Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 18
  1. #1
    Senior Member cmoulder's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2017
    Location
    Ossining, NY
    Hammock
    DH Darien, SLD Tree Runner
    Tarp
    HG hex
    Insulation
    Timmermade, Revolt
    Suspension
    Kevlar, Lapp Hitch
    Posts
    4,912
    Images
    356

    Pharaoh Wilderness, Adirondacks, Oct 2019

    I've done a couple of trips before to Pharaoh Wilderness, but never in peak fall season, so this recent trip with my friends JimmyB and Lisa was definitely the best yet. The colors were absolutely fantastic, the weather was cool and dry and there were no bugs... a stark contrast to our trip two years ago in August where we were feasted upon by voracious biting flies and melted in the sweltering heat!

    This year, we parked at the southeast trail head on New Hague Rd and hiked in on the Springhill Pond Trail and camped on the southwest shore of Pharaoh Lake at a beautifully situated designated campsite that would be perfect for swimming in the hot summer months... if you can tolerate the aforementioned carnivorous insects! Jim and Lisa are tenters and I was hammocking, which is no problem anywhere I have ever been in Pharaoh. Our little campsite probably could have accommodated a couple more hammocks.

    Next day, we followed Pharaoh Lake Trail along the south shore of the lake and then up toward Glidden Marsh, and then hooked a left turn and climbed up Pharaoh Mountain Trail, approaching the peak from the north side. We each got a couple of liters of water at the stream that empties out of Glidden Marsh, so we were set for dinner, breakfast and trail water the next morning. It is a decent climb of about 1200 feet to the summit of Pharaoh Mtn, but Wow is it worth it—there were fantastic views in every direction! And to top it off, there is a wonderful officially-designated campsite up there and it is a beaut, perfectly shielded from the prevailing winds, and several good trees for stringing up hammocks. We spent the late afternoon enjoying the fantastic views and watching the sun go down, then dinner and quickly to sleep. Next morning we were up in time to catch the sunrise, and it was just as sublime as the sunset. We took our cook kits and prepared our coffee and breakfasts on the rocks while watching the fog in the valleys and lakes below.

    The hike down the south side of Pharaoh Mtn was pretty steep and we had to pick our way very slowly and carefully. It would be a very bad time and place to get hurt, and it reminded me of my first trip to Pharaoh when I went down that trail at night, with my dog! We took Pharaoh Lake Trail to Grizzle Ocean Trail toward Putnam Pond. Our intent was to camp the last night at Berrymill Pond, but the distance was a bit more than we had calculated so we decided to do a dispersed "stealth" camp (which is permitted... 150' from water/trail) about 3/4 mile from the Putnam Pond campground. After setting up camp, I once again had my special treat, a Milky Way Mocha, which I make with 8 oz water, 3 Milky Way "fun" size bars and one Starbucks Via.

    The following morning we broke camp a little earlier than usual (last day, no breath-taking vistas lol!) and were on the trail a bit after 8 am, and made the 6.2 mile hike back to New Hague Road in about 2hr 45min.



































    Last edited by cmoulder; 10-18-2019 at 08:28.
    Five Basic Principles of Going Lighter (not me... the great Cam Honan of OZ)
    “If everybody is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking.” ~ Gen. George S Patton

  2. #2
    New Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2019
    Location
    Philadelphia, PA
    Hammock
    hummingbird single+
    Tarp
    zpacks 7x9
    Insulation
    HG econ 30º
    Suspension
    out-of-school
    Posts
    33
    What a great trip! Thanks for the report.

  3. #3
    Senior Member LuvmyBonnet's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2014
    Location
    on an island
    Hammock
    WBBB XLC/R.R 1.1 dbl
    Tarp
    WB Superfly UGQ WD
    Insulation
    HG/LocoL/AHE/UGQ
    Suspension
    Beetle Buckles
    Posts
    1,811
    Images
    20
    Thanks for the trip report. I know what you mean about the bugs. I went to the ADKs in August for a weekend and left after 22hrs. The bugs were insane. I went back to the same place in September and it was great.

    I don't see your pics.
    Hanging in the woods, paddlin and catching trout- My kind of living...

  4. #4
    Senior Member cmoulder's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2017
    Location
    Ossining, NY
    Hammock
    DH Darien, SLD Tree Runner
    Tarp
    HG hex
    Insulation
    Timmermade, Revolt
    Suspension
    Kevlar, Lapp Hitch
    Posts
    4,912
    Images
    356
    lol what a difference a month makes with the bugs!

    Sorry you can't see the photos.... they are URLs from Google Photos and I posted one in the test thread to make sure it'd work and it was fine for me there. Hmm, maybe somebody can tell us why they're not posting for you.
    Five Basic Principles of Going Lighter (not me... the great Cam Honan of OZ)
    “If everybody is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking.” ~ Gen. George S Patton

  5. #5
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    Long beach, NY not cali
    Hammock
    Dutch Wide 11', H.H.
    Tarp
    Superfly, Noah 12'
    Insulation
    Incubator 0, Jarbr
    Suspension
    Cinch Bugs
    Posts
    972
    same here
    i only see 2 of the pics
    looks like an awesome trip
    what was the total mileage of said trip

  6. #6
    Senior Member cmoulder's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2017
    Location
    Ossining, NY
    Hammock
    DH Darien, SLD Tree Runner
    Tarp
    HG hex
    Insulation
    Timmermade, Revolt
    Suspension
    Kevlar, Lapp Hitch
    Posts
    4,912
    Images
    356
    Quote Originally Posted by brutalguyracing View Post
    same here
    i only see 2 of the pics
    looks like an awesome trip
    what was the total mileage of said trip
    OK I uploaded most of them directly to Gallery so these should "show up"!!

    Mileage total was 33.82 by Ambit3 track. 8.07, 8.96, 10.57, 6.22... We were takin' our time and smellin' the roses.



















    pharaoh2019_11.jpg











    Five Basic Principles of Going Lighter (not me... the great Cam Honan of OZ)
    “If everybody is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking.” ~ Gen. George S Patton

  7. #7
    Senior Member OneClick's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Location
    IN
    Hammock
    DIY 10.5' HyperD 1.6
    Tarp
    Warbonnet, SLD
    Insulation
    Hammock Gear
    Suspension
    WB Straps+Buckles
    Posts
    13,158
    Images
    20
    Dammit!!! Too good!! 11hr drive...hmmmmm. Maybe.

  8. #8
    Senior Member georgecarr's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Location
    southern new jersey
    Hammock
    11' Chameleon
    Tarp
    DIY
    Insulation
    Loco Libre Gear
    Suspension
    DIY Whoopie slings
    Posts
    1,306
    Images
    14
    Love PLW. Camping on top of Pharaoh would be cool.

  9. #9
    Senior Member cmoulder's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2017
    Location
    Ossining, NY
    Hammock
    DH Darien, SLD Tree Runner
    Tarp
    HG hex
    Insulation
    Timmermade, Revolt
    Suspension
    Kevlar, Lapp Hitch
    Posts
    4,912
    Images
    356
    Quote Originally Posted by OneClick View Post
    Dammit!!! Too good!! 11hr drive...hmmmmm. Maybe.
    lol I say the same thing about many other places I see in trip reports! What a country!

    Quote Originally Posted by georgecarr View Post
    Love PLW. Camping on top of Pharaoh would be cool.
    It is one of the neatest places I've ever camped. First time I hiked there I came in from Crane Pond and hiked over Pharaoh Mtn down to the lake. If I had researched enough to know that this campsite was up there I'd have camped there then! It is amazing that there's this nice little protected pocket up there... you can walk literally less than 100 ft and be in a very windy spot.
    Five Basic Principles of Going Lighter (not me... the great Cam Honan of OZ)
    “If everybody is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking.” ~ Gen. George S Patton

  10. #10
    Senior Member cmoulder's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2017
    Location
    Ossining, NY
    Hammock
    DH Darien, SLD Tree Runner
    Tarp
    HG hex
    Insulation
    Timmermade, Revolt
    Suspension
    Kevlar, Lapp Hitch
    Posts
    4,912
    Images
    356
    Link to map w/tracks... Pharaoh Lake Wilderness 2019

    Five Basic Principles of Going Lighter (not me... the great Cam Honan of OZ)
    “If everybody is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking.” ~ Gen. George S Patton

  • + New Posts
  • Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast

    Similar Threads

    1. Replies: 5
      Last Post: 10-07-2019, 05:10
    2. Replies: 0
      Last Post: 04-19-2019, 19:04
    3. Replies: 6
      Last Post: 10-25-2017, 22:30
    4. Replies: 23
      Last Post: 12-30-2014, 17:36
    5. Pharaoh Lake Wilderness hike
      By Tripod in forum Trip Reports
      Replies: 8
      Last Post: 07-20-2011, 07:47

    Bookmarks

    Posting Permissions

    • You may not post new threads
    • You may not post replies
    • You may not post attachments
    • You may not edit your posts
    •