Women on the Adirondack Ponds

We said our good-byes to Nellie and a short carry later we put in on Kit Fox, a tiny pond where we could view almost the entire pond from the put- in. The water on Kit Fox was a dark murky color, unlike the ponds we had just paddled. We were well on our way to pond-hopping. A few minutes of paddling with a short 3 minute carry and our boats were gliding across Little Long Pond number 8 of the day. As we floated by, two fishermen proudly held up their catch of the day, a dandy looking brook trout.

J.K

Our day wouldn’t have been complete without a quick diversion to Lydia. An easy carry and we arrived at the shoreline of this enchanting, tiny pond. We floundered around dead logs that lined the shore trying to pick the best put-in spot. In less than 5 minutes we were gliding across the water towards the north shore where a large esker dominates it. A bright green frog splashed into the water, startled by our arrival on this usually vacant pond. A few minutes on Lydia and we were on the trail back to Little Long Pond. Paddling north along the shore of Little Long Pond we searched for the carry to Little Fish Pond pulling out at a campsite on a point to what appeared to be the trail. I went ahead hoping to catch a few candid photos of the girls on the trail. It was a short, steep climb up and as I reached the highest spot the trail disappeared. Carefully, I bush-wacked down to the shore of Little Fish and waited for the girls to do likewise. It was humorous to listen to the voices echo “Where is that trail? Watch that branch!” as the girls picked their way to the shore of Little Fish Pond. Later, we were informed the real carry was just past the point, a good tip we’ll remember for a future trip. A few dips of the paddle and we were at the take out to Fish Pond where the St. Regis River flowed on the right of the carry. In higher waters you can float your boat along the river to Fish Pond, but not today.

Fish Pond about 1\2 mile across was just a delight. A loon floated by sporting its fall plumage. Fall is the season adult loons start their molt around their bill and head. Paddling quietly we hugged the north shore lined with incredible rock faces and where massive boulders rise from the water. We paused for a minute to listen to a sound coming from the brush on the shore. Slowly we edged closer hoping to spot a bear or even better yet a moose on this remote pond. We were glad no one but the loon was watching our escapades as our ‘bear’ turned out to be water cascading off the steep ledges. As we paddled towards our next carry, I’m sure I heard that loon chuckling.

As we quickly crossed Fish Pond, we hated to leave this magical pond surrounded by beautiful Adirondack Mountains, but we knew we had a long carry yet to come . After a quick drink and some nourishment, we began the hike to Clamshell. It was late afternoon and the woods were cool and damp warranting us to use caution where lichen covered rocks lined part of the trail. We encountered some blow-down which we easily bypassed or stepped over. Twenty-five minutes later we arrived at Clamshell’s narrow put-in. To our delight, the water was smooth as glass. A lone fisherman was kind enough to snap a few photos of our trio. Through the trees you could see a unique view of St. Regis Mountain crowned by a fire tower. A hike up this mountain affords one an incredible view of the St. Regis Canoe area.

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