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Wednesday, May 26, 2010

My Backyard



Photography , mostly while on vacation is my escape from all the noise generated in my day to day life. Since I hate to fly , driving has been my choice of transport on these escapes.As I get older the 10,15,20 hours on the road gets to be more like work then vacation. It finally dawned on me that one of the most beautiful places in America is right in my backyard.The Adirondacks.

For the last few months I have been driving around and getting lost while scouting and hiking the lower to mid eastern area of the Adirondacks and would like to share my steps and hopefully at least one photo for each hike with whomever happens along this blog. Maybe you will even find a hike for your escape from the buzz.

My drive yesterday covered the Adirondack road along the Pharaoh Lake Wilderness for a hike to Spectacle pond. Then to route 2 also known as Boreas river road , ending the trip up route 25 to Henderson Lake. The hike to Spectacle pond is about 1.3 miles with streams , small waterfalls and open wilderness areas with pretty views of the Pharaoh mountains.Once you get to the pond there is plenty of places to walk and see the great views of the pond and mountain wilderness.It is an uphill but easy hike to the pond and one could enjoy a full day here.I don't know if it is to early in the season or to late but was surprised that I didn't see any wildflowers along the trail.





My drive along route 2 was spent trying to find the road to Cheney Pond , which I didn't notice until the ride back home.O well there is always next week. About a mile or 2 heading west on the road there is a parking area on the left for the Blue Ridge Falls that is a must stop sight. You will be able to see the top of the falls from the parking area but with a quick little walk the beauty of these falls are laid out in full view. It was then onto route 25 , a right hand turn off route 2 . At the end of this road on the left is the parking area for Henderson lake , from there it is a short .6 mile hike.As soon as you cross the bridge over the Hudson river take a left and within a couple of hundred feet is a beautiful view of the lake and surrounding mountains.Bring a kayak and lunch for a pleasant day of relaxation.

Sunrise and sunset would seem to be great times to photograph Henderson or Spectacle pond.My trip during the day was bright and sunny so I didn't take many photos , above is a boat sitting at Specacle Pond and one of the abandoned homes just before Henderson Lake .Be careful , these collapsed houses are dangerous . Also bring plenty of water and bug spray!!!

Where we come from is as important as where we are heading

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