front. The road had signs prohibiting atvs specifically. The deep mud pits formed by them are why they are not allowed; yet they continue unabated. We stopped at the bridge over Big Otter Lake outlet. It is neat how they built the bridge into the large rocks. Taking a longer break here I ate my sandwich. The sky could not decide whether to be sunny or over cast.  

From here we would intersect the trail we hiked yesterday.  We would continue on it for a little over a mile to the junction with the lean-to. The trail would become a foot path now starting off on pine needle carpeted floor. It would pass through fern laden undergrowth all the while with little ups and downs common on adirondack trails. What was uncommon was the lack of good water. There were some ponds and streams flowing from them, but no nice spring fed drainages.. At one of them a beaver had plugged it up as they usually do. We traversed the beaver dam to make it across without issue. Wondering if this was the flooded section, actually hoping as it wasn't bad. After a short rise we crossed a draining marsh on a rock which the water flowed over. The land became a series of steeper climbs and drops, up and over what seemed to be glacial moraines. When we arrived at the true beaver flooded section it was obvious this was the one the hiker from this summer was referring. There was a deep channel, just a bit to far to jump. Then about 40 feet of grass and weeds then a wider channel with a log spanning it. We gathered some downed branches to act as a makeshift bridge. I unbuckled my hip belt and cautiously made my way across. As I stepped onto the grassy edge, it wavered. This was not solid ground at least right at the edge. I poked and prodded my way across with some steps sinking into the bog. I could not stand in one place too long as it would sink. A few branches along the way helped. As I made it to the far side where the log span was, I could see the channel here was even deeper and much wider than the other. The log was also much thinner than it appeared from afar. There was no way I could balance on this for the entire span. This became obvious when I stepped onto it and it rolled and sank. Jim had since crossed the initial "bridge" and tossed me one of the longer branches to use. It landed right in front of me splashing. The bog was now flooding. Even with the branch I could not get across. I told Jim I was coming back, He crossed back over the bridge. I made way through the bog which was now breaking apart. Apparently this was a floating mat. I sank in quite deep on a few steps. Back on dry land we looked to see if there was another way. Not without a significant bushwhack and still no real guarantee. We were 1.5 miles from our planned camp which included figuring out how to get around this obstacle, or we could go back 2.5 miles to our previous camp. We opted for the latter but not after we sat down for a lunch break.

Backtracking, we felt defeated but it was the right move. Had we not done that 7 mile loop earlier in the day we might have had more energy and desire to get around the flooded section. We got back to our previous campsite. Set up and cleaned up. As a pre-dinner I cooked up the can of potato soup which someone had left in the lean-to.  I then cooked my real dinner including the wild mushrooms I had collected the previous day. A tough day, sleep would be welcome. Not long after dark I crept into my hammock and was soon asleep.

Day 3: We knew the trail out would be easy so we did not rush our morning. Even still we were on the trail around 8a. The hike out was mostly a gentle uphill for quite a while, then a steep descent before leveling off just as we got to our cars. We did stop for a late breakfast at the Big Otter campsite. It has grown in a lot since my last visit. We also stopped for me to collect some more coral tooth fungus. At the junction to the Simon Pond trail, a day hiker asked how far it was to the Moose River Mtn trail. We gave his the info and chatted a bit. At the car it was nice to change out of the sweaty clothes and damp feet. Bummer we didn't finish the loop. I will send in a report to the DEC about the flooded section so it is at least recorded as current trail conditions.

Arrival of Winter in the ADKS

There was a little snow on the ground when we pulled into the parking area just off Route 28. I arrived only a few minutes after Justin. We anticipated more by the end of the trip. As we loaded Justin's gear into my car, our friend Bill arrived. He would be day hiking nearby and we let him know of our plans, so he could join us at our campsite if the time allowed. At the trailhead we opted against snowshoes. Justin started with microspikes. The hiking was easy along the old jeep trail. Some bridge repairs had been made. They were not as big as I thought. It also looked as if they used vehicular support to bring in materials. We stopped at the hunters campsite I had found a few years ago. The tent was not set up this time.

Soon after the trail junction we took a general bearing and began to follow alongside the drainage to try to locate the position of an old camp we noted on the 1903 topo map. It was thick, and mucky so we began to move up and away from the drainage to higher ground. After some exploring and poking around we were quite sure we had found the general area. Justin headed down towards the stream and I poked around a bit more inland. We took a bearing for a more direct route back to the trail. This would prove much easier as it was open hardwoods. We popped out on the jeep trail just past the junction and the drainage.

We stopped at Middle Branch Lake just to look around a bit and momentarily lamented we had told Bill we would be at Middle Settlement Lake as both of us would have been happy to make camp here. I ate my lunch. Onwards we went to Middle Settlement, this would make tomorrow a much shorter day too. The distance between the two lakes isn't great, but it sure feels like it. The trail is a series of ups and downs and some wet areas as well as a stream crossing. It is a rugged little section of trail. Beavers had made a mess out of a few areas, two which required finding a way across the flooded section. The stream crossing was not as bad as it first looked. We were able to rock hop it. At the outlet of Middle Settlement Lake we somewhat expected to see footprints as there were cars in the parking area as we passed by on the way to our trailhead. Crossing the outlet is always an adventure here. As I made my way, Bill arrived. Justin and I were quite a bit later than we expected and Bill a tad earlier. It would work out well with 3 of us collecting wood.

We dropped our gear at the lean-to and began collecting firewood. With the 3 of us, we soon had a decent pile. As the sun set, the sky had a nice pinkish glow to it, and the lake was just beginning to have a thin layer of ice. We got the fire going and hung out. I was tired and ended up not even eating my dinner. I went to bed early and slept soundly. Snow came through the night. Not as much as we expected. I re-started the fire from the remaining coals and took a photo of the now snow covered lake. After breakfast we packed up and begain our hike out. The snow was gently falling for most of the hike. Bill led the way mostly. At this point I was glad we had done the extra miles the previous day. We all loaded up into Justin's car and dropped Bill off at his car, and then me at mine. A fun little adventure. Justin's video of the trip: https://youtu.be/OzFES3wGeeQ

Minimal maintenance - East Pond/Lost Creek trail

03/28/2016 Minimal maintenance - East Pond/Lost Creek trail

Chris had a great trip planned for the Haderondah Wilderness. Knowing I had been to the area before, he asked me to come along. It was Chris, Steve and I, all teachers on our spring break. We hit the trail after a quick early lunch and made our way down the old jeep trail to the trail junction entering the minimal maintenance area. I had been down this trail last fall and knew of the flooded section. I expected it to be at least as bad this time of year. We passed through the cleared blowdown above the beaver swamp and then down to the flooded section. We made our way across the muddy dam just as I had done last fall. Scout, the dog, got caught up on a stick with her pack. Steve helped her get unhooked and we made our way up from the wet area. The rest of the trail would be a series of small ups and downs as we crossed between hills and ponds. The crossing of Little Simon's outlet was tricky with the higher water level. We each took a different route. From here it was a mile to camp; just up and around the next hill.

At East Pond, we made camp and collected a bit of wood. It did not appear anyone had been here since my last visit. At the very least any visitors did not make a fire, as my “X” was still in the firepit. We decided to check out Blackfoot Pond and the old mica mine. Last fall I explored a little of the outlet of Blackfoot. The last time I was at the northern end was with Justin a few years ago. At the old mine some had set mica chips and ore atop a boulder. Some rather large flakes of mica. We climbed to the top of the boulders from which the mine was excavated. From the top we saw a glisten a few hundred feet towards the lake. We guessed it might be a piece of mica reflecting the sun. The weather was great. Slightly cool, but bright and sunny. On our way back from the top of the mine, we stopped at a small water fall. A neat cascade flowing over the sharp cliff face. Not large, but cool nonetheless. I recalled seeing it when Justin and I were here last time. We headed towards the pond and on the way stopped to find what was glistening in the sun. It turned out to be some mica in the rocks. We figured this must have been how it was discovered to be a good place to mine for it. On the way back to camp we opted to take a higher route than the trail, just to check it out. There was not much to see from the next contours up, but this would get us ready for our hike the next day. Back at camp, we started the fire and made dinner. I stayed up as late as possible, but soon had to turn in before the rest.

The temp dropped significantly through the night. While I was comfortable in my hammock, it was chilly getting up. I restarted the fire and made some coffee. My stirring awoke the other two and soon we were all having breakfast and preparing for the day's adventure. Chris thought it would be a good idea to go check out Big Otter Lake and have lunch on the bridge. 5 miles there and another 5 back sounded like a good idea. If we were feeling adventurous, we could even tack on an extra mile or so and go see the waterfall on South Inlet creek. We headed down the Lost Creek trail and stopped at the many beaver dams which terraced the outlet of East Pond. There was a lot of blowdown to slow us. It appeared that some of the trail markers were newish, but there had been no recent clearing of obstacles. This area is on a 5 year maintenance cycle, so a less than convenient hike is expected, though desired. We stopped for a snack break alongside the outlet creek right before the creek would turn away from the trail. There a nice set of rapids here which was very pretty and soothing. It was easter morning and I commented that this is my church. We continued on down the trail. I filled up water from one of the spring fed stream emanating from the hillside. It was getting warmer as the morning progressed. We found the old trail which headed north to Lost Creek and turned south towards Big Otter. The map said it was 1.3 miles. After 45 minutes or so we knew there was an error on the map. We expected this as the mileage didn't mesh with the posted mileage by a significant amount. Eventually we made it to South Inlet creek, crossed the bridge. I noted an old campsite fire ring. It hadn't been used in quite a while. I guessed it was camp for someone fishing the creek. We again were on the old jeep rd and saw fresh atv tracks. This is a wilderness area which means no motorized access. However being so close to the an access point, sadly illegal atv use is common here. We stopped at a large campsite on the edge of Big Otter Lake. The lake was free of ice, which contrasted the pond at our campsite which was still mostly solid. We had lunch and laid down in the warm grass. The sounds of atvs on the other side of the lake could be heard. It wasn't too much later we could hear them heading towards us. The circumvented the gate and crossed into the wilderness area. They headed down the trail towards us and called out hello. We greeted the couple and they immediately recognized me. It was Boon and his girlfriend who showed up at Chub Pond for my trip last St. Patricks day. We chatted a bit and then they drove off. I told the guys the story about Boon and Chub Pond.

We decided to head back to camp and not opt for the South Inlet waterfall. The return trip was faster even though we were generally going uphill. Within a mile of camp, we went around a large section of blowdown and didn't regain the trail. We kept our eastern heading and with the outlet to our left we knew we would soon hit the approach trail to camp. Soon enough we did and we made it back to camp. Scout the dog went to take a nap while the rest of us got things ready for dinner. We were all tired, but knew that if we laid down we would fall asleep and then not sleep at night. I cut some wood to keep busy, Steve and Chris went to the point to look out over the lake and watch the sun set. I watched a few birds circling the air on the other side of the lake where the coyotes made a ruckus the previous night. It had barely gotten dark and we all went to bed. The expected forecast for the next day was rain. We planned to get up as early as possible with the hopes of beating most of it. The night would be considerably warmer than the previous.

The winds really picked up during the night. My tarp was flapping hard. Not sure if it just started in the early hours of the morning or had it been going all night and I slept through it all. I was awake, but it wasn't quite light yet and I waited until I could see or hear either Steve or Chris. A headlamp camce on over by the tents, so I began to get dressed and pack up. I had all my stuff packed except for the tarp, just in case it began to rain. Steve and Chris were packed up quickly as well and we donned rain gear and headed down the trail. It was sprinkling a bit, but I was getting too hot, so when we stopped for a moment, I ditched my rain gear. I opted for rain wet and comfortable instead of sweaty wet and uncomfortable. The mile to Little Simon was fast. We were not dawdling along. We crossed the flume and made each checkpoint; the log bridge, and beaver dam very quickly. Compared to the previous day, the trail was a highway. At the beaver dam it started to rain more heavily. It slowed for a bit, but at the junction for the jeep trail, a little more than a mile to go it started to be consistently heavier. We would get soaked by them time we were at the car. We loaded up and drove quickly to get some coffee. Felt quite good for a 20.4 mile weekend most of which was on a marked but unmaintained trail.