Beyond Green Pond

Beyond Green Pond

With Fr. Jim Mulloy and on solo jaunts, I've camped a good number of times at Green Pond in the western sector of Harriman State Park.  There are 2 very fine sites on the hill west of the pond.

On one such trip, I went looking for the creek flowing out of the pond--the pond itself isn't accessible because of swamp, reeds, etc. all around it.  I hoped to find water easier to get to than by hiking down the Nurian Trail toward Southfields, which has a steep, rocky decline to a creek.  I found the creek and followed it a ways to see where one might collect water.  On my way back to my camp, I ascended the western ridge (plateau?) and found area that would be fine for camping; indeed, someone had already created a magnificent site up there.

Island Pond Rd. was paved back in the day.

On Tuesday, May 21, I returned there.  I parked in the hikers' lot on Kanawauke Rd. near Island Pond Rd. late in the afternoon; mine was the 3d car into the lot.  At one car a woman conversed non-stop with a friend, apparently on a phone.  At the other, a chap emerged with a big camera and headed up the White Bar Trail in the direction of Island Pond Rd.  I caught up with him as he was photographing some caterpillars (which proved to be super-abundant).  He was the only other hiker I saw on either Tuesday or Wednesday.  We talked a little before he diverted eastward off IPR.

I continued on IPR till I came to the Nurian Trail, and I took that and part of the Dunning Trail to Green Pond.  It took about 45 minutes at an easy pace.  

About 15 minutes hiking beyond the Green Pond campsites brought me to the well established campsite I knew of:  a large fire pit, a smaller one, a slab set as a table on supporting rocks, a neat woodpile against a boulder; there's even a mallet carved out of a short log, which I gather was used to pound an axe to split the wood for the woodpile.  The site appeared to have been used not very long before and was perfectly clean and neat.

I checked the elevation at just under 1,100'.  I hiked a couple of hundred feet down into the ravine to filter and fetch 2 liters of water.  

It was after 6 p.m. before I prepared supper:  freeze-dried 3 cheese and macaroni, which is pretty good, Crystal Lite, and some trail mix, and dried fruit.  

There was still plenty of time to set up my tent and hang my bear bag.  

The mild, dry weather meant I didn't have to put the fly on the tent; I slept under the screening, the stars, and a full moon.  Beautiful.  It wasn't quiet, tho.  Motorcyclists (I presume) roared up and down Kanawauke Rd. for quite a while, and the rumble of traffic from the Thruway was constant all nite.

The sun set around 8 p.m. and dusk lingered.  I prayed the Office and read part of a Smithsonian magazine till I was tired enuf for bed a bit after 9:00.

I slept decently enuf cushioned by 2 sleeping pads and the grass under the tent floor.  I rose well after sunrise, about 6:15 a.m.  It was cool enuf to put on a windbreaker over the thermal I'd worn to bed.  I celebrated Mass on the slab, then prepared breakfast:  oatmeal with peanut butter (a camper's meal, but not freeze-dried like the macaroni), some nuts, and some dried fruit--and coffee, of course!  Readings and Morning Prayer followed.

The only wildlife about seemed to be birds, including at least one woodpecker; perhaps some crickets.  And plenty of flying insects and tiny caterpillars, some black and some green.  I saw a couple of frogs on the trails.

Wednesday's sky was cloudless, and there was a slight breeze.  It was very pleasant in the shade, but gradually the day got pretty hot, as forecast.  I read more of my magazine, sitting in my camp chair in the shade, prayed a bit, and napped a bit till the sun pierced the tree canopy.  So I slowly broke camp and departed at 11:30; got back to the car at 12:20.  There were 4 cars parked at the head of Island Pond Rd. and several more in the parking lot.  I suppose all their passengers had gone to the pond to cool off a little; but I didn't see anyone.

An enjoyable 20 hours or so in the woods--a mini-retreat.