December 29, 2012

We finally got snow and a ton of it, the snow God's finally answered our call. Maybe it was that snow dance we did last week. Hard to believe I had to look at it for several days before I had a chance to get out and break some trail, but I did.

Holcomb Pond was the choice of the day, an easy stroll through the Sentinel Range along a lightly used unmaintained trail. I had never been in there in the winter, so I wasn't sure what to expect – but this is what I got.

Brook along the trail

First of all I was shocked to see that part of the parking area on River Road had been plowed, it gave me just enough room to get off the road. I opened up ice sealed Thule box and strapped the old snowshoes to my feet. After I climbed over the snowplow embankment I was on an unconsolidated trail of 6-8 inches of powder. The brook was frozen over in parts and in others allowing the subtle sound of cascades. I dropped down to cross a small tributary and was looking at my first piece of blow-down. It took a second to see the trail on the opposite side, but a freshly cut tree trunk gave it away. After anther quick drop over a drainage area I climbed steeply above onto a ridge. Traction wasn't too bad, but then again what does 8-inches of powder have on a guy my size?

Breaking trail

There was a bit more dead-fall, low to the ground, so it didn't affect the pace very much. After hiking along the ridge and getting my first glimpse of the secluded marsh I started a decent descent which brought me to a natural shelter and eventually along some attractive cliffs to my left. I snowshoed along the cliffs for a bit before descending more to the shore of the marsh where I got my first views of the Sentinel Mountains. This next section was a bit tricky. There were several hidden boulders and what I call mineshafts – which are nothing more than hidden holes between rocks. These had a rather big appetite for snowshoe tips.

The trail eventually led me away from the marsh again and a bit hiker on the hillside, where traction was a bit tough as I side-hilled. After another quick descent I was on the flats and arriving at the campsite on the shore of Holcomb Pond. This is an actually state laid out campsite, with a DEC campsite disk and everything. Looking out over the pond were more of the Sentinel Mountains with the slopes of Kilburn in the forefront.

DEC campsite

This is a great 1-2 hour hike for just about any level of ability and experience. Interested in other 1-2 hour hikes, check out this trail page. Want to bite off a little more? Check out these options at www.lakeplacid.com 

Trail map
Brook along the trail
Breaking trail
DEC campsite
Trail map

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