Moreau Lake State Park: Wondrous Lake Bonita Trails

It was just 24 months ago that 750 acres formerly held by the now closed Mt. McGregor Correctional Facility were formally added to Moreau Lake State Park. Since then a new parking area for hikers and three new trails have been built. That's a pretty good pace for these sorts of things but what makes this a truly impressive effort is that these new trails are really well thought out. Moreau Lake State Park now offers hikes ranging from a couple of miles to a "grand loop" covering nearly 15 miles without any retracing of steps (you can bet an account of that walk will appear on this blog in the future). My most recent outing, covering nine miles, took me past two attractive lakes, over ledges and past cascades and through an attractive and varied forests. There are good view along the way of the Hudson River and the southern Adirondacks.

An overview of the Moreau Lake State Park trail system. The heavy blue line, starting at the bottom left, is the route described in this post. The other colored lines seen on the map represent other trails in the park. For scale, the route represented by the heavy blue line covers a distance of just over nine miles. The two sections closest to the bottom of the image are new trails added as part of the Lake Bonita expansion.

The newest trail leaves the Lake Bonita Loop Trail near the spillway at the north end of the lake. From there it's about 1.5 miles to a to a junction with the West Ridge Trail. At the time of this writing that junction is unmarked but the trail itself is well marked (parking is on the Corinth-Wilton Mountain Road).

The Western Ridge Trail is one of the primary access trails that lead up onto the Palmertown ridge and the Park's main trail system. The Palmertown Ridge is interesting from both geological and ecological perspectives and evidence of the last glacial period lies heavily on this landscape. It is generally believed that the ice sheets of that last glacial period retreated from this area between twelve and fifteen thousand years ago with mountain glaciers persisting into the more recent end of that range. That's a long time by human standards but not even the blink of an eye in terms of geologic time. Walking the trails on the Palmertown ridge always reminds me of this. There are many places where soil lies just a few inches thick on top of deeply scarred bedrock.

A rock outcropping along the new trail from Lake Bonita to the Western Ridge Trail.

The geology of the Palmertown ridge strikes me as being somehow different from similar landscapes in the southern Adirondacks. For example, the ridge crossed in the first couple miles of the Northville to Benson section of the Northville-Lake Placid Trail has some characteristics in common with the Palmertown Ridge. The Northville ridge is a little higher but ecologically similar; an Oak-Hemlock forest. But the landscape has a different feel. Could it be the distinction between being part of the Canadian Shield (the primary geologic formation of the Adirondacks) as opposed to rock that has been pressed up against the shield. I'm imagining that as a possibility for the Palmertown Ridge. The most likely explanation is that this is my imagination run wild. Perhaps someone with more knowledge of the geology of the region will let me know.

In any case, the terrain encountered on the Palmertown ridge is unexpectedly rugged and, according to my GPS, the total elevation gain for the route I walked was 2200 feet. There's just a single significant climb so nearly all of that elevation gain comes from the relentless ups and downs you encounter along the way.

The shore line of Lake Anne. This small, shallow, lake is ringed by an ecologically interesting marshy shoreline. 

One point of specific interest for me was a stand of spruce on the northwest shore of Lake Bonita. I had noticed the trees on my previous visit. But that was a day of our only major snow fall of the year and with darkness approaching I took no time to investigate. Still, I did notice two things:

1. The trees were some kind of Spruce (I was not sure of what variety) 
2. The trees looked out of place

Taking a closer look under benign conditions confirmed both points. My first impression had been that this was a stand of Norway Spruce; a widely planted import to the Adirondacks. When Norway Spruce grow in the open --as the do in various places in Saratoga Spa State Park-- they exhibit a distinctive branching pattern that makes them especially easy to identify. However, when growing close together under constrained conditions Norway Spruce can look a lot like other Spruce varieties that are native to this region. However, there is one identifying characteristic that trumps all others. Norway Spruce have long cones that are much larger than any other spruce from around these parts. These trees are Norway Spruce.

A lovely cascade crossed by the new trail section that runs from Lake Bonita to the Western Ridge Trail.

From the first overlook on the Western Ridge Trail. This popular destination is barely a mile from the parking area on Spier Falls Road. It's a bit more than 2.5 miles from the new parking area on Corinth Wilton Mountain Road. The view is of the Spier Falls reservoir on the Hudson River and the Southern Adirondacks beyond.

Lake Anne. Late Winter.

This open glade on the ridge line near the Western Ridge trail was probably open meadow just a few decades ago. The trees are Chestnut Oak. A common species on this section of the Palmertown ridge. This species somehow favors the edges of steep ridges. I'd love to more about the history of the forest on this ridge.   

Rock Pond, Cascade Pond and Stephens Pond

Leaving the Rock Pond trailhead on Durant Road (Blue Mountain Lake) this route visits three interesting ponds; any one of which is a worthy destination. Rock Pond, which is connected to Lake Durant by a quarter mile long flow, is less than a mile from the parking pullout. The trail crosses over the flow on a long bridge with Blue Moutain visible over the trees. This is a lovely spot and, despite being close to the road, it does not bear the scars of overuse seen in many similar places.

From the bridge over the flow that connects Rock Pond and Lake Durrant. This is looking back towards Lake Durrant.

From Rock Pond it's two miles further to Cascade Pond which,takes its' name from the rocky cascades on the outlet stream just below the pond. After crossing the steam on a narrow log bridge the trail descends slightly into a rocky flooded meadow. It's easy to lose the main trail here and end up at the nearby lean-to. If you find yourself at the lean-to, turn left. The main trail passes through the woods 75 yards behind the lean-to.

The bridge over the Cascade Pond outlet stream.

From Cascade the trail soon reaches an intersection with the NLPT. Following the NLPT south brings you to Stephens Pond a little more than a mile from Cascade. Stephen's pond also has a good lean-to and it is sure to be popular with NLPT thru hikers.

Stephens Pond from near the lean-to.

From Stephens Pond I followed the Northville-Lake Placid Trail (NLPT) south for a couple of miles. I was considering the possibility of visiting the ridiculously obsure Dish Rag Pond, But, it was two and a half miles further and continuing would have meant a 19 mile round trip instead of the 14 miles I was already committed to. Too far on a very warm and muggy day. Tiny, swampy, Dish Rag pond will have to wait.

The NLPT south of Stephens Pond passes through wild and little visited forests, some of which appear to be old or very mature second growth. One stretch passes through an uncommonly open forest with a high canopy composed entirely of hardwoods including some very large Ash specimans. At first I thought the unusual forest composition was the result of selective logging. But if that was the case stumps should be evident and I didn't see any. There are many decaying logs from large downed trees indicating a blowdown event. Based on the apparent age it's a reasonable guess that these trees might have come down in the 1995 storm. Perhaps this is an area where the winds of that day produced moderate and somewhat selective damage. That's the best theory I could come up and I'm looking for a high resolution map of damage areas to see if effects in this area were noted at the time. While searching online I did stumble on a fascinating journal article describing the 1995 blowdown and the policy debates that followed.

I also came upon this document. Everything you could possibly want to know about Derecho storms.

The route from Google Earth. Blue Moutain Lake Village is top left. The yellow lines are DEC trails in the area. The orange line is the route described in the article.

Fungus growing on a tree near the trail.

Santanoni Preserve - Newcomb Lake to Moose Pond

By the time I finished my hike to Moose Pond I had, according to my GPS, covered over 17 miles. That's a long walk, but it's not as difficult as it might sound because much of the way was over trails that follow what were once well-built woods roads. That makes for relatively fast and easy walking. It also didn't hurt that it was a nearly perfect day for hiking; early fall, cool, and mosquito free. I walked the Newcomb Lake road to the Moose Pond crossover trail. Then over the crossover trial to the Moose Pond Horse trail and out the Moose Pond trail to the pond. I returned following the Moose Pond trail back to the Newcomb Lake road and out.

The route as recorded by my GPS and viewed in Google Earth. That's Newcomb lake on the right and Moose Pond at the upper left.

The highlight of the route is the five mile trail that connects the Newcomb Lake road with the Moose Pond Horse Trail. The Newcomb Lake road is the five mile long gravel road leading to Camp Santanoni on Newcomb Lake. This area is managed by DEC as a historical site and the road (closed to public vehicle traffic) is a great walk in its' own right. The road also delineates a section of the High Peaks Wilderness boundary so, when you leave the road (after four miles) you immediately enter the High Peaks Wilderness. The five mile long trail that connects the road with the Moose Pond Horse trail is a beautiful and invigorating walk.

Fall in the Adirondacks. Even the swamps look good.

The first section of the connecting trail stays south of Newcomb Lake until you reach the unnamed inlet stream at the west end of the lake. This stream flows through an extensive wetland which is crossed without difficulty over a solid bridge and then a long split-log boardwalk.

Bridge over the inlet stream.

The boardwalk crossing the Newcomb Lake Inlet. 

Just past the end of the boardwalk you reach a trail junction. Turning right the trail leads along the north shore of the lake and loops back to the great camp area and the road. The trail to Moose Pond turns left (west) and enters a spruce/cedar forest.

For someone interested in forest communities, and succession in forest communities, this section of the trail is fascinating. The terrain is flat, and wet, and the forest mix is typical for that type of terrain; dominated by Spruce and Balsam Fir. The interesting part is that the Spruce here are larger than is commonly seen. Probably not virgin timber large, but old second-growth large. Added into the mix are large Cedars that appear to be quite old. On a clear fall morning this section of trail felt like a trip back through time.

Large cedars are mixed in with Spruce, Balsam Fir and other tree species.

And this trail is little used. From the bridge the trail stays close to the stream for a mile or so and this section of trail is overgrown with some blowdown to work over and around. There are a few places where if it weren't for the trail markers you might have to search around a bit to find the path.

Eventually the route gains enough elevation that you enter a mixed hardwood forest. This section of the route covers roughly two miles before joining up with the Moose Pond Horse Trail. It's not a particularly interesting section and much of the route follows what I took to be old logging roads. The larger trees are Sugar Maple and Yellow Birch so there may have been selective logging in this area. None of the trees are particularly large and my guess is that logging took place here 50-75 years ago.

A highlight of this section is the beaver pond/swamp/meadow that you reach about half way between Newcomb Lake and the Moose Pond trail. It's an attractive spot and from the beaver dam you get an interesting view of a sharp little pinnacle on a ridge of Moose Mountain.

Fall in the Adirondacks.

Past the beaver pond the trail trends to the northwest as it contours around a couple low ridges. About a half mile before the junction with the Moose Pond trail the route veers to the south, travels in that direction for a couple hundred yards, turns west, and then back to the north.. Much of the crossover trail is faint, but at this point the route-finding becomes a significant challenge.

I knew that the Moose Pond trail was a quarter mile away to the west and I could have simply headed in that direction until I hit it. That option was unattractive, however, because a swampy wetland lies between the two trails. That quarter mile would have undoubtedly been wet and muddy so finding the path was still the best bet.

Reaching a place where I could no longer pick up any hint of a path I suspected that the trail had been re-routed and that I missed a detour. So I doubled back to see if I had missed a turn. I back-tracked for over a quarter mile and, if there was a detour, I couldn't find it. In any case, continuing on where I thought the trail should be, I soon spotted a trail marker and an arrow sign nailed to a tree. From there it was just a couple hundred yards to the junction with the Moose Pond trail. If you go this way you should be comfortable finding your way through the woods.

There it is! Back on the trail.

It's hard to keep up the pace when hiking on a day such as this. Every turn of the trail brings another photo opportunity.

From the junction it's 1.3 miles to Moose Pond with a decent little hill in between. Given the the round trip from the junction to the lake would add 2.5 miles to an already long day, I thought about just turning towards home. But I'm glad that I didn't. The view across Moose Pond to Santanoni Mountain, and its' prominent slide, was a delight. And, the forest around the pond is older. Most of the old trees are hardwoods with some large Maple and Yellow Birch present. But, best of all, close to the edge of the pond I spotted a White Pine in that rare category of "trees with diameter over 48 inches". Trees of that size are rare in the Adirondacks today.

Moose Pond with Santanoni Peak in the background. The slide is well know to residents of the Long Lake/Newcomb area. You see it as you drive east towards Newcomb on Rte. 28N.

Five Ponds Wilderness - The High Falls Loop

The people of the State of New York claim ownership but make no mistake, the Five Ponds Wilderness is the kingdom of the Beaver. That's what makes Five Ponds so great. It's real wilderness: wet, muddy, buggy, overgrown and generally inconvenient.

I recently (Sept 2015) hiked the route known as the "High Falls Loop". With a couple of short side jaunts that hike covered 17.1 miles; very close to my limit for hiking miles in one day. There are challenges, and the general messiness that defines the place, but Five Ponds is also an uncommonly flat area. The elevation differential between Cranberry Lake and High Falls is just 100 feet and the area's defining feature, the Oswegatchie River, follows a meandering path through a broad valley. Long stretches of the trail follow a track originally built to support a logging railroad and that solid base makes for fast and easy walking.

High Falls Loop showing my GPS track (blue). The complete loop includes a half mile of road walking between the two trail heads near the village of Wanakena. The yellow line shows the trail south to the five small ponds after which this area is named. The gray lines show the routes of historic trails abandoned following the 1995 storm that caused extensive blowdown throughout this area. (Image capture from Google Earth)

The Five Ponds Wilderness is all about the water. There are lakes, ponds, streams and the Oswegatchie River. Then there are swamps, bogs, and marshes of every size, shape and variety. And if that's not enough there are Beaver ponds at every possible stage of succession. 

A wet meadow. The Five Ponds area is noted for its' open meadows including the large open area known as "the plains." The plains is classified by the New York Natural Heritage project as a boreal heath barrens; an uncommon ecological community type. The area pictured is a wet meadow just north of the plains. 

High Falls on the Oswegatchie River. This is the falls at a time of very low water. August and early September 2015 have been unusually dry.

I started the day heading south on the High Falls Loop East Trail. This popular trail connects Wanakena with Janacks Landing on Cranberry Lake and it provides access to various trails and destinations in the northeastern quadrant of the Five Ponds Wilderness. It is also the shortest formal trail to High Falls. The route covers 6.1 miles to a trail junction where you follow a half mile side trail to the falls. A sign near the falls reads "Wanakena 9 Miles". That's the distance if you return by continuing around the loop on the west side trail. Which is what I did. The two trailheads are less than a half mile apart on South Shore Road in the Hamlet of Wanakena so the loop hike is easy to manage without the need for two cars.

The Oswegatchie River from High Rock

As mentioned, a good part of the route follows a grade originally built to support a railway. The rail lines were laid just after the turn of the 19th century by the Rich Lumber Company to enable timber harvesting on the 16,000 acres the company owned south of Wanakena. I haven't seen references to exactly when the rails were removed but the state acquired the land in 1916 and it's likely that the company took the rails with them when they departed. By that time the forest had been heavily logged and intense fires had swept the area. Much of the High Falls Loop trail passes through a second growth forest that is roughly 100 old. After the state took ownership of the land the railway grade was converted to a truck trail. That woods road was abandoned when the Five Ponds Wilderness was created and and the route became the west side trail.

Along with the falls, a highlight of the trip is the unique ecological area known as "The Plains"; a large open area that was present before the logging started. The Plains is classified by the New York State Natural Heritage project as a Boreal Heath Barrens.

Looking into the "plains" from the south. An uncommon combination of environmental and ecological factors has apparently kept this area from being reclaimed by forest. At least at the rate that might be expected,. However, it seems likely that over a longer period the trees will recolonize much of the area and the plains will fade into the surrounding forest.

As mentioned, much of the route is on a relatively smooth and level trail that makes for fast walking.
But there is one recurring challenge. The route has recently been flooded --or currently is flooded-- by beaver activity at more that a dozen locations. The wetter terrain lies mostly in the southern half of the route but the one place where I was not able to avoid wet feet is less than a half mile from where the west side trail joins the road in Wanakena. The trail crosses over a slightly raised causeway between a swampy area and a made-made pond and Beaver have damned the culvert that allows a small stream to flow through. The result being that the causeway itself was completely flooded (Image 4). Short of backtracking and bushwhacking around the entire mess there was no way to avoid walking through the water. Given that I had already walked over sixteen miles, and that I was ready to be done hiking, I just plowed on through. Had I started the loop on this trail the story would have been different. Getting wet feet at the start of a long day presents a significant problem. Looking back I realized how many places I had just barely made it through while staying dry. If you hike this route expect to do some wading and plan accordingly.

It looks like you could stay dry by walking in the grass on either side so you'll have to take my word for it; there was no way through this section without getting wet feet. A man-made pond is just out of the photo on the right and the water visible in the trail is the edge of pond backed up by the Beaver. That water is coming in from the left and the grass there stands in several inches of water.

One of the many places where the path crosses a beaver dam.

One of the reasons I really wanted to hike this route was to finally get a first-hand look at the havoc wrought by the infamous Derecho storm of 1995. That storm, on July 15th 1995, caused extensive blowdown throughout the Adirondacks and the forests of the Five Ponds Wilderness were particularly hard hit. Just over 20 years have passed since the storm and evidence of the event is starting to fade. The route passes through several areas where nearly every large tree was knocked down; evidenced by the lack of large trees and by the tangle of large decaying logs lying everywhere. Equally striking is the bright sunlight that reaches the forest floor in these places. Areas where the canopy was knocked down are now filled with saplings of the pioneer tree species that fill in whenever an opening appears in the forest.

Following the 1995 storm trail crews cut through hundreds of downed trees to reopen the trails.

The trail crosses a mud hole on this log. The log sways a bit and you need to be sure footed. It was dry on this day but this crossing could be quite daunting when it is wet.

That 1995 storm figures in my family history as well. The storm passed through just after sunrise on a Saturday and we were planning on attending a family reunion in Long Lake on Sunday. We live in Saratoga Springs and we experienced the storm as a notably severe thunderstorm. During the day on Saturday we heard reports that the storm had been much more severe in the mountains and that several campers had been killed by falling trees. Driving up on Sunday morning we could hardly help but notice the many trees down along the roads but, it was not until we got to Long Lake, and heard my Dad's story that the uniqueness of the event came into focus. Dad was then a member of a hunting and fishing club that leased the area around Rock Pond (south of Little Tupper Lake, now part of the Whitney Wilderness). He had arrived at the cabin the club maintained near the pond on Friday and planned to drive out to Long Lake on Sunday morning to attend the reunion. Shortly after the storm passed it became clear to him that that was not going to happen. The cabin where he was staying, and, his pickup parked nearby, were both unharmed, but several miles of woods roads lay between him and pavement and large downed trees lay across the entire route. I don't recall exactly what he did on that Saturday but probably got into his canoe and went fishing thinking that other club members (some of whom are also members of our family) would eventually arrive.

Instead, the silence of Sunday morning was broken by a float plane coming in for a landing on Rock Pond. Another club member had flown in to make sure he was OK and he hitched a ride back to Long Lake by plane. Hearing his tale of experiencing the storm in the forest was harrowing enough but the human tragedy was brought home when we reached the Lake Eaton campground for the reunion. A camper trailer crushed down to the axles sat forlornly in the parking area.. No one was killed at Lake Eaton but a camper did die at Lake Lila; a place where we have camped several times.

Following the storm much dismay was expressed over the loss of old-growth timber in the Five Ponds region; many large, old, trees were toppled. But storms like this have blown through the Adirondacks many times before and will continue to do so in the future. From the perspective of a human lifetime this is significant forest event and, for a few families, a deep tragedy. But in 100 years direct evidence of the event will have vanished and unless we do something really stupid the forests will go on. And the beaver won't care.

Adirondack Life: Lowdown on the Blowdown

Geyser Creek to the Kaydeross

Most visitors to Saratoga Spa State Park experience Geyser Creek by strolling to see the impressive travertine deposits along its' banks or as the lovely stream that flows through the Geyser Creek picnic area. Fed by deep springs, the creek's waters are cool and attractive on even the hottest summer days. From the picnic area a trail follows the stream to the bridge that carries the park East West Road over the creek. At that point Geyser Creek is 20 feet wide and it typically carries a good flow of water. Downstream from the bridge you can see that the the creek flows into a swampy area, but there is no hint that within a quarter of a mile the stream will have all but vanished into that swamp. Water does flow out the other side, but that flow is in the form of seeps and trickles that add to the Kaydeross at various points. Some maps show Geyser Creek as a continuous line from the bridge to the Kaydeross, but don't believe them. There is no single, reliable, channel.

For much of the year bushwhacking into this area is a daunting prospect. Two small ridges punctuate the marsh but most of the area between the Park East West road (on the north) and Northline Road (on the south) is relentlessly wet, muddy, overgrown and buggy. During times of high water it's an impassable quagmire. The few people who visit the area mostly do so from the Kaydeross Creek. I've written previously about floating this stretch of the Kaydeross and a determined explorer could leave the creek at any number of points. As the crow flies it's just over two miles from the Canoe Launch at Gray's Crossing (Northline Road) to the launch site on Driscoll Road. The creek, however, takes four miles to cover that distance and the elevation differential is less than 20 feet. This is a flat landscape.

But there is one time of year when it is possible to enter the area on foot. In the dead of winter you can readily cross the frozen muck and mire to get a closer look at the topography and forests if not the impressive variety of flora and fauna seen during the warm weather months. Figure One shows a scene looking across the Kaydeross during the blizzard of Feb. 8, 2015. It was snowing hard.

Figure One: The banks of the Kaydeross during the blizzard of Feb. 8, 2015. Snow was falling at a rate of 2 inches per hour adding to the already deep snow pack. 

Lest you think I'm being overly dramatic talking about the conditions as a "blizzard'. You can judge for yourself from this short video. Watch the video in full screen to get the full effect.

Figure two shows my route. The snow pack was deep and airy so I left the parking near the Rte 50 Park entrance with my show shoes on. I first followed the Wetlands Overlook trail and then an abandoned road to reach the closed (and capped) Park Landfill. From there another abandoned Park road leads southwest into the forest. After a short distance I left the old road (on the left) bearing south and downhill to the edge of the swamp. I followed a route I had worked out ahead of time across the marshes and a small ridge to the Kaydeross. This route was selected to allow me to stay on State land though it's a somewhat arbitrary point in the winter. The trip covered only three miles for the round trip but with the deep snow and harsh conditions it seemed further.

Figure Two: Route from Rte. 50 parking to the Kaydeross
Map Image from Google Earth

Figure Three was made from the Ecological Communities map in the Saratoga Spa State Park Master Plan. The map legend is shown separately in Figure Four. This map also shows the outline of the State Owned lands and my route is represented by the prominent red line.

Figure Three: Ecological Communities - Saratoga Spa State Park south of the park East West Road. The red line shows my route.
Map Image captured from the Park Master Plan

Figure Four: Ecological Communities Map Legend
Image captured from the Park Master Plan

The Ecological Communities map shows the area to be a matrix of wetland community types with forest and successional fields mixed in. This is a rich ecological mix with the oxbow lakes and vernal pools being especially noteworthy. A vernal pool is an area that is reliably wet each spring but also completely dry for at least part of the year. That means no fish will be present and no fish makes vernal pools an attractive breading habitat for amphibians. Two vernal pools are shown on the map but there are certainly more. One reason that wetland complexes like this are so interesting is that the conditions are highly variable and the lines between community types are constantly being redrawn.

The weather on this day was harsh so most birds and beasts were keeping a low profile, I did see White-Tail Deer and common winter birds; Crows, Juncos, Blue Jays, a Hairy Woodpecker and a Pileated Woodpecker. In warmer weather this area is particularly rich in bird life and it is a designated Bird Conservation area. This is as good a place for bird watching as can be found in northeastern New York.

And my destination for this hike was not selected at random. I knew that the remnants of an old dam can be seen about half way between Grey's Crossing and Driscoll Road. You can find the location in the maps above because my route ends there. But the distinctive 90 degree change of direction taken by the Kaydeross at that point makes it easy to spot on any map. The broken down spillway creates a rapids and, even in this very cold winter, that's enough to maintain a small area of open water (Figure Five). As I approached the edge of the creek two White-Tails dashed into the woods. The ice around the open water was covered with deer tracks and we might surmise that they come here to drink.

Figure Five shows the spot but the flat light and deep snow make it difficult to see the outline of the former structure. I wonder when the dam was in use and its' purpose. I have not found much in the way of specific information about the dam or this area in general. If you know more, or have sources for this information, please leave a comment.

Figure Five: Open water below the old dam on the Kaydeross.

Ground Truthing in the Fishing Brook Range

The sequence of images below show progressively closer views of a small mountain in the Adirondacks. In images three and four I've outlined an area of special interest; an area that I know to be a dense spruce thicket. I know that because on a recent Saturday (Oct. 2014) I was there; trying to bushwhack to the top.

Viewing my route in Google Earth, and applying my newly gained knowledge, it's relatively easy to differentiate among the different types of cover found along this ridge. There are thickets comprised mostly of stunted and densely packed Spruce and there are areas where mature deciduous trees dominate. Images three and four clarify the distinction with outlines around the dense thickets. Outside of the outline you can make out individual trees. Inside there are thousands of small trees, mostly spruce, jammed together in a nearly impenetrable thicket.

Image 1: The Fishing Brook Range. The pink line is the boundary between Forest Preserve and private land. The distant marker is the summit of Fishing Brook Mountain. (Source: Google Earth)

Image 2: The contrast between thickets and the more open deciduous forests starts to be visible. The tops of individual trees can be seen in the more open areas. (Source: Google Earth)

Image 3: The dense cover areas have a distinctive look when compared with the surrounding forest. (Source: Google Earth)

Image 4: A closer view from a slightly different angle. A practical route along the ridge would stay to the left and avoid the thicket areas such as the one marked by the outline. (Source: Google Earth)

Ole 3400

I had set off to try to reach the top of the unnamed 3400 foot peak south east of where the Northville Lake Placid Trail (NLPT) reaches its' high point near Long Lake. The trail crosses a ridge at just over 3000 feet and it’s a pleasant 3.5 mile walk to this height of land (south from Rte 28N). I've hiked in this area many times and I've been intrigued by the ridge that runs from the trail to the summit of Fishing Brook Mountain. Getting to the height of land by trail is easy. But from there it's a 4.5 mile bushwhack to the summit of Fishing Brook Mountain. Along the way are several smaller peaks and a couple high elevation ponds that I'd like to see close up. This is wild and little visited country.

Image 5: Along the ridge on a previous outing. October 2013.

Image 6: Spruce thicket along the ridge.

My recent hike was a test of the feasibility of making a longer trip along the ridge. And a test run turned out to be a wise thing to do. I didn't make it to the top of even the first peak along the ridge. Just a mile from where I left the trail I was turned back by rough terrain, the limited daylight of a late October day, and those spruce thickets previously mentioned and shown in image six. 

I did keep a GPS track of my hike and when I overlaid the route I followed on the satellite image the areas to avoid became visible. The spruce thickets look different than the areas where the forest is more open. I might have guessed at these distinctions before the trip but now I have no doubt. If it looks like the areas outlined in images three and four, go around. And this is not too surprising. In the Adirondacks, the ecological transition zone between 3000 and 3500 feet tends to be a particularly difficult place to travel. A lesson that I relearn every few years.

As for Fishing Brook Mountain, making the summit by following the ridge is rather serious undertaking. A much more feasible route would be to stay at a lower elevation in deciduous forests on north side of the ridge. Image seven shows the area as seen from the south. The red line on the left is the NLPT and the light red lines delineate the boundary between Forest Preserve and private lands. Based on my ground truthing the lighter green areas are deciduous forests while the darker greens are conifer dominated forests.

Image 7: The area as it would appear if viewed from from an airplane flying south of the ridge line  Route 28N is visible along the top of the image. Long Lake is off image to the left; Newcomb to the right. (Source: Google Earth)

Satellites and Sensors

Digital images like the ones we view in Google Earth are actually a form of sensor-gathered data. A digital camera contains a light sensitive sensor divided into a grid of cells organized into rows and columns (commonly called pixels). When an image is made the sensor assigns a number to each cell. These numbers represent the color and intensity of the light striking each cell and those numbers are saved to a file. When you view the image the numbers are converted back to the appropriate colors for display. Modern image sensors have millions of cells and can differentiate among millions of distinct colors.

Larger sensors record values for more cells and this is one of the factors that determines the quality of a digital image. Generally speaking, more expensive cameras contain larger sensors and produce higher quality images. But sensor size is not the only factor that determines image quality. The lens system of the camera focuses the light on the sensor so lens quality imposes a limit on the amount of detail that a sensor can resolve. For satellite imagery the number of pixels in the sensor, and the quality of the lens, are main limiting factors on the level of detail we can see in the final images.

Ecological Succession and Environmental History

For the purpose of picking better hiking routes we can analyze the data simply by viewing the imagery in Google Earth (or other similar systems). Combined with a bit of on-the-ground experience it's relatively easy to see differences in the types of ground cover and terrain. But what about more subtle distinctions? What if I wanted to differentiate among the ecological communities present in an area? The distinctions between communities can be subtle and it oftentimes comes down to recognizing species assemblages that we are not going to visible in satellite imagery. We can make broad assessments from satellite gathered data; the communities present in a spruce thicket will be different from communities found in deciduous forest. But recognizing the more subtle distinctions requires additional data and commonly that data has to come from poking around on the ground.

My interest is in ecological succession and how ecological communities change over time. At any given place, the assemblage of species present will be governed by soil, climate, topography and disruption. You don't find flamingos in the Adirondacks but you do find different types of trees on north facing slopes as compare to south facing slopes just a short distance away. Over time the communities present at a location will reach an equilibrium but even that climax state shifts over time in response to changes in the larger environment. On top of this, very few locations in the Adirondacks are at the equilibrium state because of disruptive events that include logging, fires, storms and disease outbreaks. The Adirondack forests we see today are not what existed 250 years ago.

The north side of Fishing Brook Mountain bears forests at varying stages of succession aligned with the effects of disruptive events that have occurred in the last 120 years. Most of the ridge has been logged, some places more than once. There have been fires of varying sizes. There have been storms such as the hurricane of 1950, the derecho storm in 1995, and the ice storm of 1998. And currently the forests are being altered by non-native diseases and insects. In particular, Beech Bark Disease has killed the majority of large American Beech trees previously present in this area.

The variable matrix of forest stages present on this ridge became evident to me as I struggled along the ridge on my hike. In places I would break out of the dense thickets into open areas with a low cover comprised mainly of ferns and a canopy dominated by large Yellow Birch (Betula alleghaniensis).  Neither of these community types are likely to be climax communities and the pattern of occurrence seemed unnatural as well. Teasing out the sequence of events and transitions that led to the current pattern is in the realm of environmental history. To me these little patches have an interesting story to tell. This is a topic I plan to return in upcoming posts.

Note:

There are several recognized communities that include Yellow Birch but the stands on this ridge are most likely the result of some past disturbance.

 

Moreau Lake - East of the Hudson -StoneWall Trail

The Hudson River splits Moreau Lake State Park (MLSP) into two sections. The main body of the park --where Moreau Lake is located-- is west of the Hudson River. However, a good sized chunk of park lies east of the river and coming from Saratoga Springs you must cross the Hudson to get there. Confusing the issue is that the Hudson makes a 90 degree turn and flows northeast through the park. So a hiker viewing the Hudson from the Palmertown Ridge is looking west toward the section of the park that is east of the river.

Moreau Lake State Park; The eastern section is on the left in this image of the park trail map.

To reach this eastern section of the park from Saratoga Springs take route 9N to Corinth. Cross the river and drive north for a half mile to the intersection with Call Street.  Turn right onto Call Street. About three miles from that intersection you'll see Hawk Road on the right (one sign says Hawk Street but it is Hawk Road). The first half mile of Hawk Road is paved but you'll quickly reach a steel gate where a sign reads; "Trailhead Parking Straight Ahead". From there it's about a mile on a one lane dirt road to the large parking area. As of October 2014 the road was passable for normal passenger cars with just a couple of rough spots.

The Stonewall trail --with Blue Markers-- leaves the west side of the parking lot (on your right as you drive into the lot). A second blue marked trail leaves the lot on the opposite northeast side. That trail is not seen on park maps that I have but it's a nice addition to the trail system. It makes possible a very pleasant loop hike of about 2.5 miles. The far point of the loop is near the Hudson at a spot where some 19th century building foundations remain. Making the "loop" is a bit confusing because, as mentioned, not all of the trails appear on the current trail maps. Even so, it's easy country to navigate and the continuation of Hawk Road (abandoned) crosses the trail at a couple of points making it possible to return to the parking area by that route.

Through the trees - the Spier Falls reservoir (Hudson River) 

This "Hawk Road Trail" (a name I just made up) also reaches the Hudson; but at a point further downstream just above the Spier Falls dam. From there the trail/road continues to the power line right-of-way leaving the power station at Spier Falls. The trail runs along the right-of-way as part of the canoe portage route around the Spier Falls dam. Canoeists approaching the dam from above leave the water and climb up to the road, follow a short stretch to Hawk Road to the right of way, and return to the water walking downhill under the power line. At that point you are on the upper section of a second reservoir backed up behind the Sherman Island dam about 3 miles further downstream. The hiking trail continues along the east bank of this reservoir for a couple more miles, but the transition between the two sections is heavily overgrown and serious tick precautions will be needed to get through unscathed.

Also worth mentioning is that this entire area is open to hunting and I ran into two hunters on my recent outing there. They politely handled their guns in a way that was safety aware but you should wear bright colors if you hike during hunting season.

As with the better known trails on the west side of the river, these trails offer a wealth of natural and human history to consider as you walk. I got a clear look at a male Red Bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus). This species is distinctive and common in many eastern forests, but MLSP is a bit north of its' historic range. Which begs the question of whether this species is expanding its' range northward. And if so, why? Birds are able to respond to changing environmental conditions at a faster rate than many animals and plants (flying comes in real handy). So shifts in bird ranges can serve as an early indicator of changing ecological conditions. If the normal range of the Red Bellied Woodpecker is shifting northward it could be in response to a warming climate. But to make that assertion we need to know the natural history of this species for this area. Has the Red Bellied Woodpecker been present here in the past? If not, when did it arrive and what environmental/ecological changes make the area attractive now?

A less positive indicator of changing environmental conditions is seen in the extensive infestations of Asiatic Bittersweet (AB) along the section of Hawk Road that runs above Spier Falls dam. That AB is present here is hardly surprising. I had previously spotted AB from my canoe; at a place along the river/reservoir bank just below this section of trail. This area has been extensively altered by human activity and once it is present AB thrives where people disturb the forest and create forest edges. AB is common along a half mile stretch of the old road above the dam but I did not spot in the wilder forest areas. It would be interesting to survey the surrounding forest to determine the extent to which it has spread.

Asiatic Bittersweet along the (abandoned) section of Hawk Road near Spier Falls Dam.
Asiatic Bittersweet grows in dense stands that crowd out other vegetation and its' bulk can pull down trees. There is a similar native species; American Bittersweet. The two are easy to tell apart in the fall when the berries are present. If the berries grow all along a stem, it is the Asiatic variety. American Bittersweet has berries only at the ends of stems. Complicating matters is that the two varieties hybridize easily.

To round out my recent day of hiking I took a bush-whacking side excursion from the Hawk Road parking area down to the point where Bennie Brook flows into the Hudson (about 3/4 of a mile). Two things stand out from this little adventure. First, don't try to walk along the edge of the reservoir. It is really tough going and the dreaded deer (black legged) ticks --that carry Lyme disease-- are definitely present. The second point is that I did find something interesting along way; a very large White Oak, diameter 47 inches at chest height. This is probably the largest tree (by this measure) that I've seen anywhere in Moreau Lake State Park. And, because White Oaks are long lived, it could be the oldest as well. White Oaks can live to be 300+ years old and I'd love to know if this tree is really old, having somehow escaped logging, fires and other mishaps. Or is it a younger tree, maybe in the 150 year range, that just happened to grow under particularly favorable conditions. So many questions so little time.