Raquette River, Pickerel Pond, Rock Pond, Moose Pond and Franklin Falls Pond - 9/20/15

After having spent a fun but rainy night in our tent at a fantastic campsite in Coreys on Stony Creek Ponds we wee up and out early to clearing skies.  The cold front had come in and the weather was noticably cooler than it had been on Saturday.

Leesa had a morning campfire to take the chill off and I jumped in the kayak to take a morning paddle. I went around Stony Creek Ponds and a little ways down Stony Creek towards the Raquette River and Axton Landing before heading back to our campsite.  On my way back I spotted a bald eagle... probably the same one I had seen the before.  I carefully paddled closer and pulled out my camera and was able to snap a couple of nice shots.  In looking at the picture, I think I can even see a band on the foot of the eagle.

Bald eagle at Stony Creek Ponds

After watching the eagle, I returned to the campsite and we got ourselves together for some more hiking and exploration.  We left the tent set up to dry out in the sun.

Our first stop was Axton Landing.  We drove the short distance to the boat launch there, then hiked around to campsite 12, just downstream.   

Rev ... exploring on her own

Next we drove further on Coreys Road to an unmarked turnoff on the right.  This leads to a cable crossing on the river that supports a small tram car that takes property owners to a hunting camp on the far side of the river.  I'd like to see it in operation.  

Just upstream from the cable crossing is another campsite.  This one has a nice little beach.  There was no "camp here" disc so this one may not be legal.  If not, it still receives obvious use.

Campsite just upstream from the cable crossing.

The beach at the campsite.

The outlet of Stony Creek into the Raquette River

We returned to the car and continued down Coreys Road.  I wanted to note the locations of all the campsites on the road.  There are many.

We got to the Seward parking area and it was time to turn around.  The Seward lot wasn't full, but there were perhaps a dozen cars there plus several trucks with horse trailers.  I also noticed an old hay wagon near the trail kiosk that wasn't there last time I had been there.

We turned the car around and stared out.  Our next stop was the jeep trail on the right at Ampersand Brook.  This one leads to a pair of campsites; the 2nd one being the best at located at the waters edge.      

Ampersand Brook

Rev at Ampersand Brook

Continuing back on Coreys Road, there are a pair of small ponds on the south side of the road that have marked trails leading to them.  We stopped at the first one, Pickeral Pond, and took the short trail to it.  There was a rowboat at the shoreline, but no oars.  We saw a pair of hunters on this trail, wearing camoflage and doing some scouting. 

Pickerel Pond

Looking towards the Sewards from Pickerel Pond

We returned to te car and drove over to the trail for Rock Pond.  This was another short trail.  Both trails were less than a half mile long.  At Rock Pond, there was a row boat once again, and a conoe as well.  The canoe was a metal canoe with a pair of oars and it looked sturdy.

Leesa wanted to go for a paddle, so she, Rev, and I piled in and I paddled us around the circumference of the pond.  Rev did very well in sitting nicely and not walking around the canoe.     

Rock Pond

Back on shore, we returned to Coreys Road and made our way back to our campsite.  It was time to pack up our gear and free up the campsite for someone else.  I tossed the sleeping pads out onto the ground and Rev sat down on them looking as if she couldn't believe we were leaving.

What a sight.  Did Rev want to camp again?

We left Coreys and next headed past Saranac Lake and north past Bloomingdale to Moose Pond and the boat launch there.  We had XC skied to Moose Pond from Route 3 in the winter, but we had not seen the pond in the summer.  There is a peninsula at the northern end of the island that offers a fantastic campsite and a rock outcrop at the point from which you can see sunrise and sunset.  

There are also may campsites along the east shore of the lake including one at the NW end of the lake with a large rock outcrop to enjoy sunrise.

    

Moose Pond looking south.

Rev at the campsite on the peninsula. 

Moose Island peninsula

The north end of the pond.

Looking at the peninsula campsite from the west shore.

We were surprised that there was only one car at the big boat launch area when we arrived. Three cars of fisherman showed up later, but the pond was still eerily quiet for such a nice day.

Our last stop for the day was Franklin Falls Pond.  We stopped at the designated campsite on the NW shore (there is actually a pair of sites there, but the nicest site is the one by the waters edge.  It's an extra large level site in the pines overlooking the water.

Just to the east of the campsite is a state boatlaunch and I dropped a kayak in the water for quick paddle.  I went out to an island that was visible from the boat launch.. There were 2 islands there. The larger one has a great beach as the west end.  Camping is prohibited on these islands, but they are a nice place to visit.    

Island on Franklin Falls Pond.

A short pause for island exploration.

And another.

All good paddles come to an end and after a quick tour of a portion of the pond it was time to admit we had to head home.  Today we made a lot of little stops but we saw some great places and gained ideas for future trips.

Bushwhack Hike to Peaked Hill - Pharaoh Lakes Wilderness - 12/26/13

If you are looking for a relatively easy bushwhack to an open Adirondack summit, consider Peaked Hill in the Pharaoh Lakes Wilderness, just west of Rock Pond.  The goal for me on this gray day was to do a little bushwhack exploration.  I had heard that Peaked Hill had a really nice summit, and I had eyed it during a previous hike to Rock Pond. 

Walking was tough due snow conditions.  There was about 4" of crusty snow on the ground.   I broke through with each step.  Snowshoes might have been better, but on a bushwhack, snowshoes don't always work so well.  Once I got in the woods a little bit, the snow wasn't quite as crunchy. 

 

Trailhead at Putnam Pond Campground

 

I started by hiking from Putnam Pond to Rock Pond via the Clear Pond Trail.  At Rock Pond I turned north to a height of land, then walked west on the ridge of Rock Pond Mountain until I reached the true summit.  The woods was open throughout this hike allowing for easy movement through the trees.  There were filtered views of Rock Pond to the south.

  



Rock Pond, with Peaked Hill in the background

 

 

 

 

 

 

From Rock Pond Mountain, I decided to head north to take a look at Gooseneck Pond.  The land along the northern tip of Gooseneck Pond is private property but the remainder of land abutting the pond is state land.

I made my way towards the peninsula on the inside of the dogleg of the pond.  At the south shore I had my first glimpse of the peninsula and I saw an incredibly large rock formation at the water's edge.  Adjacent to that was a long rock point with a steep east face.  I had to walk several hundred feet inland to be able to get up on the rock and walk out to the point.  It was quite an impressive extension of rock.

Even more impressive was the tall rock face immediately to the west.  My dog Rev and I climbed to the top, but didn't go near the edge due to the slick ice surface.  This place must look great in the summer.  I'll have to go back to see.  

 

This rock feature is amazingly big

The water was covered in snow and ice, but it was not thick enough to trust walking on it.  I made my way back around the pond and headed south towards Peaked Hill, bypassing Rock Pond Mountain on the west.  Rev and I scouted and found a means to cross the Rock Pond outlet brook and soon we were climbing the open woods on the eastern flank of Peaked Hill.  About halfway we passed several large sections of exposed rock.

 

In minutes we were on the nice open summit.  There are great views of Pharaoh Mountain, Potter Mountain, Rock Pond and much more of the surrounding area. 

   

 

Pharaoh Mountain in the distance

 

A zoom in look at Pharaoh 

 

The open summit of Peaked Hill

 

 

 

A boardwalk on the South Rock Pond trail

 

I left the summit at 2:30 PM and was able to make it back to the car by 4:30.  On the way back, I took the South Rock Pond Trail to the Clear Pond Trail, stopping at both the Rock Pond lean-to and Little Rock POnd lean-t0 on the way out.

 

 

Rock Pond lean-to

 

 

Little Rock Pond lean-to

Soon access to this area will probably be a little more difficult, since the campground road isn't often plowed in the winter.  That adds a couple miles each way onto the trip.

 

 

Hike Stats:

Hike Distance:  10.2 miles

Hike Time:  6 hours

Total Vertical Gain:  ~2000'



 

 

 

Rock Pond Mine - Pharaoh Lake Wilderness - 11/28/13



The Adirondacks are full of great hiking destinations.  Sometimes the destination is a natural setting and sometimes it is a man made remnant of times gone by.  "Adirondack Trails with Tales"  by Russell Dunn and Barbara Delaney describes many such places with man made history.  It's a great read and the trails described each have a fascinating history.

The Rock Pond Mine is one such place.  These days, it is mostly a scenic beautiful pond located in the Pharaoh Lakes Wilderness.  In the late 1800's, it was the site of a graphite mine.  You can read a little of the history here, and take a look at what the mining operation looked like in the late 1800's here!  It's hard to imagine based on how quiet the area looks now.

Leesa and I went wandering from Putnam Pond to Rock Pond to take a look.  It was a beautiful blue sky day, but the wind chill was below zero.  We were bundled up pretty good.  Still we took the long way around by heading north to Bear Pond first.
 

a bluebird day

We reached the mine and though it was cold, we poked around and imagined what once has.

 



Mine building foundation

 

 

Rev is looking it over

 

Compare this setting to the old photo of the mine building 



The mine

 

 



An old steam boiler



 

 

 

 

 

Beyond the mine lay the now peaceful beautiful Rock Pond.  It was interesting on this day with the partial ice coverage.

 

 

Rock Pond, as it looks now 

 

 

Peaked Hill in the distance

 

 

There is a really great campsite on the north shore of the pond, not far from the remains of the mine.  We weren't inclined to camp with the wind chill we were facing.  We thought about taking the trail around the entire Rock Pond, but thought the better of it and took the direct trail back to the car.  We'll explore more on another day.

 

 

 

Campsite

 

interesting how ice forms



Hike Stats:

Hike Distance:  6.8 miles

Hike Time:  3.25 hours

Total Vertical Gain:  ~ 1100' 

 



Our route (click image to enlarge) 

Our route on the National Geographic map