HENDERSON LAKE, PRESTON PONDS, DUCK HOLE cross-country skiing

 

Mar 14, 2005 - PRESTON PONDS & DUCK HOLE . Weather much like yesterday: a bit of everything; winter still here for quite a while yet. Woke up to temps in low teens. Trail climbs gently then moderately with short steep pitches - I used skins for about a half mile but they weren't absolutely necessary (advanced intermediate on way down - can ski thru open woods to the N of trail) - gained 400' in 1.5 miles to pass before Upper Preston Pond. Nice mountain views while crossing the pond. A carry trail runs S of the outlet (an oar handle sticks up out of the snow at the start). Soon we are on Lower Preston Pond with views ahead to the Sewards & Sawtooths. Picked up the outlet & skied along its S shore (some open water here). After a while, the outlet narrows between steep walls as it goes over a waterfall as it enters Duck Hole - a bit before this there was a ribbon marking the start of a short narrow steep carry (side-stepped it). Out onto Duck Hole & crossed over to the 2 leantos on W side - the Santanonis pear over to the S. A large dam holds back the pond's water but will not be maintained - will Duck Hole survive? Probably not as we know it. Visited a nice cabin on S shore of Upper Preston which will probably be torn down after NYS acquires the land from the Open Space Institute. Outstanding skiing & views. Fischer Rebound skis, Super Tele 3-pin bindings, leather boots. 





Mar 13, 2005 - HENDERSON LAKE & INDIAN PASS ski & camp from Upper Works, the main entry point to the High Peaks from the S. 2 to 3 feet of snow; offtrail 3"-5" powder on top of breakable crust. Temp ~30°F; partly sunny with snow showers. Skied 1.5 miles across Henderson Lake to the new leanto at the NW end of the lake. Leanto is more Lincoln Logs than traditional Adirondack log & has a thru-the-spruces view of the lake. Dropped off overnight gear then skied the Preston Ponds trail 0.6 miles E to the Indian Pass trail. Soon reach Henderson Leanto - the narrow, winding, balsam-lined mile of trail from here to Wallface Leanto has short ups & downs & can be a challenge for even the intermediate skier. Skied further toward Indian Pass with views of the shear 1,000' cliffs of Wallface then turned around where the trail crosses to the E side of Indian Pass Brook. Back in camp, got a nice fire going, changed into dry clothing & stayed pretty toasty. Transported overnight gear on Pelican plastic sled - tracked well as long as I had it loaded stern heavy, no skeg or rudder needed; its flat bottom with keels provided good stability & better glide than one might think from a sled with this much wetted surface, I was able to maintain a cruising speed of just under 2 knots over Henderson Lake; maneuverabilty was fair; strictly for recreational use & not a "serious" sled but then what do you expect for $20 (incl. buckle straps & bungie).

Visit us on Facebook

Welcome to the Adirondacks NYSDEC Info

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

HUDSON RIVER paddling, Thurman to Hadley.

Image
The Bear Slides on Butternut Brook is a half mile hike from the river at Darlings Ford. In summer, tubing is popular in the 2nd half of this trip. Oct 20, 2021 - Hadley gauge at 3.8' - a very nice level.  Sunny & temp rising into the lower 70s.  Some very nice fall foliage in the yellow/orange range but past peak for reds.  Moving water, fast water, riffles up to 1' - the current made it easy to keep a 3.5-4mph pace.  Steep hills on both sides.  Bald eagles, lots of Canada geese, a lone merganser.  14.5 miles, 5 hours (incl an hour-long lunch break near 1000 Acres Ranch).  However, what may have been a perfect day of paddling was diminished by a reminder that not all folks are having an awesome day - enough said - details below but BE WARNED , it ain't pretty . *After paddling downstream for 10 minutes, we spotted some debris on river R that looked like some clothing, a dummy, or something.  After a closer look, it was determined to be a de...
Read more

KAYADEROSSERAS CREEK paddling, Saratoga County NY

Image
Kayaderosseras Creek and Lake Lonely Outlet. The Kayaderosseras is a lovely meandering lowland stream. The 3-mile stretch between the Northway (I-87) and Saratoga Lake is often paddled, and a side trip up and down Lake Lonely Outlet can add another couple of miles. A good access point is a small beach at Waterfront Park on Crescent Ave. This does require paddling along the north side of Saratoga Lake for a half mile to reach the mouth of the “K” - this may be undesirable on a windy day or during the height of the motorboating season.  An alternate put-in, just upstream from the mouth of the creek, can be found at the Arrowhead Casino Archaeological Preserve at the end of Arrowhead Road, 0.7 miles from Crescent Ave. You will have to carry your boat along a trail for up to 200 yards and it is likely to be muddy, although possibly less so slightly downstream to the left. For a fee, one can launch at the boat shop on Crescent Avenue where the road crosses over Lake Lonely Outlet. One c...
Read more

HENDERSON LAKE, PRESTON PONDS & DUCK HOLE canoeing.

Image
June 2021 - The carry to Henderson Lake is now 0.1 miles longer because the old parking area has been closed & there is a new parking area that is a bit further south. Sep 14, 2014 - HENDERSON LAKE.  Easy 0.3 mile carry from Upper Works trailhead.  Explored the S inlet, Santanoni Brook & Indian Pass Brook.  Awesome High Peaks views.  Foliage ~20% change, mostly red & purple maples.  Very little wildlife, no bad bugs.  Saw just 1 kayak & 2 pack canoes.  7.8 miles, 4.4 hours. Aug 4 & 5, 2013 - HENDERSON LAKE, PRESTON PONDS, DUCK HOLE canoe camping, from Upper Works trailhead Sunday: Wheeled canoe & gear (incl. comfy chair) 0.3 mi. to the put-in on Henderson Checked out all 3 designated campsites (none occupied) before deciding on the southeasterly one. Campsites have fire ring & thunderbox. The site on W shore is further S than shown on the map at the put-in - it's lousy anyway. After setting up ...
Read more