A New Pond Adventure

After the previous day's 'adventure', I was not particularly keen to Dave's idea to explore the back roads of Hague and up to a pond he read about online, called Jabe Pond. It used to be private but is now part of the Lake George Wild Forest and Adirondack Forest Preserve. 

The mile long seasonal road into the parking area is gravel with some big ruts and rocky areas. We knew about this beforehand, so it was a good opportunity to use the truck with its higher clearance. The road ended up being a bit more improved than we had read, which was good, because it is only one lane with ditches and drop-offs on both sides and some pretty steep inclines (at one point we spun the tires and I had flashbacks of the day before). 

I kept wondering what happens if someone is trying to come the other way? We found out on our way back out, with a passing vehicle, but luckily we were at one of the few wide sections to pull off out of the way (so we didn't have to back up 😉).

When we got to the parking area, we were surprised to see 15 other vehicles there, but on the other hand, it was Saturday of Labor Day Weekend, with campers, paddlers, and hikers. We walked up to see the pond and discovered it was going to be well worth the trip and a short kayak portage to launch. My wonderful husband carried the kayaks on his head, while I carried everything else, so that I hopefully wouldn't fall and break any bones. 

Once we were out on the water there were very few people within sight or sound, and the pond was big enough to accommodate everyone, more like a lake. 

There are several islands spread throughout the pond, and this one even had the remains of an old chimney on it. Nothing was left of whatever small camp was built there, and we can't find any history on it. 

The water was super clear and we have heard that fishing is good. 

Wildlife included lots of turtles and small ducks that I think are grebes.

The shoreline was mainly rocky, but there were a couple of marshes and fairly large beaches, which must be where the turtles lay their eggs. Best of all were the loons! One of the loons kept calling out in the silence of the wilderness, and it would echo in the mountains. He (or she) kept it up for about 15 minutes and I had to wonder if it thought it was a mate answering him, or if he just liked hearing himself 'talk'. 😉

I may have been apprehensive to start with, but what a great day it ended up being! We won't be able to come here often, because the truck usually isn't in Ticonderoga, but once a season it will be on our list of interesting places to visit. Perhaps we will even check out the trails and hike around the pond on a weekday.  

Footnote: The van runs again after a full day of replacing the fuel pump, including removing and reinstalling the gas tank.