DSettahr
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Did a 2 day/1 night trip into the heart of the Five Ponds Wilderness this past weekend. Instead of going it solo as usual, I was joined by two friends of mine who came up from Massachusetts for the weekend.
Got a very early start with the sunrise at the trailhead for the truck trail to High Falls on Saturday. There was a light dusting of snow on the ground, maybe a half an inch thick in places, but with the sunrise it was starting to melt.
The trail into High Rock went quickly and easily. Along the way, we passed the junction with the old Leary Trail, which was easy to spot. The trail had blue markers up on it, and appeared to be getting some maintenance. (According to this trip report from the spring, it can be followed until about half a mile before it rejoins the truck trail).
At the junction with the trail to High Rock, we dropped our packs and took the short trail to the campsite overlooking the Oswegatchie. There, we met Jerry Jenkins (Adirondack author) and another fellow from Massachusetts (whose name escapes me) camped there. We stopped and chatted for a bit, Jerry was back there to do some research on the bogs alongside the Oswegatchie. While we were there, we were visited by two beautiful Gray Jays, who were certainly friendly and eager for handouts! And, as always, the view from High Rock was quite beautiful:
Beyond High Rock, the trail got a bit wet, courtesy of the beavers, and we found ourselves crossing several muddy dams. My boots aren't waterproof anymore, and my feet did get a bit damp, so waterproof boots are certainly worth bringing on this trail.
We stopped to take a quick break alongside the Oswegatchie again where the trail paralleled it at Ross Rapids. There was a pretty little designated campsite there right alongside the river that made a great spot for a break.
Just beyond Ross Rapids, we reached the worst of the beaver flooding. I've heard stories about the water here being chest deep, and looking at the sizeable beaver pond, I don't doubt it. Fortunately, it's an easy one to get around- when I was last here 2 years ago, we bushwhacked around it to the east. Now there is a marked reroute that is even easier to follow it.
We thought we were done with beaver flooding for a little while, but soon encountered another small flow. It didn't look too deep, maybe ankle deep or so, but it was deeper than we were willing to wade in late fall. We were able to get around this section of flooding by bushwhacking the west and crossing on the dam. The crossing was a bit treacherous, as it wasn't the best constructed beaver dam I've ever seen- I kept expecting it to collapse beneath us!
Soon, we reached the junction and took the Five Ponds trail west. The Oswegatchie crossing isn't too far from the juntion, and there are 4 nice designated campsites here. 3 of them are pretty decent and are easy to find, but it's the forth that really takes the cake. After you cross the bridge, look for a trail that continues south along the shore of the river around the small hill that the main trail climbs over. It leads a short distance a gorgeous campsite that overlooks the river with a spring nearby:
The trail to Five Ponds is mostly in good shape- very clear of blowdown. Many of the smaller bridges were in disrepair, though- most were rotten and slippery. With careful foot placement, this isn't really an issue, but again, waterproof boots are good to have for those spots that are wet without sufficient bridging. The only stream crossing that might prove difficult when the water is high is the outlet of Big Shallow, but for us it was a simple and easy rock hop.
Owing to the flatness of the trail, we made good time and were soon at the lean-to on Big Shallow. We camped here a little over a year ago, and it's a beautiful place to camp (although breezy when the wind is up!):
Beyond Big Shallow, the trail gets pretty rugged for the next three quarters of a mile, with plenty of ups and downs. We could see Washbowl through the new growth that has sprung up after the microburst, but never got any good views. By the time we arrived at Little Shallow, we were ready for a water break!
The trail to Sand Lake becomes much flatter after passing Little Shallow, and climbs over and through some long, gentle sloping ridges through beautiful mixed forest. Almost immediately after leaving Little Shallow, we encountered some wet spots and more beaver flooding, but negotiating these was a piece of cake after what we'd already encountered earlier that day on the truck trail to High Falls.
At the junction with the Wolf Pond Trail, we continued straight on the trail to Sand Lake. By this point, we were starting to feel the miles we'd traveled already that day, and our legs were a bit sore... and the appearance of more rugged ups and downs during the next mile certainly didn't help! We also crossed many small streams, but there was only one during the first quarter mile that might pose difficulties if the water is up (and indeed, there were some horror stories in the Sand Lake lean-to register about crossing it that I read later that evening!).
Eventually, though, the trail flattens out and becomes a nice flat walk through the woods. At this point, it's fairly obvious that few people ever make the trek to Sand Lake- the trail quite clearly gets little use, although we didn't find it difficult to follow.
We arrived at Sand Lake with about an hour of daylight left in the day- plenty of time to make some hot drinks, collect firewood, and watch the sunset. Sand it truly is a beautiful place, and I'm glad to return and actually camp here:
Spent a very relaxing and peaceful night there in front of the fire, with a jury rigged tarp to keep the wind away from the lean-to. During the night, the temperature actually rose, and it was warmer by the time morning rolled around. We got up and had camp broken down quickly, and were soon on our way back towards civilization.
With a nights worth of rest, we made good time on the trail back through the Five Ponds, stopping only for a short break at Little Shallow. Soon, we were back on the truck trail, and heading south to High Falls. We encountered some more flooding along this trail, but again nothing major compared to what we'd already traversed. In fact, I think the water levels have dropped in the vicinity of Glasby Brook in comparison to last year.
High Falls was our destination for lunch, so we dropped our packs, grabbed our food, and took the half mile side trail to the falls. After eating lunch, I took some time to explore, and found a designated campsite just north of the lean-to on the east shore that I'd not found before. It's a small site secluded in the woods, and obviously gets very little views. In addition to the lean-to, there is only one other designated campsite on the east shore, and it's obvious that the DEC has been trying to discourage camping down by the base of the falls- some fire pits had been brushed in, and "no camping" discs had been put up. When I'd first visited High Falls 2 years ago, I was able to cross the river by jumping above the waterfall, but it looked just a tad bit too high to attempt on this trip. The falls were well worth the extra mileage to visit, as usual:
We returned to civilization via the trail alongside the Plains to Sand Hill Junction and the Dead Creek Flow trial. The trail to Sand Hill Junction was mostly in good shape, although there is one treacherous stream crossing on a bridge with a single stringer that is getting very rotten and slippery. Some muddy spots and one short section of beaver flooding that requires you to cross yet another dam, but overall the trail is in great shape.
When we reached Dead Creek Flow, we were in for a surprise- the beaver flooding just west of the junction with the trail to Janack's Landing had drained! It looked like someone had busted the beaver dam open with a chainsaw since I'd been through the area last (a few weeks ago on my way into and back out of Cowhorn Pond and the Oswegatchie Headwaters). Hooray for no more flooding bog bridges that disappear down into the depths of the murky water when you step on them! (At least until the beavers come back and rebuild...)
Once around Dead Creek Flow we started north on the old railroad bed, and made good time back to the trailhead. Then my friends got to relax and rest their legs at the trailhead while I hiked the extra mile along the road to get the car...
Definitely a great trip, and I'm glad to have been able to revisit the Five Ponds and actually stay at Sand Lake on this trip. One more lean-to down, many more to do (I think this was lean-to #110). The Oswegatchie River country is very beautiful and everyone here should take the time to visit it at least once for sure!
