alpinista
Active member
It had been a little over a month since I'd gone backpacking -- and with a long weekend upon us, heading into the woods to sleep in my tent tugged at me.
I was heading out with a new friend who wasn't used to backpacking, and wanted to make sure it was something enjoyable, not too arduous -- and I also wanted to try to beat the crowds on a holiday weekend.
Now that I've bagged the NH4ks, I'm now on quest to try to hit all the wilderness tentsites and lean-tos and shelters in hopes of one day turning it into a book. So with all of those factors in the mix, I figured Unknown Pond would be a good spot.
Paul and I got a relatively late start and didn't hit the Unknown Pond trailhead until around 3:30 p.m. It was a scorcher -- in the mid-80s, and in an area with natural humidity from river that runs by this trail.
It starts out nice and flat, with a mix of boot-suckin' muddy trails. The greenery is lush -- fern that grow up to your chest and shoulders in some spots. The babbling of the brook is hypnotic. We didn't see any moose but we saw plenty of signs of them being in these parts.
We got to the tentsite and shockingly found just one of the established sites was available. This place was bustlin! We scored the last flat spot off the side trail past the privy, and the only flat spot without rocks or roots put a small portion of the tent in the remnants of a fire pit. Oh well, it'll wash off!
We spent a leisurely evening chatting with some folks by the pond's edge, including a couple who say they lurk here but have never posted. If you read this: come on in, the water's fine!
Once the sun set, Paul and I headed back to our site, where I taught him how to play the card game, canasta. I had gone out to buy two packs of miniature Bicycle cards, and find that they're mighty tough to handle!
A highlight of our time there was seeing a cute jackrabbit with giant white speckled back paws and big ol' ears bounce his way down the path to our tentsite. I dubbed him"Harvey" after the imaginary rabbit in the classic film starring Jimmy Stewart.
Side note: MichaelJ -- there is indeed a privy here, and you've gotta see the person's handywork. Check out the pix and you'll see a funky sign someone posted. I think you should use this photo Privy Sign as the cover of the book that one day you WILL write about outdoor toilets!
Pix are here: http://community.webshots.com/photo/385977606/385981679LhdGQM
I was heading out with a new friend who wasn't used to backpacking, and wanted to make sure it was something enjoyable, not too arduous -- and I also wanted to try to beat the crowds on a holiday weekend.
Now that I've bagged the NH4ks, I'm now on quest to try to hit all the wilderness tentsites and lean-tos and shelters in hopes of one day turning it into a book. So with all of those factors in the mix, I figured Unknown Pond would be a good spot.
Paul and I got a relatively late start and didn't hit the Unknown Pond trailhead until around 3:30 p.m. It was a scorcher -- in the mid-80s, and in an area with natural humidity from river that runs by this trail.
It starts out nice and flat, with a mix of boot-suckin' muddy trails. The greenery is lush -- fern that grow up to your chest and shoulders in some spots. The babbling of the brook is hypnotic. We didn't see any moose but we saw plenty of signs of them being in these parts.
We got to the tentsite and shockingly found just one of the established sites was available. This place was bustlin! We scored the last flat spot off the side trail past the privy, and the only flat spot without rocks or roots put a small portion of the tent in the remnants of a fire pit. Oh well, it'll wash off!
We spent a leisurely evening chatting with some folks by the pond's edge, including a couple who say they lurk here but have never posted. If you read this: come on in, the water's fine!
Once the sun set, Paul and I headed back to our site, where I taught him how to play the card game, canasta. I had gone out to buy two packs of miniature Bicycle cards, and find that they're mighty tough to handle!A highlight of our time there was seeing a cute jackrabbit with giant white speckled back paws and big ol' ears bounce his way down the path to our tentsite. I dubbed him"Harvey" after the imaginary rabbit in the classic film starring Jimmy Stewart.
Side note: MichaelJ -- there is indeed a privy here, and you've gotta see the person's handywork. Check out the pix and you'll see a funky sign someone posted. I think you should use this photo Privy Sign as the cover of the book that one day you WILL write about outdoor toilets!
Pix are here: http://community.webshots.com/photo/385977606/385981679LhdGQM
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