Cod Pond

Cod Pond is a scenic small pond located in Wilcox Lake Wild Forest. It’s short distance from NY 8 makes it a perfect leg stretcher for travelers driving the highway.

The trailhead is about 8.3 miles northeast from the NY 30 junction, near Wells. There is a pull off just before bridge over Stewart Creek on the south side of the road with enough parking for about ten cars. There is a small DEC sign that marks the start of the trail that can be easily missed from the highway.

The trail starts off the shoulder of NY 8 and immediately passes a yellow gate. The rocky trail climbs gently 0.2 miles to a trail register and a junction. The Cod Pond Trail turns right here. The Oregon Trail continues straight, reaching a bridge over Stewart Creek at 0.8 miles, a place called North Bend at 2.9 miles and Baldwin Springs at 4.7 miles. We’ve heard that the bridge over Stewart Creek is worth checking out.

The Cod Pond Trail continues to climb gently and reaches another junction at 0.3 miles. The Cotter Creek Trail goes right at the junction 3.5 miles to the main Cotter Creek Trail. This is a snowmobile trail that doesn’t look like it gets much foot traffic. The Cod Pond Trail veers left at the junction and soon levels off.

http://www.cnyhiking.com/CodPond.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tz4s5HOaAI
http://www.adkforum.com/showthread.php?t=17382
http://www.adirondackhiker.com/hikes/cod-pond/

Drones! 🚁

Drones! 🚁

I was out for a quiet walk along the Stewart Creek and all the sudden I heard a buzz. At first I thought it was some kind of ground hornet but I looked up and it was a drone. I’ve never seen a drone in the back country before, although I did see one once at Vromans Nose and once or twice at the town park and high school.

Honestly I can see why they are banned in wilderness areas and how they can really disturb the silence of the back country. For a moment I felt my privacy violated – I never even spotted the person flying it.

But I am also aware of the amazing footage they produce, how they expand our understanding of the natural world and capture the scenery. I can imagine the images they produce can be invaluable, especially when georefrenced and used with other data in a GIS program.

And it’s not like the wild forest are completely silent. There are roads through the edges and sometimes deep into it. I was hiking a snowmobile trail and had the snow been deeper there would be the roar of two stroke engines.

I’ve long thought about getting a drone as another way to capture my trips but so far I haven’t gotten one. That said, I feel like I own too much stuff already and don’t need another toy. And the technology will only get cheaper and more refined although I’m already quite impressed with what they currently do from watching the YouTube.

Cod Pond

Looking across Cod Pond out into the Wilcox Lake Wild Forest.

Taken on Sunday April 19, 2020 at Cod Pond.