Winter Reaches Wakely Dam
Winter Reaches Wakely Dam
Just in time for a
Stephens Pond Run
For a while now I have been looking for an excuse… or shall I say, “opportunity” to head north and try out my new Chinook Tradewinds Guide 6 tent. I’ve also been wanting to run the new section of the Northville Placid Trail from Wakely Pond to Stephens Pond. But for one reason or another I didn’t get to it until the middle of October – Tuesday, 13 OCT 09 to be precise.
I headed into Wakely Dam around 1PM on Monday. I stopped at Willard’s Mansion on the way in and had a visit with Willard H. Weldon, the Wakely caretaker. He mentioned that “Slack-eyed” Bob Hayes passed away unexpectedly on October 1st. Wakely Dam won’t be quite the same without him. You can read more on Bob and the Wakely Boys HERE.
When I arrived at the Dam I was surprised to find 6 of the 10 campsites already taken by 6 trailers and a tent. However, none of them were occupied. So I set up my tent on site #4 in memory of Bob… and to get further away from the constant roar of the dam. Some people love the white noise when they sleep – I can’t stand it.
About this tent… it’s huge. From a distance it looks like most dome tents. But it has an interior that could easily fit 6 normal sized cots and I can’t even touch the ceiling. Outside there’s a screen porch that just fits a standard campground picnic table. Way too much for one night in the woods for person… but one bag domicile for that weekend getaway.
Here’s a view down the east side of the dam at campsite #10. Did someone build a house down there?
Since when does the State allow such structures on it’s campgrounds? And who would go to so much trouble?
Hunters, that’s who. I was always told that campers could only stay on a site for two weeks before they had to move. A common trick the Wakely Boys used to use was to swap sites at the end of their two weeks. From the permits issued here these hunters can stay put for months! …. But I’m getting off topic…..
I didn’t see a soul the entire time I was up there. It was pretty cold Monday night so I made a nice fire and tossed a couple hand warmers in my sleeping bag around 9PM. I knew the forecast called for some snow so I wasn’t too surprised to hear something sliding off my tent during the night.
I woke up around 7AM as snug as a bug in a mansion. Winter arrived at Wakely while I slept.
The Tradewind is a three season tent and with an inch of wet snow only the vestibule showed any sign of strain. I quickly knocked off the snow and cooked up some coffee and hot oatmeal. I had some running to do and in this weather, I’d be needing my energy.
I packed a small backpack (formerly a large bladder pack sans bladder) with a hooded shell, rain pants, wool socks, wool gloves and a space bag. I play it fast and loose when I’m running solo during warm summer months. But a bad injury in the wilderness during this “winter run” could be deadly. I figured I might survive a while if I’m able to crawl into some dry clothes and a space bag.
In my fanny pack I carried two bottles of Gatorade, one flask of Gel, three spare gel packs and several Endurolytes capsules. I strapped on my Garmin 60CSx GPS to record the journey. I was going to pack my Nikon D70 digital SLR camera but decided it was too wet and cold. I ran with this big camera in my fanny pack before and it was a pain to take out even on a sunny warm day. So I decided I’d record mental images instead and save the photos for next summer.
Northville Placid Trail – The McCane’s bypass
It used to be NPT through hikers had to walk the Cedar River Road for nearly 7 miles from Wakely Dam to catch the trail again at the former McCane’s resort. Then follow private property for a spell until they reached state land again. But after a run in with an uppity hiker, the current owner, Mr. John Macaluso, closed his land to hikers and the state was forced to do what they should have done a long time ago – finish the trail. Which they did in August, 2009.
At 9AM I drove my truck the one mile to Wakely Pond and parked it along the roadside. If it were warm, dry and if I were in better shape I might have ran the whole way. But as it turns out, that extra 2 miles would not have been much fun anyway. I left a note on my dash advising any would-be rescuer that I’d be jogging to Stephens Pond lean-to and would be back between 2PM and 3PM. I thought the 5 to 6 hour range would be plenty of time to run 16 or so miles.
Trail conditions consisted of freshly fallen leaves with an inch of wet slushy snow on top. The first section of trail, the old Gould Rd, was very runnable albeit full of hidden puddles and rocks – 10 minutes in and my feet are soaked. The registration box is quite a ways into the trail – at least a half mile I guess. Beyond that, the trail climbs ever so slightly upwards. At almost a mile there is a road that turns off to the north-northeast. From my research I know that I need to be turning this way soon, but I see no visible markers in either direction. This always pisses me off – Note to trail crews: Whenever there is a possibility of confusion, side trial, etc. PLACE A MARKER in the correct direction! To me it’s a no brainer but it must not be in the ADK Club’s handbook… nails harm trees you know. Anyway, my motto is if there’s no marker stay the course…so I did.
I believe the false trail leads up to the top of Sugarloaf Mountain where there are spectacular cliff views which can be seen from Cedar River Road. Soon the correct trail also turns north following another old road. For a stretch there are dense rows of 6 to 10 foot tall evergreen trees on both sides of the trail for as far as the eye can see. It’s like a tunnel of green. It looks as though someone plated them as hedges, but my theory on such occurrences (I’ve seen this before on Moose River Plains trail into Falls Pond – see photo below) is that these evergreens are able to thrive in the available light of the road clearing. Either that or some Johnny Apple seed dude got the wrong seed.
Within a few minutes the trail leaves the road for a parallel route as the road appeared to be heading into some wetland. I’m now on the first bit of single track trail and it’s not long before I take the first of many falls. Splashing to the slushy ground my pants and glove are instantly soaked through. The many many low hanging slush saturated braches block the trail just enough to force me to duck under them. I learned my lesson early on not to attempt to bat them out of the way – that technique results in an instant shower. Oh yeah, and it’s cold too.
I read that this trail passes through what could be some rare “original” old growth forest. I passed through an area of trail that seemed to be cut into the side of a hill. With hand tools the trail crew leveled an area for the trail. It’s here where I began to notice that the trees were a bit larger. Then I noticed one downed tree that had to be 4 or 5 feet in diameter. It lay on the ground like a fallen monster from the stone age with a 20 foot stump still standing vigil over its remains.
There were other interesting changes in the forest as I progressed. The sapling forest was good running as the trail darted around and through the tiny trees. The ground undulating such that if your rhythm was right you could avoid stepping up and down by leaping over the humps or banking a turn along the edges. At a couple of points the trail would approach a huge boulder – randomly placed lone giants in the forest. Then just as randomly, the trail would just turn at the boulder and head off into another direction. It was as though the trail’s creator wanted us to see these rocks before moving on. Do trail crews do this sort of thing?
You can hear Brown’s Brook 5 or 10 minutes before you see it. It’s not a trickle of a brook, it sounds like a big waterfall in the distance. The trail turns sharply around a point then descends down to the stream. There is a substantial bridge crossing over the Brown’s Brook. And an impressive river it is - 20 to 30 feet wide and full of giant round boulders. Water pours over small falls on both sides of the bridge. The bridge is supported on one side by a huge bolder and on the other side by an 8 ft. x 8 ft. railroad tie square box 5 or 6 feet tall filled with rock and earth. A lot of work went into this structure… and all with hand tools.
Standing on the bridge over Brown’s Brook was the only time on the run when I wished I had my camera. But I was right not to bring it. I was soaked to the bone and the thought of stopping to take photographs never crossed my mind. Neither did drinking or taking on any gel. but it had only been an hour and 40 minutes when I crossed the bridge and I was still feeling “OK.”
Immediately after the bridge you pop out onto what I assume to be the old Brown’s Farm Rd. Following the NPT arrow sign I head down hill in an easterly direction, cross a stream and come head long into signs blocking the road and a warning that private land lies ahead. I thought I must have taken the wrong turn onto Brown’s Farm Rd. So I turned around, crossed the stream and headed uphill past the point where I came onto the road. I couldn’t see a trail marker in either direction. I headed up hill some more but gave up on that. Heading back down hill past the arrow, I crossed the stream a third time and only then did I notice another arrow pointing north into the forest. The low hanging slush filled branches blocked the sign almost completely. That branch did not survive.
For the next half hour or so I pass through some unremarkable forest – all beautiful for its own sake just more of the same. I come around another hair pin turn and descend 180 degrees into a ravine, cross a creek then back up. I think there were more streams in this section that I could count at that point. Soon I was at the intersection of the of the old McCane’s trail… and soon after that the trail conditions turned to crap. Typical black Adirondack bog. The kind of stuff that forced you higher and higher off trail and into the woods in order to avoid loosing a shoe.
I almost called it quits during this stage but I knew the lean-to was only a half a mile away. Notwithstanding the bog section, and despite the slippery conditions and low hanging branches – on the whole, this trail features some of the best trail running I have experienced in the Adirondacks. Most walking breaks were due less to hills than to the simple fact that there was so much good running I had to pace myself. Though the trail profile looks hilly, I think on a dry day a fit runner cold run almost all of it.
Stephens Pond looked like a typical Adirondack lake – you see glimpses of it as you approach the lean-to. The lean-to itself is well back away from the water and out of sight of it. Why would anyone want a view of the water while they camped? Up until this point, 2.5 hours into my run, I drank less than 10 oz of water – no gel, and no electrolytes. I was feeling a bit weak and the repeated falls started to take their toll. I swallowed a half a flask of gel, took one Endurolyte and drank half a bottle of Gatorade while standing inside the lean-to. I was getting cold. I wrung out my gloves (cotton painters type) and switched to my wool army liners. I thought about wringing out my socks too but at that point I was starting to shiver so I thought it was best to get my body moving.
As I moved slowly through the bog hazards I could feel my feet starting to get really cold. The thin layer of slush that I thought for sure would have melted off long ago was hanging in there. If anything, it was starting to get a bit crunchy. I thought to myself, “What sort of person would head off on a 16 or so mile trip into the wilderness, in winter conditions (it was snowing after all) wearing sneakers, thin tights and a windbreaker?” Soaking wet, cold and motivated by Death’s icy hand (on my ass), I answered my own question, “A Trail Runner?” With 2.5 hours of running ahead of me I imagined for just an instant what would happen if I couldn’t make it out?
I was a little concerned about my worsening condition - my cold feet hurt a bit, my balance was off a bit and I was coughing… a bit. I sprained my left arm in a fall, I hyper extended my Achilles…twice and my hip was aching – but once I got past the bog and was able to run more consistently, my outlook grew brighter. My feet warmed up and I was back in the groove.
The trip back was going much faster, or so I thought. I stopped at the Brown’s Brook bridge and finished my gel and drank some more Gatorade – Mmmm, ice cold Gatorade! I past the boulders and sprinted through the sapling forest. Before I knew it I was back on the road section heading for home…well my truck anyway. It was probably snowing on and off the entire way back from the lean-to but since I was in the woods I really could only hear it. But as I entered the road section it was like stepping into a snowstorm. It was actually pretty cool – especially since I knew I was practically finished at that point. When I got to the registration box I looked at my watch and was surprised to see that if I didn’t dilly dally I could just break 5 hours. I thought for sure I was making better time than that.
I made it back to my truck in just under 5 hours. I jumped in the turned on the heat full blast. It seemed as soon as I stopped running I felt chilled to the bone. I drove back to camp and stripped off all my wet clothes. I got dressed as fast as I could and jumped into my sleeping back for a few minutes to warm up. I cooked up some noodles and a cup of coffee and contemplated what my options were. It was still snowing and the wind was whipping pretty good. No way I wanted to try to start a fire – why? So I could sit on top of it trying to stay warm? Then go to bed at 7PM? No thanks. At the first break in the weather I broke camp and got the heck out of dodge!
This section of the NPT is definitely on my short list of summer runs. I would also like to explore the other side roads that branch off this trail. Sugarloaf Mountain, Dishrag Pond all sound like fine summer runs. My new tent worked out fine, though I must admit it is way overkill for a one nighter for one. I’m thinking next time I’ll need to bring a large carpet, a small couch and a home theatre system. Now that’s camping!
