Berrymill Pond - Pharaoh Lakes Wilderness - 6/14/15

After a lot of bushwhack hikes, Leesa and I choose a trail hike today.  This one was to Berrymill Pond in the Pharaoh Lakes Wilderness Area.  Five years ago, we hiked to the pond from the north, so this this we took the trail from the south off of New Hague Road.

This was a 3.1 mile hike, one way to the pond.  For the first mile, the trail rises gardually, followed by a moderately steep section that lasted for 0.4 miles.  We passed a couple small creeks in this section.  The mosquitos were after us early on so Leesa put on a head net and I put on a little Deet. That took care of the problem.

A trail junction near the start.  We took the right fork today towards Berrymill Pond.

Rev playing in a creek early in the hike.

The the crest of the moderately steep section, the forest changed from hard woods to a mixed forest and some beaver ponds.  The remainder of the hike was a general gradual downhill to Berrymill Pond.  

One of the wet areas in the middle of the hike

Marshes west of the trail in the mid-section.

At 2.1 miles we came across a trail re-route which is obviously new.  Fresh tree cuts and orange ribbon to denote the new route.  The old section has been blocked by brush.  It appears that a new beaver pond put a portion of the old trail underwater.  The re-route lasted for 0.4 miles.

This looks to be the cause of the trail re-route.

Almost to Berrymill Pond leanto.

Soon we reached Berrymill Pond which I find to be a very pretty area.  We stopped at the leanto first, then sat on a large nearby rock to eat lunch.

A wildflower field within sight of the leanto.

After lunch, we nosed around different portions of the pond including the outlet and the peninsula.  I almost stepped on a duck who was sitting on her nest of eggs.  She flew out when I was about 3 feet away.  I noticed the nest and backed away.

 

Standing near the outlet looking back.

The waterfall at the outlet of the pond.

Lots of Red Pines and ferns in the area.

My favorite picture of the day.  The leanto is in the background.

Rev won't swim, but Leesa did.

Lots of nice rock at the waters edge.

Wild Iris! 

After an hour and a half at the pond, we returned to the car the way we had come.  The trail is generally in good shape and doesn't receive much use.  We enjoyed it and the pond is unusually nice.

Hike Stats:

Hike Distance:  ~ 7 miles

Hike Time:  4.5 hours

Total Vertical Gain:  ~ 1000' 

The route (click image to enlarge)

The Nat Geo map with the route shown....

Kayaking 0n the Schroon River - 6/13/15

Adventure #3 on Saturday was a relaxing kayak paddle on the Schroon River from the Route 74 kayak launch to the boat launch in Schroon lake adjacent to the Boathouse Theater.  This was a paddle of about 7 miles.

I launched at 4:45 PM.  Leesa agreed to pick me up in town at 6:45 PM.  I had checked the USGS Water gauge at Riverbank prior to heading out, and knew that the gauge height was 5.1 '.  This was plenty of water.  As long as the gauge is 3' or higher I can paddle without bottoming out at all in shallow water.  

When I checked the USGS website, I saw the unfortunate notice that the site will no longer be producing new data after July 1st, 2015 due to a lack of funding.  So sad. 

Many of the sandbars I usually see were underwater due to the high water height.

There was a nice breeze on the river and it was a joy to be out on the water.  The river felt bigger and bigger due to the high water level.

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The Schroon River in this section is an easy Class 1 with moving water but no rapids or whitewater.

I paddled the entire time so I made good progress and I reached the mouth of Schroon Lake in just over an hour.  The sandbars that are usually exposed at the mouth were underwater.  Since I was ahead  of  schedule, I paddled around Clark Island (a private island owned by The Word of Life), before paddling back to the Schroon Lake boat launch.

I was still easy but I pulled the boat up into the grass and sat on one of the park benches overlooking the water and just enjoyed some quiet time for a little while before Leesa swung in to pick me up.

This trip is always an enjoyable paddle and I do it several times each year.

Great view of mountains to the north from the north end of the Schroon Lake.

Looking south to Ledge Hill and Pine Hill.

The tiny island just south of Clark Island.

Schroon Lake beach in the foreground, Nippletop Mountain (Dix Range, not High Peaks Nippletop) in the background.

Mission complete.  Schroon Lake beach in the background.

Schroon Lake boat launch in the background.

Paddle Stats:

Paddle Distance:  ~7 miles

Paddle Time:  1.5 hours

A general map that I made.  I launched from Route 74 on this day.