South Pond is an annual first paddle for us. It's a smallish pond about 1.5 miles N/S and E/W with no easily navigable outlets, but it's not small on scenery. Located right in the shadow of Blue Mountain and surrounded by a bouldery shoreline, it's a typical Adirondack pond.
The quirk with South Pond is the put-in. The pond is located about 50ft below the road, and the trail essentially drops straight down to the pond. After the initial shock of the steepness your realize it's well worth it.
75% of South Pond's shoreline is state owned, as are all the islands. Powerboats are limited to 10Hp and since there is no boat access you rarely hear or see a motor.
What you do hear and see are at least 2 nesting pairs of loons, lots of birds, a beaver lodge or two, and some indication of otter activity (fish bones on the rocks). And of course the woodpeckers and bullfrogs on Canibal Island.
It's really rare that such a convenient and pleasant place to paddle and camp is so peaceful.
The one thing our South Pond trip always includes though is rain. And without fail we had the same weather as always. One semi nice day and one rainy mess. Despite the rain, we had a great fire going Saturday night.
After a cloudy and occassionally rainy Saturday, we woke up to a blue sky Sunday. By noon though it was clear that the weather was turning for the worse. I really don't mind the rain because it keeps the fair weather paddlers and hikers at home, but I do occasionally wish the weather was wrong ina good way.
After a long swim with Caney in South Ponds clean, clear and cool water, we packed up camp just before the it started pouring.
We paddled around a bit, exploring the shoreline, watching the loons and bluejays as the rain pelted us. Only the loons didn't seem to mind, but they are weatherproof, and can escape the rain, even if only briefly, by going for a long swim under the waters surface.
technorati tags:ADK, Forever Wild, paddling, camping, Daks, loons
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