Old Growth; Lower Sargent Pond to Raquette Lake

Labor Day weekend. The weather forecast called for a high of 65 degrees, low humidity and clear skies. Setting out to hike to Tioga Point on Raquette Lake, Elle and I had high hopes. We were not disappointed. This is an uncommonly pleasant route walked on day that can only be described as 'perfect for hiking'.

The route begins on North Point Road, southwest of Long Lake. From the road it's two miles to Lower Sargent Pond and four additional miles to Tioga Point. We actually turned back just short of the campground at Tioga Point but it didn't matter. This hike is all about the journey, not the destination.

We had our lunch on the shore of Eldon Lake which I thought was Raquette Lake. And it's a mostly arbitrary distinction. Eldon Lake is a mile long bay separated from the main body of the big lake by a sandbar and shallow water. Whether it's a bay, or a separate lake, depends on the water level.

Overview of the route. A campground (boat access only) is located on Tioga Point. Eldon Lake, and the sandbar that separates it from Raquette Lake, is visibly just below the line representing our route. The old growth stands discussed in this post are about half way between Lower Sargent Pond and Eldon Lake.

1909 USGS topographic map. Eldon Lake is named on the map despite the direct connection with Raquette Lake.

Grass Pond seen on the way to Lower Sargent. Shallow and non-descript, Grass Pond will be most interesting to birders. We spotted two Gray Jays and a large owl (most likely a Barred Owl)  

The trail to Lower Sargent Pond gets plenty of use but from Sargent Pond to Eldon Lake the trail has a wilderness feel. The route is marked as a snowmobile trail but there is a good foot path the entire way with just a couple wet areas that might be problematic when it's really wet.

Trail side on the walk to Lower Sargent Pond.

The route passes several attractive bodies of water but the main appeal is the forest itself. From the road to Lower Sargent Pond you walk through a maturing hardwood forest with large Yellow Birch dominating the canopy. That usually means that at some point in the past the area was lightly cut with only the softwoods being taken (Pine, Spruce and Fir were the first choice of early Adirondack loggers). Even so, given the overall maturity of the forest, this tract must have been added to the forest preserve early on.

The trail crosses the brook that drains the Sargent Ponds into Raquette Lake just before you reach the short spur trail to Lower Sargent. The outlet of Lower Sargent Pond joins this stream just beyond this point, and a fish dam blocks access for fish making their way upstream from Raquette Lake.

Lower Sargent Pond. The Sargent Ponds are known for good fishing and good swimming. You can reach the ponds from several different access points and there are two trailheads on North Point Road. One leads to Lower Sargent Pond and the other goes more directly to Upper Sargent. A loop hike with a 1.5 mile road walk between the trailheads is possible. We did that loop a couple years ago and that hike is described here.

The fish barrier dam at Lower Sargent Pond prevents undesirable fist species present in Raquette Lake from entering the pond. Lower Sargent Pond hosts a good trout fishery.

The walk to Lower Sargent makes for a great short hike, but it's the forest between Lower Sargent and Eldon Lake that is so spectacular. Leaving Lower Sargent the forest composition initially remains much the same; mature, second growth hardwoods. But after a mile or so the forest composition changes dramatically. The first thing I noticed was the presence of large Maples. I had not been seeing any of those. And then the old growth White Pine and Spruce appeared. 

The trekking pole I'm holding was set at 135 centimeters or 53 inches. Standard practice is to measure tree diameter 4 feet above the ground. I was holding the pole higher than that to make it more visible. The diameter of this Pine at four feet is about 50 inches.  

For half a mile the trail passes through what appears to be old growth; possibly never cut. There are dozens of White Pine that I place in the "wow, that's a really big tree" category. An informal measurement of one Pine near the trail found the diameter to be 50 inches (AVB) and numerous equally large specimens can be seen. Large hardwoods: Yellow Birch, Maple and Ash are mixed in and 18 inch diameter Red Spruce are also seen. That's big for the slow-growing Red Spruce but I didn't see any of the 24 inch diameter trees you might expect to find in undisturbed old growth. It may be that the large Spruce and Fir were cut from this area at some point or maybe conditions here are not as attractive for the pulpwood species. One thing I can say with certainty. This section of forest is distinctly different than what is commonly seen. You'll know it right away.

When we first saw Eldon Lake I thought it was Raquette Lake. Some maps show this water as an arm of Raguette and some show it as a separate water body.

Northville Lake Placid Trail - One High Ridge

The Northville Lake Placid Trail (NLPT) is not a route for peak baggers. Unlike many other long distance hiking routes, the NLPT does not follow the spine of a mountain range. Instead, the NLPT crosses the adirondack dome via natural corridors provided by the many rivers and streams that define the landscape. Nearly the entire route stays below 2500 feet, with one prominent exception. The section south of Route 28N (east of Long Lake) crosses a steep ridge line at just over 3000 feet.

Walking south on the NLPT from the parking area on 28N, it's 3.5 miles to the ridgeline with 1300 feet of climbing. You ascend gradually for the first three miles and a good chunk of the elevation is gained in the last half mile. The trail then follows the ridgeline for half a mile before dropping off steeply to begin the descent towards Tirrell Pond and points south. I've hiked in this area many times but it's been years since I walked along the ridgeline in mid-summer. What a shame. The half-mile along the crest of the ridge is an uncommon delight.

Spruce, Fir and other common sub-alpine species mix-in, but the canopy along the ridgeline is dominated by Yellow Birch. 

Three thousand feet is not high, even by modest Adirondack standards, but the forest community present on this ridge is uncommonly attractive. Above 2800 feet, on the northern side, the forest canopy is dominated by mature Yellow Birch with an understory consisting primarily of fern-filled meadows. This is not a named ecological assemblage (NYS Natural Heritage Project) and this elevation is considered to be the upper limit for Yellow Birch.

I spent two hours exploring the ridge line and simply sitting, relaxing, and enjoying the solitude.  

Ecological communities are highly variable. There are the defining characteristics of a locale: climate, soil, moisture levels, elevation, slope, and so on, but these characteristics simply provide a baseline. The forests we see today have been shaped by disturbances: disease, fires, storms, droughts and logging. I suspect that the forest present on the ridgeline southeast of Long Lake emerged from an event that took place on November 25, 1950. If you know anything of recent Adirondack history that date should ring a bell. That's the date of the great Adirondack hurricane. What locals refer to simply as the 'blowdown'.

We tend to think of hurricanes as tropical storms but the storm that blew through the Adirondacks on that November day exhibited the same characteristics; heavy rain and intense cyclonic winds formed around a compact low pressure area. With recorded wind speeds of up to 100 miles per hour, this storm would been memorable under any circumstances, but the effects were greatly magnified by the wind direction. Any large tree growing in the Adirondacks has stood fast against many storms and, over time, the trees brace themselves against the prevailing northwesterly winds. The 1950 storm battered the forests from the south and, worst of all, the northeast. Those northeasterly winds hit trees growing on north facing slopes particularly hard and in some places 50 to 75% of the mature trees came down.

Yellow Birch dominate the canopy and ferns fill the understory.

White Pine and Spruce tended to be most vulnerable and on the other end of the spectrum Yellow Birch tends to hold up well against high winds. If you're unfamiliar with Yellow Birch you might be wondering how birch trees could be so tough. The White and Grey Birch so common in suburban yards are the first trees to come down in a storm. Well, we can't pick our relatives, and Yellow Birch is an entirely different sort of tree. Yellow Birch is long-lived and specimens of Yellow Birch are among the oldest and largest trees present in Adirondack forests today. The ridge line southeast of Long Lake was hard hit by the 1950 storm and the mature Yellow Birch present there today prospered in the aftermath of that storm.

The Adirondack forest is damp and mossy. A few degrees warmer, and with a few more inches of rain annually, and the Adirondacks would be a temperate rain forest. Maybe that's what it will become in the future.

If the ridge line is out of reach the first mile of this trail passes through a large Spruce bog of uncommon diversity and beauty. I've walked the boardwalks of this section dozens of times but I enjoy it every single time. The picture is of water flowing in Shaw Brook. Roughly a half mile from the trail head.  

Ghost plant (Indian Pipe) is a heteromycotroph. These plants lack chlorophyll and derive energy from fungus in the soil.

Burnt Bridge Pond and the Dog Pond East Leg

Burnt Bridge Pond is reached from a prominent trail head on Route 3 a few miles east of Cranberry Lake. It's 6.6 miles to the lean-to situated on a small bluff on the west shore of the pond. It's a nice spot.

The extensive marsh on the west end of Burnt Bridge Pond. From near the lean-to.

The trail to Burnt Bridge Pond is not especially compelling but the pond itself is very attractive. Looking across the pond from near the lean-to.

A portion of the route to Burnt Bridge Pond also serves as the northern leg of the 13 mile "Dog Pond Loop". That route connects several remote ponds and the western segment passes close to Cranberry Lake in several places. The trail also passes through stretches of forest that are notable for having been lightly logged if they were logged at all. In addition to visiting Burnt Bridge Pond I added a 2.5 miles side trip south on the eastern leg of the Loop (and back). This was to visit one of those old growth stands.

At three miles from the road, you reach the northwest corner of the Dog Pond Loop trail at a place known as the potato patch. Meadows at that location were once used to grow potatoes for the logging camps that dotted the region. The forest is now reclaiming the potato patch which is filling in with trees and brush. 

Starting on Rte. 3, it's three miles to reach the northwest corner of  the Dog Pond Loop trail at a place known as the Potato Patch. So that's three miles to the loop, thirteen miles around, and three miles back out. On dry summer day that might be doable, but nineteen miles seemed a bit ambitious for late October. Which makes it ironic that the route I took ended up covering 19.2 miles. That meant getting back to the car at 7:00 pm having walked the last mile or so using a flashlight.

My route (blue line) to Burnt Bridge Pond with the side trip south on the Dog Pond Loop. I followed the loop trail to the point where it passes a beaver meadow that provides the first trickle of what will become East Creek. That's also the point where the climb up to the notch between Dog and Bear mountains begins. The yellow lines are trails as delineated on Department of Conservation maps. The disconnect in the trail is where an old route encountered private land. The new trail bypasses that section. The difference in the image (brown on the upper half, green below) is because the imagery available in Google Earth is from two different times of year.

Even though continuing around the loop would have covered the same distance, it would have required a lot more effort. The Dog Pond Loop is a wilderness trail that passes through rugged country. The route to Burnt Bridge Pond is a snowmobile trail that follows an abandoned logging road so long stretches are relatively easy walking. The full dog pond loop will have to wait for another day.

Along the east side of the Dog Pond Loop

Along the east side of the Dog Pond Loop

After leaving the potato patch the trail to Burnt Bridge Pond passes through youngish second-growth hardwoods and, to be honest, this section of trail is fairly dull. The route passes a number of old logging clearings and the most interesting stretch is through a section of forest where the ground is littered with old disintegrating logs. Many of the larger trees (18-24 inch diameter) in that stretch are broken off well above the ground leaving the trees damaged but still living. Most the rotting logs are oriented on an east to northeast axis. This area clearly experienced a blow down event and given the log's state of decay it seems likely that it was the 1995 storm.

The Dog Pond loop section, south from the Burnt Brook Pond trail, is much more interesting. Less than a half mile from the junction you reach a crossing of a brook that feeds Burnt Bridge Pond from the west. That crossing exhibits what is sometimes referred to in trail guides as "extensive beaver activity." In this case meaning that the bridge over the brook is sitting in the middle of a beaver flooded area (Oct 2016). It's probably possible to find a way around the flooded area on the downstream side or you can cross one of the beaver dams. The one just above the bridge is reasonably easy to cross but doing so while keeping your feet dry will pose a significant challenge.

Flooded bridge on the Dog Pond Loop eastern leg

Upstream from the bridge the beaver flooded area is quite large.

South of the crossing the trail quickly enters mature forests that were lightly cut or, perhaps in places, not cut at all. The trail passes over a series of gentle ridges with a number of spots where the work of the glaciers is readily visible. There are old growth trees present in this section and in particular I noted the presence of old growth Hemlock. I was not really expecting to see Hemlock and the composition of this forest is different from higher elevation areas to the south and east. It appears that this would have been primarily a Beech-Maple forest with Hemlock in the wetter more sheltered places. Very few spruce are present. Maybe because conditions were not favorable or maybe becasue those were the trees cut from this area of forest.

An old growth hemlock. The ski pole is over four feet tall.

Lost trails; Little Squaw Brook and Colvin Brook

In my previous post I wrote that I don't often return to trails I've walked before because there are so many new and interesting places left to see. Particularly because I like to pick out old trails to see if I can find and follow them. Routes that the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) lists as "unmaintained" are my favorites. So the trail to Carry Pond and then up the valley of Little Squaw Brook would be just perfect. Plan A was to ford the Cedar River (near the Carry Lean-to), visit Carry Pond, and then follow the trail up the valley for a couple of miles. For reasons I'll get to in a minute, plan A did not happen.

South along the Northville Lake Placid Trail from Cedar River Flow. The yellow lines are trails from the DEC trail reference (KML file you can download). The blue line is my route covering about 12 miles out and back.  

Cedar River Flow. A warm, cloudy and very still mid-October day. So warm in fact that a few misquitos joined in the fun.

Heading south on the Northville Lake Placid Trail from the Moose River Recreation Area main road (Trailhead and small parking pullout located a mile south of the Cedar River Flow entrance) the route passes along the south west side of Cedar River Flow and then through an area logged in the not too distant past. The trail follows what was originally a well-built logging road and the forest is primarily second growth with several bogs and swamps thrown in to keep things interesting.

Looking west across one of several bogs crossed by the Northville Lake Placid trail south of Cedar River Flow; Manbury Mountain in the distance. 

A sphagnum moss bog passed between Cedar River Flow and the Carry Lean-to. This was taken on my return trip when a brief glimmer of sun gave hope that the heavy cloud cover might break. Five minutes later it was raining.

A little over three miles from the trailhead an abandoned woods road enters from the west and you pass iron posts that would have supported a gate. A bit further on I noticed an indistinct and unmarked trail leaving the NLPT towards the east and a minute later I reached the spur trail leading to the Carry Lean-to. Which meant that the indistinct trail just passed was the trail to the ford that would start the route to Carry Pond and Little Squaw Brook. Going back, I followed what is best described as a trace of a hint of a path down to the Cedar River. As places where you might try to ford a river go this was as unappealing a crossing as I have come to in the Adirondacks. The river at that point is slow moving and muddy providing no glimpse of the bottom so you could gauge the depth and footing. Worst of all the banks on both sides are steep and lined with thick brush. Crossing there? Not gonna happen.

Cedar River at the place where the abandoned trail to Carry Pond and the Little Squaw Brook valley crosses.

Trail signs at the junction where the short spur trail leads to the Carry Lean-to (which, based on signs on the trail has been renamed the Cedar River Lean-to).

Returning to the main trail I retraced my steps to the junction and followed the short spur to the lean-to to see if it might be possible to cross there. Though there is a landing on the near side of the river below the lean-to the basic conditions of the crossing reamined the same. Also not gonna happen. So, on to plan B. Which was to follow the main trail south to the Colvin Brook trail and follow it to the Colvin Brook lean-to.

The Colvin Brook trail is an eight mile spur that connects the NLPT with Route 30 at the Lewey Lake Campground. The route crosses a 3000 foot height of land between Lewey and Cellar Moutains. On the east side (coming from Lewey Lake) the trail is called the Sucker Brook Trail and it is an interesting and easy to follow route through stands of never logged or selectively logged hardwoods (I hiked it in 2013). On the west side, however, trail guides going back to the 90s have warned that the three mile stretch between the Cedar River and the height of land is obscure and difficult to follow. In keeping with this the DEC recently closed the trail citing extensive blowdown and beaver flooding. This is the trail that David Boomhower took in 1990 attempting to bail out on his NLPT through hike. A huge search effort failed to find him and his body was eventually discoverd a few months later by a hunter. He had made it over the height of land and was just a quarter mile from the trail. He had apparently lost his way and succumed to physical and mental exhaustion.

You'd need crampons to cross this partially collapsed bridge. It was steeply pitched and very slippery. Luckily, the water was low making it easy to bypass the bridge and rock hop across the stream.

Junction of the side trail to the Colvin Brook Lean-to and the NLPT.

From behind the Colvin Brook lean-to. This is a really attractive spot and this lean-to looks like it gets very little use.

But the mile long section of trail between the NLPT and the Colvin Brook lean-to is well marked and as attractive a forest walk as any in the Adirondacks. The route passes through maturing second growth stands of both hardwoods and softwoods including stands where large spruce and fir are present. The lean-to is on the east side of the Cedar River --so you have to cross to get to it-- but it's easy to rock hop across at times of low water. 

The river provides a really attractive setting for a lean-to which appears to be infrequently used. The Colvin Brook trail proceeds past the lean-to where it immediately enters a stand of what I took to be old growth spruce and fir. That stand contains Red Spruce with diameters over 30 inches; uncommon in a region where spruce were relentlessly pursued by loggers. I followed the trail past the lean-to for quarter mile and it is intriguing, but I had six miles to cover to return to my car and the steady drizzle was threatening to become a full-on rain. So I headed back.

Old growth spruce near the Colvin Brook lean-to.

The Colvin Brook lean-to

Cedar River looking north from the crossing at the Colvin Brook lean-to

Back at Cedar River Flow on the return trip. Lewey Mountain in the distance.

Blind Mans Vly

This was my second attempt to reach Blind Mans Vly and this time I got there. My first try had been turned back by an unexepected late-spring snow storm (on May 15th) and high water in East Canada Creek. This time I had a mild mid-October day and low water.

East Canada Creek just below Big Alderbed Vly.

Blind Mans Vly is a small shallow pond just half a mile (as the crow flies) from Big Alderbed Vly. Big Alderbed can be reached via a snowmobile trail that leaves the Powley-Pisceco Road north of Stratford (2.7 miles). The trail to Big Alderbed tends to be wet but it is hiker friendly with the only possible challenge coming at the crossing of East Canada Creek just below the vly (easy at except at times of high water). Blind Mans Vly is just 100 feet higher than the trail end at Big Alderbed. It is, however, tucked in between two small ridges and I discovered that it's a lot easier if go around the end of the interveening ridge. I went over the ridge and learned that it has a couple of bands of small cliffs that are surprisingly rugged. Much easier to go around.

The route as recorded by GPS and overlaid on Google Earth.

Blind Mans Vly is an appealing destination but, even so, I don't often go back to places I've recently visited. There are so many new areas still left to explore. So the real reason for repeating this route lies in the trees themselves. The forests west of the Powley-Piseco Road, and the area around Blind Mans Vly in particular, are notable for the presence of old growth timber. Understanding and mapping the history of the Adirondack forest is my hobby so I wanted to take another look.

Happily, having returned and looked again, I've come away with new questions. Were these tracts logged? If cutting did take place when was it done and which species were taken? Three things stand out; the presence of large Red Spruce, the presence of very large Yellow Birch and what strikes me as an uncommon prevalence of Black Birch mixed in with the standard hardwood species. Spruce were the most sought after trees during the unregulared logging period of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This route passes through scattered pockets of spruce some of which are 24 inches in diameter and greater. Spruce trees grow slowly so those are old trees. Also present are many very large Yellow Birch. A number of these trees are over 40 inches in diameter and a few elders push 48 inches. Like the spruce, Yellow Birch is a long-lived species so these are undoubedly old growth trees. As mentioned, there are also significant numbers of Black Birch mixed in. I don't recall having seen that species in such significant numbers elsewhere and I don't know what to make of that.

And old growth Yellow Birch with a diameter just under 48 inches. I didn't provide anything to show the scale so you'll have to take my word for it.

The perplexing part is that the Red Spruce and Yellow Birch are the only species present that appear to predate the logging period. In a virgin forest I would expect to see large Maples and other hardwoods as well. And I would definately expect to find large Hemlock. And it's not that these species are absent. Maple and Hemlock are both fairly common along the route but the largest specimens are around 24 inches for the Maples and slight larger for a few of the Hemlock. For those speices that means the trees are unlikly to be much over 100 years old.

Maybe the old growth Maples were taken by loggers looking for just speicific hardwood species. Based on what I know about logging practices in those days that would have been unusual. The lack of old Hemlock is easier to understand. Hemlock bark was the essential raw material of the tanning industry that flourished in the southern Adirondack region in the late 1800s. So it's easy to imagine that the old growth Hemlock might have been taken while other species were ignored.

It would also be easy to overthink this. It could easily be that the combination of land ownership, forest composition and topography simply made this area less attractive to loggers than other nearby places. The East Canada Creek West Branch is large enough to float logs but between Big Alderbed Vly and the confluence of the west and east branches at Powley (near the starting point for this route) the creek passes through several long flat stretches where even the spring flood might not have provided enough water to move logs downstream. These meadows are filled with grass and they look like hay fields ready for harvest. That also strikes me as unusual. I'll guess I'll have to go back again.

Along East Canada Creek below Big Alderbed Vly. The creek meanders through several very flat grass-filled meadows.

Very flat terrain. East Canada Creek is flowing through the middle of this sea of grasss. 

Big Alderbed Vly following an unusally dry summer. Quite different than the last time I was there with a heavy spring snow storm blowing through.

A glacial erratic close to the north end of Blind Mans Vly. Yes there is a tree growing on top of the rock.

The color was past peak but some bright spots remained.

Whitehouse to Piseco on the NLPT

The six mile stretch of the Northville Lake Placid Trail from the Whitehouse parking area north to Piseco doesn't get a lot of use. The first 3/4 mile stretch sees day hikers headed for the side path to Big Eddy on the Sacandaga West Branch but beyond that there's nothing special about this section of trail. Hamilton Lake Stream (2 miles) is attractive, as is Priests Vly (3.2 miles), but most hikers using this route are backpackers.

Late afternoon sun along the Sacandaga West Branch. A glorious early fall day in the southern Adirondacks.

Near the far end, a mile short of where the NLPT crosses Rte.8 at Piseco, the trail crosses the outlet stream from Buckhorn Lake. The lake --shallow and swampy-- lies just a quarter mile off the main trail and while the lake is uninspiring the stream and surrounding woods are very attractive. This area has several nice camping spots and it seems likely that local people use the spot for day hikes and camping.

My hike from Whitehouse to Piseco and back, with side trips to Buckhorn Lake and Big Eddy, covered just under 15 miles. Most of this walk was in complete solitude through a rapidly maturing second growth forest. Keeping the hiker's creed in mind --start slow, taper off-- it took me nearly 9 hours to cover the distance. I walk slowly studying the forest and the mix of trees that make up the canopy. The hardwood forests of the southern Adirondacks are dominated by a few species: Maple, Yellow Birch, Ash and Hemlock. Where these trees have reached full height but with diameters commonly less than 30 inches (4 feet above the ground), I take it to mean that the area was probably logged early in the Adirondack industrial logging period. That period ran from roughly 1860 until the early twentyeth century and the southern forests were scoured for valuable timber first. If these assumptions are correct then canopy trees present today have been growing for 120 to 150 years. I have no formal training in forestry but that age estimate fits with trees that have attained full height but that are not yet middle aged. Much like people, middle aged and elder trees have greater diameters and they eventually take on a grizzled and worn look.

And the forests seen along this trail do contain some elder trees, so even if my logging assessment is generally correct the logging was probably done selectively. The largest and oldest trees, some with diameters over 40 inches, are mostly Maples with some Yellow Birch and Hemlock mixed in. This is typical of areas in the southern Adirondacks where White Pine, Spruce and Hemlock were sought out and taken but where hardwoods were sometimes ignored. In those days softwoods were prized but hardwood timber was available in more accessible locations.

The more adventerous part of my day came near the end. With less than a mile remaining on the return leg I left the main trail and followed the well-worn path towards Big Eddy on the Sacandaga. Then, as I approached the river, I foolishly came up with the idea that it would be nice to see something off the beaten path. So I left the trail seeking to bushwhack to the place where Hamilton Lake Stream joins the river just downstream from the "eddy". The water in both streams is exceptionally low this year --following a hot, dry summer-- and the undergrowth near the confluence is deep and thick. And swampy, really really swampy. I realized pretty quickly that my route was poorly choosen but I didn't want to turn back without at least seeing the river so I plowed on through. After 30 minutes of muddy, itchy, bushwhacking I had indeed seen the river and I was back at the place where I had left the trail. And that was a good thing. It was 5:30, I still had a mile and half back to the car, and I was moving rather slowly. Start slow, taper off.

Forest scene along the NLPT north of Whitehouse.

Another forest scene along the NLPT north of Whitehouse.

Hamilton Lake Stream from the bridge. Low water in late September of a dry year.

Priest Vly

Buckhorn Lake

Sacandaga West Branch just above the point where Hamilton Lake Steam enters.

Fading light, time to head for the car.