Bushwhacking from Diana Pond to an unnamed slim pond was the easy part of my second day; now the more arduous trek around Dismal Pond begins. If memory serves me correctly, navigating around the southern shoreline definitely lives up to the pond’s name. Unfortunately, there is no alternative, as the northern shore crosses into private
Ponds East of Red Horse Trail 2015: Bushwhacking to Unnamed Slim Pond
Sunny skies greet me on my first morning in the backcountry on my nine-day trip within the southern Five Ponds Wilderness of the northwestern Adirondack Park. After some light rain in the evening yesterday, the sun on the tree tops surrounding Diana Pond are a welcome sign, hopefully a harbinger of things to come for
Ponds East of Red Horse Trail 2015: Nature Retakes Its Own on Old Logging Road
Now with the hike up Raven Lake Road over, the easiest portion of my first day is behind me. Unfortunately, that leaves just the increasingly rugged road extension into the interior of the southern Five Ponds Wilderness to go. Once an old logging road, nature has slowly begun to reclaim its own, leaving the way
Ponds East of Red Horse Trail 2015: High Water Along Raven Lake Road
It has been a wet spring/summer since my Birdathon adventure in mid-May. These moist conditions make stringing together more than a couple decent days in a row for a bushwhacking trip a definite challenge. By the time July is within sight and the bird nesting season is already long in the tooth, my patience is
Birdathon 2015: Discovering Illegal Trail System West of Raven Lake
After walking up Raven Lake Road from the trailhead at the end of Necessary Dam Road, the easy part of my trip is over, with the bushwhacking portion set to begin. The Shallow Pond Canoe Carry acts as my starting point, but it will not be long before striking out on my own and entering
Birdathon 2015: Hiking Up Raven Lake Road
It is May once again, and that means many things in the Adirondacks, including black flies, bushwhacking and the Birdathon. The Birdathon is my traditional first bushwhacking adventure of the season, and it mixes two of my favorite things, birding and bushwhacking. What better way to get back into the bushwhacking groove than an all-day
Birdathon Recon 2014: Now the Birds Show Up?!?
I wake with first light around five in the morning, after a frigid night. The birds appear unaffected by the temperatures though, as they are loud and virulent. Given the purpose for this trip being a reconnaissance for a possible change in venue for the Birdathon, I am gleeful that this morning makes up for
Birdathon Recon 2014: A Wood Pile, a Mystery and a Toilet Seat Along Old Logging Roads Near Ginger Pond
After killing a couple mice at Evergreen Lake, bushwhacking to a large wetland, scampering around Peaked Mountain and Hidden Lakes, it is finally time to enter the Ginger Pond area on the very last leg of my day’s journey. Unfortunately, my chances of actually visiting the eponymous pond are fairly low, as it lies off
Birdathon Recon 2014: Finding Hidden Lake and Moving On
So far today, the large wetland and Peaked Mountain Lake were underwhelming with regards to bird activity, making my Birdathon reconnaissance trip appear like a grave disappointment. Instead of spending more time at the avian-deprived Peaked Mountain Lake, I decide to move onto Hidden Lake and eat lunch there before continuing toward Ginger Pond to
Birdathon Recon 2014: Deadly Drowning at Evergreen Lake
Bushwhacking through the Adirondack backcountry can produce a myriad of environmental impacts. Examples include crushing vegetation underfoot, squishing amphibians and other small creatures hiding in the leaf litter and adversely affecting wildlife behavior simply by your presence. These impacts are typically incidental and accidental, usually going unnoticed and/or unobserved. Unfortunately, my lack of forethought at
