Potash Mountain - Lake Luzerne, NY - 4/8/17

Potash Mountain in Lake Luzerne catches the eye of any hiker who catches site of it.  It has an amazing cliff face on the south side and it is quite obvious that views can be at the top of that cliff face.

While the summit is on state land, the state land parcel is land locked.  Private land surrounds the mountain on all sides.  I've had the good fortune to have permission to climb this mountain previously and it was greatly appreciated.

The new news and that one of the private land owners has donated their 107 acres at the base of Potash Mountain to form the basis of a nature preserve.   Alice Harris's generous gift will become the Harris Nature Preserve.   While this parcel didn't touch the existing state land, a 2nd property owner , Richard and Joanne Sehlmeyer, donated a 6.4 acre portion of their land as well to make that connection.

The preserve will be predominantly on the southeast flank of Potash.  A trail will be developed by Wilderness Property Management, Inc. that will connect with the state land parcel.

On Saturday I went back to Potash to check out this parcel and do a bushwhack hike to the summit following a route that will most likely be close to the route chosen.

The start of the parking area, with Potash Mountain in the background. 

The summit

I saw three different firerings near the summit.

The view from the south face of Potash Mountain.

Looking down from the south face.

Looking at Potash from the road from the SW

A zoom view of the south face.

This is the profile view that catches the hikers eye.

There is a lot to be excited about here.  The new trail will provide a short relatively steep hike to a peak with impressive views.  While I like bushwhacking, I know I'm the minority.  Familes and trail hikers will love this peak once the trail is complete.  DEC and the Adirondack Mountain Club (ADK) have been working to promote other hikes outside of the High Peaks in order to alleviate overuse of those peaks.  Potash Mountain will provide one such alternative.

Hike Stats:
Hike Distance:  2 to 2.5 miles
Hike Time:  2 hours
Total Vertical Gain:  ~ 900'


 

Wolf Pond - Vanderwhacker Mountain Wild Forest - 4/2/17

A new trail had been in the works to Wolf Pond for many years.  I had taken a first look in September 2015 and it was 3/4 done at that time.  Additionally, a lean-to location had tentatively been selected on the east side of the pond and the site had been marked and cleared.

I went back in November 2016, only to find that no additional progress had been made.  Recently, friends had announced that the trail was now fully cleared and the lean-to was complete.  Lees, Rev and I paid a visit this afternoon.

We trailhead is at the large parking area where Blue Ridge Road (Boreas Road) crosses the Boreas River.  A bridge has been constructed at the start of the trail to secure the first water crossing.

  

Rev on bridge number 1.

Look at the snow depth on the bridge.

The trail doesn't follow the stream, but rather it winds through some pretty sections of pine forest, swinging back to the water only once. 

A small second bridge.

Still plenty of ice. 

When we reached the spot where the trail clearing had stopped in 2015, we noticed that the newly completed portion deviated from what had been flagged earlier.  I was wondering what the reasoning was, but it became apparent soon enough.  The lean-to location had been changed.  Rather than place the lean-to on the east side of the pond, it was constructed on the southwest corner.  This eliminated one additional stream bridge and it situated the lean-to further from a piece of private property.  these were my observations, but I don't know why the location was changed.

  

A box toilet.

The new lean-to

The lean-to construction was very well done and the structure should last for many years.  Wolf Pond is visible from the lean-to, but the lean-to is set back from the water's edge, as is current practice,

Wolf Pond

The Wolf Pond outlet.

The best views are from the southeast corner of the pond.  You have to rock hop across the outlet to get to the best viewpoint.  Here you will find wonderful views of the great range, similar to what can be seen from Boreas Ponds. 

A portion of the great range is visible in the background.

A zoom view.

A front view.

On this day it was 50 degrees, yet the snowpack was still quite deep.  The trail had been broken out last weekend and we only had to pack down the latest 4inches of snow.  It was warm enough that the snow didn't stick to our snowshoes.

The trail is still flagged with pink and yellow ribbons, but no trail discs have been placed yet.  The new lean-to will surely be a popular destination, but we didn't see anyone on this day.

Hike Stats:

Hike Distance:  5 miles roundtrip

Hike Time:  3 hours, including stops

Total Vertical Gain:  ~400'

  

This is the route of what will soon be a marked trail.