DSettahr
Active member
- Joined
- Apr 23, 2005
- Messages
- 981
- Reaction score
- 142
Pictures here: https://picasaweb.google.com/116537596394442741068/NundagaoRidge#
I've wanted to check out Nundagao ridge for a while now. For years I've heard talk about how nice of a hike it is, and the two trips I'd taken into Gulf Brook to climb Hurricane over the years were a bit of a tease as I looked down on the ridge from that summit. When I had most of an afternoon and the next morning free, I decided to quit lollygagging and go do a traverse of the ridge, and spend the night in the lean-to on Lost Pond.
I arrived to find that the road into Crow Clearing was washed out, but there was enough room for a few cars below the temporary barrier that had been erected. As I hiked up to the trailhead, I saw that the road was indeed washed out in spots, but not too bad. It will probably be fixed before too long.
I decided to do the loop clockwise, so that I'd get most of the hiking out of the way before camping for the evening at Lost Pond. As I was signing in to the register for the trail up Big Crow Mountain, I noticed that Pete Fish (the former forest ranger for the High Peaks, and a bit of an Adirondack legend) had signed in to do trail work that day. In deed, he had signed in just about every day the previous week to do trail work.
My hike started with a bang, with a steep ascent up Big Crow Mountain. Fortunately, despite the steepness, the the actual elevation gain from Crow Clearing was limited, and so it wasn't long before I'd reached the junction with the trail north to the ridge. Since the Nundagao Ridge traverse doesn't quite go over the summit of Big Crow Mountain, but comes close, I elected to drop my pack and climb the rest of the way up to the summit... and what a view awaited me there! Hurricane Mountain dominated the view to the east, beyond which I could clearly see Giant. To the southeast was the Dix Mountain Wilderness, and I could clearly see Dix, Noonmark, Dial, Nippletop, and Colvin. Due south was the great range in all it's might and glory, with Marcy towering above all the rest. I moved to the west end of the peak, where I got great views of Cascade and Porter, Pitchoff, and the Sentinel Range. Beyond the Sentinels I could see Whiteface, with some snow still on the ski trails. Amazing doesn't even begin to describe the view from Big Crow Mountain- certainly a peak worth climbing in and of itself, and, despite being steep, not too difficult a climb from Crow Clearing either.
I returned down to the junction, grabbed my pack, and continued north to the ridge. For a while the trail again passed through forest, but soon it had climbed back up onto open rock, which afforded me further views. Thus began a pattern that would be repeated for the rest of the afternoon- view after view of the high peaks, all spectacular, interspersed with sections of trail through dense conifers. My camera was clicking non-stop as I took pictures along the way. To the northeast, the moon started to rise over the ridge as I began to make my way along the ridgeline.
After the steepness of the ascent up Big Crow Mountain, the trail became much more manageable, and indeed, I had less difficulty with a full pack than I'd expected. That's not to say that the trail was without it's steep sections, but that no section of uphill was long enough to significantly slow me down. The trail was quite rugged overall, however, with plenty of ups and downs along the way, and a few sections of scrambling ascents up rocky outcrops. Because the trail technically isn't a "marked trail," but a herd path, trail makers were few and far between. A few places had me temporarily confused as to which way to continue, but I was always able to figure out the correct course with a little bit of guess work. Across the open rock slabs, cairns often marked the way to continue. Here and there in the shady spots I did encounter snow, and in one spot the snow was actually still quite deep (2+ feet), but I never had any trouble traversing the snowy spots. In addition to the constant views to the south, in one place I did get a really nice view north towards Jay Peak. I could clearly make Grassy Notch on the ridgeline of that peak- a place I've been to once, and have always meant to return to and camp out in, but I still have yet to do it!
Midway along the range, I caught up with Pete Fish, and stopped and had a nice chat with him. He seems quite dedicated to this trail, and talked about how he likes to make it as clear and open as possible.
At the east end of the ridge, there is a bit of a descent before the trail begins to ascend Weston Mountain, the highest point of the ridgeline. Here, the trail remained in the woods without further views until I reached the summit of this final peak. From here, I could look down upon Lost Pond. Even so far away and above the pond, I could hear the spring peepers going full force at that pond.
The descent down to the pond was steep but not unmanageable, and soon I was at the lean-to. The lean-to is not actually on Lost Pond, or at least it isn't any more. I got the sense that when the lean-to was built, the pond was bigger than it is today, and the lean-to had a nice view out and over the pond. Trees have grown up since then, however, and the edges of the pond have filled in, and now there isn't really much of any view from the lean-to, although it is still a very nice place to camp. A path did lead down through the trees to what I think used to be the edge of the water, but you'd have to walk out through a bog to get to the actual pond now. A nearby stream flowing into the bog provided all the water I needed for the evening though. I glanced through the lean-to register upon arriving. It seems like the lean-to gets mostly day hikers visiting, either just to lost pond itself or doing the whole loop along the ridge. Few people seem to stay there.
By walking further down the trail, I was able to get down to the pond itself. To the north, Weston Mountain commanded the view, while to the south, Hurricane Mountain was prominent in my field of vision. A flash of movement caused me to focus on Weston Mountain, and I saw Pete, finished with his trail work for the day, emerge from the trees on to the summit, and admire the view for a bit before disappearing back into the woods.
I returned to the lean-to, unpacked, and got ready for the evening. Pete soon came by, and we chatted a bit more before he continued on down the trail. An interesting character as usual, one of the last things he said to me before he disappeared into the woods was "I don't know which one comes first- the expiration date on my credit card or my own expiration date!" It's great to see that he's been able to remain so active all these years, though.
That night, the peepers put up the biggest racket I've ever heard at a backcountry pond... it was so loud it sounded like a smoke alarm going off (no exaggeration!). Fortunately, college taught me to sleep through any noise, and I was able to get a good nights sleep.
The next morning had me up and on the trail early as I had a commitment that morning. Beyond Lost Pond, the trail becomes much more thoroughly traveled and well marked. The descent down to Gulf Brook is quick, and soon I was at the lean-to at the junction with the Hurricane Mountain trail. I stayed here several years ago, right before graduation from college if I remember correctly, and passing by certainly brought back some memories. I was disappointed to see that the sign proclaiming the island nearby in Gulf Brook to be "Bear Butt Isle" was gone. From there, the trail followed an old road all the way back to Crow Clearing, and the going was quick and easy, and all to soon I was back out of the woods.
Overall, the hike was rugged but not as difficult as I'd expected. Hiking along the ridge reminded me somewhat of hiking out west the desert, due to the ruggedness and lack of water, and it's certainly not a trail one would want to travel without plenty of water to drink. The views, though, were practically non stop and everyone single one was amazing... all well worth the trip! Lost Pond was a nice place to spend the night, even if the lean-to didn't quite have the same spectacular views that many other lean-tos have. Also, it was my 99th lean-to! Pete asked me where #100 was going to be, and it was a question I'd been thinking about for some time, but I had no answer to give him as I'd not decided that for myself yet. Only time would tell, I guess, which lean-to would end up being my hundredth.
I've wanted to check out Nundagao ridge for a while now. For years I've heard talk about how nice of a hike it is, and the two trips I'd taken into Gulf Brook to climb Hurricane over the years were a bit of a tease as I looked down on the ridge from that summit. When I had most of an afternoon and the next morning free, I decided to quit lollygagging and go do a traverse of the ridge, and spend the night in the lean-to on Lost Pond.
I arrived to find that the road into Crow Clearing was washed out, but there was enough room for a few cars below the temporary barrier that had been erected. As I hiked up to the trailhead, I saw that the road was indeed washed out in spots, but not too bad. It will probably be fixed before too long.
I decided to do the loop clockwise, so that I'd get most of the hiking out of the way before camping for the evening at Lost Pond. As I was signing in to the register for the trail up Big Crow Mountain, I noticed that Pete Fish (the former forest ranger for the High Peaks, and a bit of an Adirondack legend) had signed in to do trail work that day. In deed, he had signed in just about every day the previous week to do trail work.
My hike started with a bang, with a steep ascent up Big Crow Mountain. Fortunately, despite the steepness, the the actual elevation gain from Crow Clearing was limited, and so it wasn't long before I'd reached the junction with the trail north to the ridge. Since the Nundagao Ridge traverse doesn't quite go over the summit of Big Crow Mountain, but comes close, I elected to drop my pack and climb the rest of the way up to the summit... and what a view awaited me there! Hurricane Mountain dominated the view to the east, beyond which I could clearly see Giant. To the southeast was the Dix Mountain Wilderness, and I could clearly see Dix, Noonmark, Dial, Nippletop, and Colvin. Due south was the great range in all it's might and glory, with Marcy towering above all the rest. I moved to the west end of the peak, where I got great views of Cascade and Porter, Pitchoff, and the Sentinel Range. Beyond the Sentinels I could see Whiteface, with some snow still on the ski trails. Amazing doesn't even begin to describe the view from Big Crow Mountain- certainly a peak worth climbing in and of itself, and, despite being steep, not too difficult a climb from Crow Clearing either.
I returned down to the junction, grabbed my pack, and continued north to the ridge. For a while the trail again passed through forest, but soon it had climbed back up onto open rock, which afforded me further views. Thus began a pattern that would be repeated for the rest of the afternoon- view after view of the high peaks, all spectacular, interspersed with sections of trail through dense conifers. My camera was clicking non-stop as I took pictures along the way. To the northeast, the moon started to rise over the ridge as I began to make my way along the ridgeline.
After the steepness of the ascent up Big Crow Mountain, the trail became much more manageable, and indeed, I had less difficulty with a full pack than I'd expected. That's not to say that the trail was without it's steep sections, but that no section of uphill was long enough to significantly slow me down. The trail was quite rugged overall, however, with plenty of ups and downs along the way, and a few sections of scrambling ascents up rocky outcrops. Because the trail technically isn't a "marked trail," but a herd path, trail makers were few and far between. A few places had me temporarily confused as to which way to continue, but I was always able to figure out the correct course with a little bit of guess work. Across the open rock slabs, cairns often marked the way to continue. Here and there in the shady spots I did encounter snow, and in one spot the snow was actually still quite deep (2+ feet), but I never had any trouble traversing the snowy spots. In addition to the constant views to the south, in one place I did get a really nice view north towards Jay Peak. I could clearly make Grassy Notch on the ridgeline of that peak- a place I've been to once, and have always meant to return to and camp out in, but I still have yet to do it!
Midway along the range, I caught up with Pete Fish, and stopped and had a nice chat with him. He seems quite dedicated to this trail, and talked about how he likes to make it as clear and open as possible.
At the east end of the ridge, there is a bit of a descent before the trail begins to ascend Weston Mountain, the highest point of the ridgeline. Here, the trail remained in the woods without further views until I reached the summit of this final peak. From here, I could look down upon Lost Pond. Even so far away and above the pond, I could hear the spring peepers going full force at that pond.
The descent down to the pond was steep but not unmanageable, and soon I was at the lean-to. The lean-to is not actually on Lost Pond, or at least it isn't any more. I got the sense that when the lean-to was built, the pond was bigger than it is today, and the lean-to had a nice view out and over the pond. Trees have grown up since then, however, and the edges of the pond have filled in, and now there isn't really much of any view from the lean-to, although it is still a very nice place to camp. A path did lead down through the trees to what I think used to be the edge of the water, but you'd have to walk out through a bog to get to the actual pond now. A nearby stream flowing into the bog provided all the water I needed for the evening though. I glanced through the lean-to register upon arriving. It seems like the lean-to gets mostly day hikers visiting, either just to lost pond itself or doing the whole loop along the ridge. Few people seem to stay there.
By walking further down the trail, I was able to get down to the pond itself. To the north, Weston Mountain commanded the view, while to the south, Hurricane Mountain was prominent in my field of vision. A flash of movement caused me to focus on Weston Mountain, and I saw Pete, finished with his trail work for the day, emerge from the trees on to the summit, and admire the view for a bit before disappearing back into the woods.
I returned to the lean-to, unpacked, and got ready for the evening. Pete soon came by, and we chatted a bit more before he continued on down the trail. An interesting character as usual, one of the last things he said to me before he disappeared into the woods was "I don't know which one comes first- the expiration date on my credit card or my own expiration date!" It's great to see that he's been able to remain so active all these years, though.
That night, the peepers put up the biggest racket I've ever heard at a backcountry pond... it was so loud it sounded like a smoke alarm going off (no exaggeration!). Fortunately, college taught me to sleep through any noise, and I was able to get a good nights sleep.
The next morning had me up and on the trail early as I had a commitment that morning. Beyond Lost Pond, the trail becomes much more thoroughly traveled and well marked. The descent down to Gulf Brook is quick, and soon I was at the lean-to at the junction with the Hurricane Mountain trail. I stayed here several years ago, right before graduation from college if I remember correctly, and passing by certainly brought back some memories. I was disappointed to see that the sign proclaiming the island nearby in Gulf Brook to be "Bear Butt Isle" was gone. From there, the trail followed an old road all the way back to Crow Clearing, and the going was quick and easy, and all to soon I was back out of the woods.
Overall, the hike was rugged but not as difficult as I'd expected. Hiking along the ridge reminded me somewhat of hiking out west the desert, due to the ruggedness and lack of water, and it's certainly not a trail one would want to travel without plenty of water to drink. The views, though, were practically non stop and everyone single one was amazing... all well worth the trip! Lost Pond was a nice place to spend the night, even if the lean-to didn't quite have the same spectacular views that many other lean-tos have. Also, it was my 99th lean-to! Pete asked me where #100 was going to be, and it was a question I'd been thinking about for some time, but I had no answer to give him as I'd not decided that for myself yet. Only time would tell, I guess, which lean-to would end up being my hundredth.
