Friends reached out a while back asking if we wanted to take over their campground reservations at Forked Lake over the long holiday weekend; they had reservations at two different campgrounds and could only be in one place. I was immediately sold, and lobbied to get Erwin on board. He was reluctant at first, as we'd had bad experiences with black flies camping in the High Peaks this time of year, but our friends assured us that at Forked Lake's lower elevation, the black flies are pretty much gone by this time. Frankie was all in, of course, and eventually, Erwin came around, too. Woo-hoo! I was absolutely thrilled to be exploring a new part of the Adirondacks, to go canoeing and hiking and camping. [And our friends were 100% correct in their assessment of the bugs having died out. I got fewer bites up north than I would have at home.]
When planning the trip ahead of time, we intended to canoe a lot and to spend one day hiking Owl's Head, a fire tower mountain located nearby that can be spotted on the drive to the campground and while paddling around Forked Lake. As the departure date crept closer, Erwin started checking the weather obsessively and became gloomier and gloomier. Apparently it was going to rain... a lot. So even though the bugs didn't end up being an issue, the weather was a bit problematic (for Erwin, anyway). It honestly didn't bother me in the least: I expect rain when camping; it is part of the arrangement. Frankie and I packed books and board games, and I dug out an old screen house to set up over the picnic table so we'd have another dryish spot besides the sleeping tent. Problem solved! I genuinely find reading to the pitter patter of rain while cozy in a dry tent very soothing.
Anyway, the one concession I made to the rain was switching up our planned hike day. The clouds were just so low, and we could see that the tops of the mountains nearby, including Owl's Head, were completely socked in. I suggested we check out Castle Rock instead, in hopes that this smaller summit would afford some views below the clouds. So we drive into Blue Mountain Lake and found the trailhead. Despite the very low clouds, it wasn't raining when we set out.
From the register box, the route is blazed with red NYSDEC disks, following the dirt road another quarter mile or so before turning right and uphill onto a trail (above). After a short distance, the trail splits. We followed the red blazes left, over the bridge, noting the yellow marked route to the right on which we planned to return.
Grades are gentle for the first mile, then after passing a junction leading down to the lake, steepen considerably.
After perhaps half a mile of climbing, the trail levels out somewhat, or maybe it only feels that way because of the huge jumble of boulders just off the trail. It is impossible not to stop and explore the little caves. Emergency shelter could easily be found here.
Eventually we decided to move on, and from here it was only a short jaunt to the summit.
Near the junction with the yellow trail, we met a family with two young kids coming down, and the little boy was super excited to tell us about the steep terrain ahead. And there actually was a little scrambling, always a welcome treat! And then we were there...
The summit area is very small and was occupied by a large group with a
talkative leader, possibly a camp or church group. We explored the
herd paths in the woods behind the summit, hoping to pop out on another
ledge with views, but that was a fruitless effort. We squeezed into a
tiny unoccupied corner of the summit and settled down to enjoy the view
-- staying lower was definitely a good choice. Blue Mountain and virtually everything higher than us were solidly in the clouds.
The low clouds rolled over us, too, in intermittent waves, and we added rain coats. It never poured though, just a light rain. Eventually the big group left and we clambered up to where they'd been to take a few pictures.
Soon another group arrived and we decided to head down to let them have a turn on the summit ledge, and to get back into the trees and out of the rain.
After a while, the rain let up and we had to delayer again. The route back down on the yellow trail is longer, with gentler grades, and it was a quick easy descent.
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| blue flag (Iris versicolor) |
We eventually came to a spot with a little view down over Chub Pond. Of course I had to clamber down to check it out.
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| the short roadwalk back to the car |
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