Mountain Goatin'

A little late to post, but no one minds (because no one knows).

Robinson and I had originally planned to hit up Crane Mt. for the whole day on the 27th. Due to time constraints, we changed our destination to three short trails that are next to Thirteenth Lake in Warren County. There we were able to hike to the Balm of Gilead Mt., William Blake Pond, and the Hooper Mine.

Remember a while ago when I had nothing to post about so I gave you a bunch of links to have fun with (of course you do)? Well I mentioned the Adirondack Mountain Club's online store and the trail guides they sell; and I would like to take a brief moment to send love out to these trail guides. OK, these books are super tiny (5 x 7 in.) so they can fit right into a full day pack and they are loaded with information (including a great, topographic trail map). Hon the trail, we were able to point out and learn surrounding mountains, as well as historical snippets of the area; the guide definitely made the hike more interesting and enjoyable! :D

The first trail Robinson and I took to was the Balm of Gilead Mt; the hike to the top is only about a mile and, despite the steeper gradient, is very easy. Since it's only a mile to the top, one can assume that this isn't a higher mountain, but the view is stunning. We rounded a large boulder and were given a clear, 180 view of the south end of Thirteenth Lake and surrounding mountains (we were on the east side of the lake). The face of the summit was a rough cliff of orange-brown rock, here Robinson and I coined the term 'mountain goatin'' as we jumped south from rock to rock off the trail.

Next, in an attempt to find the Old Farm Clearing, we gallivanted down a cross country ski trail and learned that this area is really a little hub for a bunch of longer trails. Having learned that the clearing was further off than anticipated, we retraced our steps and took the trail to William Blake Pond. I think the short .8 mile hike to the pond was more exciting than actually reaching the pond. It was much more stagnant than expected (not gross, but not swim-able or wade-able either) and lots of branches hung down obscuring full views of the pond. Despite the momentary disappointment, there was lots of quiet shade, and it gave us a moment to relax and think about biology as we watched salamanders swim and classified lichen (I'm a bio major, so this is bound to happen more often than not).

Next we took the steeper, super short trail (.4 mi.) to Hooper Mine, an abandoned granite mine. Here we again practiced our mountain goatin' skills and scrambled through the loose rocks to a bright orange pinnacle on the left side of the horseshoe-shaped 'pit.' This gave a spectacular view of green earth, blue sky with the contrast of oxidized orange.

I brought a disposable camera with me (that binocular/camera thing didn't even turn on after I went through the trouble of finding AAA batteries!) , so I have to use the remaining 7 pictures then I can develop it and share the good ones! :)

On July 10th I hope to head back up to Thirteenth Lake with another friend, Lauren, and take the Peaked Mt. Pond trail that will lead us up the west side of the lake. Something may be happening on the 9th with a high school friend, Irene, but I'm not sure if it will go through. Also, my Mom and I (hopefully my Dad will come as well) are planning to head up to Hadley Mt. on the 24th. So, it looks like a full few weeks ahead of me, I will post again this next Friday.

My Dad has mentioned that there is camping at Thirteenth Lake but I haven't been able to check it out yet, does anyone know anything about that?

Keep trekkin'!
G