Jurassic Park eat your heart out. The hole in the eye socket is so we can look out...
Monday, August 9, 2010
A New Door and My New Window
Jurassic Park eat your heart out. The hole in the eye socket is so we can look out...
Pharaoh Wilderness/Whortleberry Pond 8/7-8/8/10
I have spent the better part of two hours bring my blog up to day, partially because it needed to be done and also because I wanted to put up the pictures of our latest adventure. This was our second overnight trip to the Pharaoh Lake Wilderness. This time our approach was from the south and promised at least a 8.3 mile hike, more given a couple of detours.
Ahhh trailhead signs...
And off we go. It was a claustrophobic hike, the undergrowth was heavy and mostly blackberry bushes, but it didn't slow us down. An attack by bees did though.
This was a rusted gas range left over from what looked like a camp. There were a lot of weird things this hike: a beheaded body of a falcon or owl in the middle of the trail, a random wicker backpack filled with empty beer cans and nobody in sight in the middle of the trail and a couple of odd people walking as well.
We detoured to a small pond off the trail for lunch. Behind Sal people were camped on the rocks.
Then Sal slipped. It was funny.
During the course of the hike we were taken by the variety of mushrooms on the trail. No clue what kind this was but wow, it was cool looking.
So the long and short of it, this is not Pharaoh Lake's far shore where we were planning on camping. When we got to Pharaoh Lake all the lean-to's and most of the campsites were filled. One guy had hung an American flag across the front of the lean-to and had a rifle leaning against the side. Weird. It must be hunting season or something. So we continued past Pharaoh Lake and tried to find the trail for Whortleberry Pond. However the trail was in such disuse we couldn't even find it but instead found the trail to the privy. Going past that we finally found the old trail. Our map showed the trail going right at the pond and only after climbing over downed trees did we find it again. Above is what greeted us.
We found what must have been a campsite but it obviously had not been used in at least a year. We had the whole pond to ourselves, a true treat. Heather found a huge set of wild blueberry bushes (perhaps originally called Whortleberries?) and we got down to picking and eating. I even showed Sal how to pick and eat them. Within minutes he was a pro.
Over the last couple of weeks my ears have been plugged up so I can't hear that well. That night Heather had to bare the burden of hearing all the wildlife sounds. We woke up multiple times for bathroom break and Sal's intense curiosity.
Finally around 5:30AM I got up, started the fire and made some tea. It was stunning on the pond, mist had settled in and nothing but the sound of birds (or so Heather tells me).
I mean, how could you not enjoy this view.
Sal certainly did.
A combination of campfire smoke and mist.
On our hike back Heather finally got a feather in her cap, so to speak.
In all we covered 10.6 miles the first day and 8.8 mile or so the second day. What was remarkable that we completed the return trip in 3 hours and 30 minutes. We were moving fast! By the time we got to the car we were all exhausted.
Sal was even more so than usual and wanted to curl up with us in the front seat quite badly.
This was a truly stunning hike. I must keep the exact access to our campsite a secret because it is the first time we have found a spot no one knows about but it was wonderful to have some privacy and some peace. It requires a return visit.
Ahhh trailhead signs...
And off we go. It was a claustrophobic hike, the undergrowth was heavy and mostly blackberry bushes, but it didn't slow us down. An attack by bees did though.
This was a rusted gas range left over from what looked like a camp. There were a lot of weird things this hike: a beheaded body of a falcon or owl in the middle of the trail, a random wicker backpack filled with empty beer cans and nobody in sight in the middle of the trail and a couple of odd people walking as well.
We detoured to a small pond off the trail for lunch. Behind Sal people were camped on the rocks.
Then Sal slipped. It was funny.
During the course of the hike we were taken by the variety of mushrooms on the trail. No clue what kind this was but wow, it was cool looking.
So the long and short of it, this is not Pharaoh Lake's far shore where we were planning on camping. When we got to Pharaoh Lake all the lean-to's and most of the campsites were filled. One guy had hung an American flag across the front of the lean-to and had a rifle leaning against the side. Weird. It must be hunting season or something. So we continued past Pharaoh Lake and tried to find the trail for Whortleberry Pond. However the trail was in such disuse we couldn't even find it but instead found the trail to the privy. Going past that we finally found the old trail. Our map showed the trail going right at the pond and only after climbing over downed trees did we find it again. Above is what greeted us.
We found what must have been a campsite but it obviously had not been used in at least a year. We had the whole pond to ourselves, a true treat. Heather found a huge set of wild blueberry bushes (perhaps originally called Whortleberries?) and we got down to picking and eating. I even showed Sal how to pick and eat them. Within minutes he was a pro.Over the last couple of weeks my ears have been plugged up so I can't hear that well. That night Heather had to bare the burden of hearing all the wildlife sounds. We woke up multiple times for bathroom break and Sal's intense curiosity.
Finally around 5:30AM I got up, started the fire and made some tea. It was stunning on the pond, mist had settled in and nothing but the sound of birds (or so Heather tells me).
I mean, how could you not enjoy this view.
Sal certainly did.
A combination of campfire smoke and mist.
On our hike back Heather finally got a feather in her cap, so to speak.
In all we covered 10.6 miles the first day and 8.8 mile or so the second day. What was remarkable that we completed the return trip in 3 hours and 30 minutes. We were moving fast! By the time we got to the car we were all exhausted.
Sal was even more so than usual and wanted to curl up with us in the front seat quite badly.This was a truly stunning hike. I must keep the exact access to our campsite a secret because it is the first time we have found a spot no one knows about but it was wonderful to have some privacy and some peace. It requires a return visit.
Long Trail (Clareton) 7/31/10
After so many hikes in New York we figured we should try to do an overnight in Vermont. We headed south to join the Long Trail around Rutland and Clareton. There was a cool cable bridge across a gorge then a sharp ascent to this lookout. We had seen so many splendid vistas in the Adirondacks that this was rather tame and dull in contrast.
The airport was down there. I think this was looking north.
It was very busy that day, we passed tons of people on the trail. As we continued on past the first lean-to we saw that it was full and there were five tents in spots around it. As we continued we saw more and more people with overnight packs. When we stopped for lunch we decided that given the number of people on the trail it would be likely that the spots we were planning to camp would be slammed with people. We had about 15 people pass us as we sat for lunch.
So we turned around and went home...
The airport was down there. I think this was looking north.
It was very busy that day, we passed tons of people on the trail. As we continued on past the first lean-to we saw that it was full and there were five tents in spots around it. As we continued we saw more and more people with overnight packs. When we stopped for lunch we decided that given the number of people on the trail it would be likely that the spots we were planning to camp would be slammed with people. We had about 15 people pass us as we sat for lunch. 
So we turned around and went home...
Dix Mountain on 7/24/10
We had originally had a plan to do an overnight through the peak of Dix Mountain (4,840 ft) to a shelter on the far side but we ended up doing a day hike instead with a total of 13.6 miles.
The trail head sign doesn't show that 2,000 feet of that ascent was in the last half mile or so. 
On the way I found two piles of rocks, I rebuilt the smaller one with Sal's supervision. Intense supervision.
The view from the sorta base of the mountain. Of course this is 5 miles in. These cleared batch of rock was really cool, water was streaming down it.
Yeah, this what we still had to climb.
As we pushed on the slope must have been close to 45 degrees. The view off the side showed more of those exposed rock faces.
See? Damn steep. We got a little further then reluctantly turned around. It was at least another half mile to go and maybe 1000 feet ascent left and it was late in the day. I am glad though, we were tired enough that climbing back down was hard and that extra ascent would have done us in. Still sucks to turn back.
Sal was a bit tired at this point but at least he had the sense to enjoy the view.
Heather pointed out that a bear hadn't made this and the claw marks were cut by a knife. And I totally knew that from the beginning.
Back at the parking lot with our feet up on the back of the car. Sal was a good pillow.
The trail head sign doesn't show that 2,000 feet of that ascent was in the last half mile or so. 
On the way I found two piles of rocks, I rebuilt the smaller one with Sal's supervision. Intense supervision.
The view from the sorta base of the mountain. Of course this is 5 miles in. These cleared batch of rock was really cool, water was streaming down it.
Yeah, this what we still had to climb.
As we pushed on the slope must have been close to 45 degrees. The view off the side showed more of those exposed rock faces.
See? Damn steep. We got a little further then reluctantly turned around. It was at least another half mile to go and maybe 1000 feet ascent left and it was late in the day. I am glad though, we were tired enough that climbing back down was hard and that extra ascent would have done us in. Still sucks to turn back.
Sal was a bit tired at this point but at least he had the sense to enjoy the view.
Heather pointed out that a bear hadn't made this and the claw marks were cut by a knife. And I totally knew that from the beginning.
Back at the parking lot with our feet up on the back of the car. Sal was a good pillow.
Mount Belvidere on 7/18/10
Mount Belvidere is actually about an hour and a half north of Burlington on the Long Trail. Located south of Jay's Peak it promised a clear view of the northern extent of the Green Mountains.
It wasn't too far to the fire tower and it was a stunning day.
It got a bit a steep in parts and the trail was exposed rocks.
The view of Mansfield was different from what we were used to. It was windy enough that even I felt disinclined to go further than the second landing. Which means I got up there and my brain just shut down. Hell of a view though.
The view from Heather's boots...
And ignore the creepy guy behind the curtain.
It wasn't too far to the fire tower and it was a stunning day.
It got a bit a steep in parts and the trail was exposed rocks. 
The view of Mansfield was different from what we were used to. It was windy enough that even I felt disinclined to go further than the second landing. Which means I got up there and my brain just shut down. Hell of a view though.
The view from Heather's boots...
And ignore the creepy guy behind the curtain.
Morgan Horse Farm 7/10/10
It is intriguing to me how this has turned more into a journal that I use to record the dates and explorations of my life. In fact it is the only place that I have a whole record of all of my hikes. I have found it a good reminder just how busy we have been.
But now about this post. This is from the Morgan Horse Farm which is located south of Burlington and is run by the University of Vermont (UVM). Heather's folks came out this weekend and because of their interest in horses we went to take a look. Because I am who I am I took a picture of this fascinating carriage. I always intrigued to see the mechanical variations use to steer over the years. This was a replica and actually had hydraulic brakes.
What is also notable is where they used wood and where they didn't. For any complicated compound curve wood stepped in. I imagine it is much more forgiving than cast iron.
This is the actual barn. A unique structure build entirely around the children of a single stud. The horses themselves are not the most impressive of creatures in relation to stature but they are quite beautiful. The stalls were hard to see into so I didn't have any good pictures of them. After working at a studio in a horse farm this was a pleasant trip.
But now about this post. This is from the Morgan Horse Farm which is located south of Burlington and is run by the University of Vermont (UVM). Heather's folks came out this weekend and because of their interest in horses we went to take a look. Because I am who I am I took a picture of this fascinating carriage. I always intrigued to see the mechanical variations use to steer over the years. This was a replica and actually had hydraulic brakes.
What is also notable is where they used wood and where they didn't. For any complicated compound curve wood stepped in. I imagine it is much more forgiving than cast iron.
This is the actual barn. A unique structure build entirely around the children of a single stud. The horses themselves are not the most impressive of creatures in relation to stature but they are quite beautiful. The stalls were hard to see into so I didn't have any good pictures of them. After working at a studio in a horse farm this was a pleasant trip.
Platz River And Shelburne Bay 7/5/10
After the overnight in the Siamese Pond Wilderness it seemed like a good idea to go and find reprieve from the hot weather by finding a swim-able stream to go an soak in. We had driven over this access on the way to a running trail and we figured why the hell not.
If you saw the fishing pole sticking out of my kayak, take a deep breath and don't worry: no fish were harmed in the making of these photos. Or ever.
It is deceptively beautiful. While there was much lush greenery everywhere the river itself was very dead. The water smelled of cow manure, so much so that after we went in a couple of miles and reached the road overpass (from which this river looked quite interesting) we turned around. We didn't bother trying to fish and my feet stayed well clear of the water.
Instead we headed out into Shelburne Bay. I was clear and no winds to blow us around. There were some superb fishing ground but because it is us we caught nothing. Still it was an excellent end to what had been an unpleasant kayaking trip. And from there we went home and had amazing food and a brilliant birthday.
If you saw the fishing pole sticking out of my kayak, take a deep breath and don't worry: no fish were harmed in the making of these photos. Or ever.
It is deceptively beautiful. While there was much lush greenery everywhere the river itself was very dead. The water smelled of cow manure, so much so that after we went in a couple of miles and reached the road overpass (from which this river looked quite interesting) we turned around. We didn't bother trying to fish and my feet stayed well clear of the water.
Instead we headed out into Shelburne Bay. I was clear and no winds to blow us around. There were some superb fishing ground but because it is us we caught nothing. Still it was an excellent end to what had been an unpleasant kayaking trip. And from there we went home and had amazing food and a brilliant birthday.
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