rocksnrolls
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OK, so this was supposed to be a VERY hot weekend, so Dugan 2-Legs came up with a plan of action. The hope was that we could hike with our usual hiking buddies and their dogs in an area that would provide many dunking opportunities for the dogs and a trail alongside a stream that would help keep us humans cool as well. She had hiked in this area several times before and after reading up on it a bit, we agreed it was a good plan.
So here was the plan - starting at the Danby-Langford Rd (which runs east off Rt. 7 in Danby) Trailhead of the AT/LT in Vermont, heading south as far as Griffith Lake and returning via a loop of the Old Job Tr.
Dugan and I made good time driving to the TH and were about a half hour early. Oddly enough, Lattinhill, Jade, and their canine counterparts turned out to be right behind us on Rt. 7, so we all arrived together and got a nice early start to the day.
The dogs impatiently waited as we all checked out the outhouse and geared up for the day. There were only a couple other cars in the lot, and the temps were mild and skies partly cloudy.
After a brief road walk, we headed downhill onto the trail, me in my Keen water shoes and the other three in their trail runners. The dogs opted to go barefoot. My Keens had done well for me last weekend on the 2nd half of my Mt Isolation traverse, so I hoped they would work out well on this hike too. It turned out to be a bit too long of a day and my feet were not too happy at the end of the hike.
We could tell pretty much from the start that we would have some muddy areas to hike through today. In most cases there were enough rocks and roots to step on to avoid the deep muck, but occasionally we had to just plow on through and make the best of it. It was much more intermittent than our hike further south a couple weeks ago, so mostly it didn't bother us.
The trail was up above the Big Branch and we soon came upon the remains of an old structure which I'm told was an old water wheel. Shortly after that we came upon the unoccupied Big Branch Shelter, a three-sided lean-to. We signed into the register (lots of thru-hikers had signed in recently) and continued on our way, soon encountering our first bridge of the day, a nice and long suspension bridge.
Starting our ascent of Baker Peak, we soon passed the Old Job Tr where we would return later in the day. A combination of factors lead to my feeling kind of sluggish and I was soon trailing behind the others, which would be the way the rest of the day would go. We would meet at various points and then the others would head off at their own pace, leaving me to enjoy the solitude of a near-solo hike. I had my camera along and stopped frequently to take snapshots of various views, plants and insects. I'll try to post the photos to Webshots soon.
Upon reaching the Lost Pond Shelter we encountered our first other hikers for the day. Their was a family of three with a 7-year old boy who were section hiking half of the LT, and a couple of AT hikers, one of which was finishing up doing a thru-hike she had half-completed a couple years ago. Dugan shared some of her yummy home-baked treats with the thru-hikers as we chatted. The family was gearing up to head on and we were amazed at the huge pack the little guy was bearing - I asked permission and snapped a photo of him just before they took off - I swear the pack was almost as big as he was, but he didn't seem to mind.
The summit of Baker Peak was gorgeous. We were treated to really interesting rock formations to scramble up onto, grand views of the surrounding countryside, and a nice breeze to cool us off. So far the heat really wasn't too bad and we were all quite thankful that Dugan had chosen a hike where we wouldn't be too overwhelmed by the weather.
We stopped for a brief snack and rest, but the deer flies were pretty bad up there, especially tormenting poor Maya, so we soon geared back up for the descent to Griffith Lake. Getting off the summit took some care as the rock formations made for tricky footing.
Again I was trailing far behind the others. Along the way I was treated to the sight of a doe bolting across the trail in front of me. Sadly I failed to get my camera out quickly enough for a shot, but it was nice to see anyways. After waiting for me at the Lake for a while, Dugan headed back to intercept me. We rejoined the others and found a nice spot on the northwest shore to have our lunch. We spotted a small snake amongst the rocks and a bright yellow spider snacking on a deer fly while enjoying our own meals. Carmen had a blast chasing sticks into the lake (up to three at a time!) but Maya doesn't like to swim too much. She loves splashing through streams, but we could barely coax her into the lake.
After our rest we headed back up the trail a short distance a struck out onto the Old Job Tr. It turned out to be an old road, with a wide easy path to follow. Muddy in spots, but easy to avoid getting too dirty. The Old Job followed an active stream for most of its length so we were treated to nice temperatures. Being refreshed from my lunch break, I managed to keep up with the others for most of the rest of the day.
About halfway along the Old Job Tr. we came to a dirt road crossing. A Forest Service vehicle was parked on the road and there was a fire ring in a clearing alongside the stream. We rested here again for a while and I enjoyed soaking my feet in the cold rushing water. From this point the Old Job is a hiking trail and so much narrower
After hiking again for a while, we came to the Old Job Shelter, another three-sided lean-to. Nearby a couple guys and their dogs had set up tents and had a nice fire going. We rested there for while, signed into the register and I checked out the area around the shelter, snapping shots of a dragonfly, a frog and getting some shots of the suspension bridge we would soon cross to continue our hike.
Just past the suspension bridge we spotted the oddest sight of the day: a huge sawdust mound. The guidebook had mentioned this, but we were all amazed at how really, REALLY big it was. We climbed up onto it, enjoying the soft, springy surface and marveled at its existence. How old was it? How did it get there? We knew there was an abandoned village around here, but still it was mind-boggling.
Leaving the sawdust mound behind, we passed through fields of wild flowers and old fruit trees. Luckily the trail was well maintained. Dugan had been through here in the fall and spring before when it was easy to spot the old house foundations, but with the plants grown up so much, it was impossible to see any of them. Lattinhill was disappointed so he plans to return after the growth has died back.
As we headed back to the cars, we stopped again at the Big Branch Shelter. There we chatted with a pair of SoBo thru-hikers who were contemplating whether to stay there or push on to the Lost Pond Shelter. We also chatted with a Ranger who was there and she gave us some history of the sawdust mound. Turns out it's from the early 1900's! Back then there was a big sawmill in the area and the people who had lived in the village worked at the sawmill. After the mill closed down they moved away and the area has been being reclaimed by nature since then. It's amazing that the sawdust mound still looks so new. There was almost nothing growing on it, but the ranger told us if you dug into it you would find that there's tons of bugs living in it. I wonder how long it will take for the bugs to break it down enough for the plants to get to work on it.
We soon returned to our cars, changed out of our sweaty clothes and parted ways. Lattinihll and Jade headed back the way we came in, but Dugan and I decided to continue west on the road. It turned out to make for quite an adventure. A little ways down the road we came to a cliff face area called Devil's Den. We spent a little time wandering around in front of it, checking out the rock formations and the cave opening. There was a trail leading east from the area, something to explore at a later date. Driving along the dirt road, we spotted numerous other trailheads to come back and explore later. Anyone out there explored these areas?
After getting off the dirt road, we enjoyed checking out the house in the area as we headed into Londonderry. We stopped for cheap gas at the first station we saw and I realized to my horror that my wallet was missing. Dugan covered me for the cost of the fuel as I searched the car. I soon remembered putting it on the roof of my car at the TH parking lot, but couldn't remember what I did with it after that. So back we headed, retracing our path, hoping that my luck would hold out. That wallet held all my cash to get through the week, my license and a couple of credit cards. I was amazed when I spotted the wallet in the middle of the road a mile or two away. The cash had fallen out but I believe we managed to retrieve it all from the side of the road. What a relief! I can't believe I didn't notice it when we stopped at the Devil's Den...
So, with wallet safely tucked into my pants pocket, we decided to explore a couple more roads on the way back. Let me tell you we were surprised that Rt. 121 was mostly unpaved. We traveled its entire length and it was a nice drive with some good views, but it sure took a long time!
So here was the plan - starting at the Danby-Langford Rd (which runs east off Rt. 7 in Danby) Trailhead of the AT/LT in Vermont, heading south as far as Griffith Lake and returning via a loop of the Old Job Tr.
Dugan and I made good time driving to the TH and were about a half hour early. Oddly enough, Lattinhill, Jade, and their canine counterparts turned out to be right behind us on Rt. 7, so we all arrived together and got a nice early start to the day.
The dogs impatiently waited as we all checked out the outhouse and geared up for the day. There were only a couple other cars in the lot, and the temps were mild and skies partly cloudy.
After a brief road walk, we headed downhill onto the trail, me in my Keen water shoes and the other three in their trail runners. The dogs opted to go barefoot. My Keens had done well for me last weekend on the 2nd half of my Mt Isolation traverse, so I hoped they would work out well on this hike too. It turned out to be a bit too long of a day and my feet were not too happy at the end of the hike.
We could tell pretty much from the start that we would have some muddy areas to hike through today. In most cases there were enough rocks and roots to step on to avoid the deep muck, but occasionally we had to just plow on through and make the best of it. It was much more intermittent than our hike further south a couple weeks ago, so mostly it didn't bother us.
The trail was up above the Big Branch and we soon came upon the remains of an old structure which I'm told was an old water wheel. Shortly after that we came upon the unoccupied Big Branch Shelter, a three-sided lean-to. We signed into the register (lots of thru-hikers had signed in recently) and continued on our way, soon encountering our first bridge of the day, a nice and long suspension bridge.
Starting our ascent of Baker Peak, we soon passed the Old Job Tr where we would return later in the day. A combination of factors lead to my feeling kind of sluggish and I was soon trailing behind the others, which would be the way the rest of the day would go. We would meet at various points and then the others would head off at their own pace, leaving me to enjoy the solitude of a near-solo hike. I had my camera along and stopped frequently to take snapshots of various views, plants and insects. I'll try to post the photos to Webshots soon.
Upon reaching the Lost Pond Shelter we encountered our first other hikers for the day. Their was a family of three with a 7-year old boy who were section hiking half of the LT, and a couple of AT hikers, one of which was finishing up doing a thru-hike she had half-completed a couple years ago. Dugan shared some of her yummy home-baked treats with the thru-hikers as we chatted. The family was gearing up to head on and we were amazed at the huge pack the little guy was bearing - I asked permission and snapped a photo of him just before they took off - I swear the pack was almost as big as he was, but he didn't seem to mind.
The summit of Baker Peak was gorgeous. We were treated to really interesting rock formations to scramble up onto, grand views of the surrounding countryside, and a nice breeze to cool us off. So far the heat really wasn't too bad and we were all quite thankful that Dugan had chosen a hike where we wouldn't be too overwhelmed by the weather.
We stopped for a brief snack and rest, but the deer flies were pretty bad up there, especially tormenting poor Maya, so we soon geared back up for the descent to Griffith Lake. Getting off the summit took some care as the rock formations made for tricky footing.
Again I was trailing far behind the others. Along the way I was treated to the sight of a doe bolting across the trail in front of me. Sadly I failed to get my camera out quickly enough for a shot, but it was nice to see anyways. After waiting for me at the Lake for a while, Dugan headed back to intercept me. We rejoined the others and found a nice spot on the northwest shore to have our lunch. We spotted a small snake amongst the rocks and a bright yellow spider snacking on a deer fly while enjoying our own meals. Carmen had a blast chasing sticks into the lake (up to three at a time!) but Maya doesn't like to swim too much. She loves splashing through streams, but we could barely coax her into the lake.
After our rest we headed back up the trail a short distance a struck out onto the Old Job Tr. It turned out to be an old road, with a wide easy path to follow. Muddy in spots, but easy to avoid getting too dirty. The Old Job followed an active stream for most of its length so we were treated to nice temperatures. Being refreshed from my lunch break, I managed to keep up with the others for most of the rest of the day.
About halfway along the Old Job Tr. we came to a dirt road crossing. A Forest Service vehicle was parked on the road and there was a fire ring in a clearing alongside the stream. We rested here again for a while and I enjoyed soaking my feet in the cold rushing water. From this point the Old Job is a hiking trail and so much narrower
After hiking again for a while, we came to the Old Job Shelter, another three-sided lean-to. Nearby a couple guys and their dogs had set up tents and had a nice fire going. We rested there for while, signed into the register and I checked out the area around the shelter, snapping shots of a dragonfly, a frog and getting some shots of the suspension bridge we would soon cross to continue our hike.
Just past the suspension bridge we spotted the oddest sight of the day: a huge sawdust mound. The guidebook had mentioned this, but we were all amazed at how really, REALLY big it was. We climbed up onto it, enjoying the soft, springy surface and marveled at its existence. How old was it? How did it get there? We knew there was an abandoned village around here, but still it was mind-boggling.
Leaving the sawdust mound behind, we passed through fields of wild flowers and old fruit trees. Luckily the trail was well maintained. Dugan had been through here in the fall and spring before when it was easy to spot the old house foundations, but with the plants grown up so much, it was impossible to see any of them. Lattinhill was disappointed so he plans to return after the growth has died back.
As we headed back to the cars, we stopped again at the Big Branch Shelter. There we chatted with a pair of SoBo thru-hikers who were contemplating whether to stay there or push on to the Lost Pond Shelter. We also chatted with a Ranger who was there and she gave us some history of the sawdust mound. Turns out it's from the early 1900's! Back then there was a big sawmill in the area and the people who had lived in the village worked at the sawmill. After the mill closed down they moved away and the area has been being reclaimed by nature since then. It's amazing that the sawdust mound still looks so new. There was almost nothing growing on it, but the ranger told us if you dug into it you would find that there's tons of bugs living in it. I wonder how long it will take for the bugs to break it down enough for the plants to get to work on it.
We soon returned to our cars, changed out of our sweaty clothes and parted ways. Lattinihll and Jade headed back the way we came in, but Dugan and I decided to continue west on the road. It turned out to make for quite an adventure. A little ways down the road we came to a cliff face area called Devil's Den. We spent a little time wandering around in front of it, checking out the rock formations and the cave opening. There was a trail leading east from the area, something to explore at a later date. Driving along the dirt road, we spotted numerous other trailheads to come back and explore later. Anyone out there explored these areas?
After getting off the dirt road, we enjoyed checking out the house in the area as we headed into Londonderry. We stopped for cheap gas at the first station we saw and I realized to my horror that my wallet was missing. Dugan covered me for the cost of the fuel as I searched the car. I soon remembered putting it on the roof of my car at the TH parking lot, but couldn't remember what I did with it after that. So back we headed, retracing our path, hoping that my luck would hold out. That wallet held all my cash to get through the week, my license and a couple of credit cards. I was amazed when I spotted the wallet in the middle of the road a mile or two away. The cash had fallen out but I believe we managed to retrieve it all from the side of the road. What a relief! I can't believe I didn't notice it when we stopped at the Devil's Den...
So, with wallet safely tucked into my pants pocket, we decided to explore a couple more roads on the way back. Let me tell you we were surprised that Rt. 121 was mostly unpaved. We traveled its entire length and it was a nice drive with some good views, but it sure took a long time!
