Oxbow Pond
Where: Oxbow Pond, Pharaoh Lake area, Adirondacks
When: July, 1992
With: Bill, Tom
Jane and I were living in a rental house, having sold the house in Holliston and being unable to move into the new place in Hopkinton just yet. Despite plans to the contrary, I hadn't been camping all season. Jane was pregnant, we sold a house and bought a house...things happened. I'd managed a day trip up Mt. Washington but that was it. So I was talking with Bill and he mentioned he and Tom had found a neat place to go camping. I said, "Let's go!" A week later, I was on my way to Albany. We met up at Bill's place, piled all the gear into Tom's truck, and headed north.
I seem to remember some problem with Tom's truck along the way, but eventually we arrived at the area. There was a long dirt access road to be dealt with first, and a stream crossing but after a bit we found ourselves in a somewhat crowded parking lot. I think there was good access to a lake there, so most folks were staying close by. We packed up and headed deeper into the woods, toward Oxbow Pond.
The walk in was neither long nor difficult and in a short time we were at the pond. We passed on a shelter right at the trail end and found an isolated campsite down the shoreline. It was a pretty little lake with some interesting features, especially a large overhanging rock on the opposite shore. Good for climbing or jumping, I thought.
We set up camp, inflated the boats, and started enjoying the area. We explored around the lake, I climbed on the rock and considered a jump but didn't (dark water, cool temps), we explored the opposite shore & woods, and we paddled up the pond to an adjacent, smaller pond on the other side of a beaver dam. I managed to hook a fish there, but it got away.
Back at the campsite, I swam across the pond and back, did a little fishing (my first attempt at fly-casting), and we relaxed. That night, we went out for a starlight paddle. I hung a glow stick on the shore to guide us back. I recall tequila & grapefruit at dinner, and I cooked pizza in my cookset!
The next day we hiked out.
When: July, 1992
With: Bill, Tom
Jane and I were living in a rental house, having sold the house in Holliston and being unable to move into the new place in Hopkinton just yet. Despite plans to the contrary, I hadn't been camping all season. Jane was pregnant, we sold a house and bought a house...things happened. I'd managed a day trip up Mt. Washington but that was it. So I was talking with Bill and he mentioned he and Tom had found a neat place to go camping. I said, "Let's go!" A week later, I was on my way to Albany. We met up at Bill's place, piled all the gear into Tom's truck, and headed north.
I seem to remember some problem with Tom's truck along the way, but eventually we arrived at the area. There was a long dirt access road to be dealt with first, and a stream crossing but after a bit we found ourselves in a somewhat crowded parking lot. I think there was good access to a lake there, so most folks were staying close by. We packed up and headed deeper into the woods, toward Oxbow Pond.
The walk in was neither long nor difficult and in a short time we were at the pond. We passed on a shelter right at the trail end and found an isolated campsite down the shoreline. It was a pretty little lake with some interesting features, especially a large overhanging rock on the opposite shore. Good for climbing or jumping, I thought.
We set up camp, inflated the boats, and started enjoying the area. We explored around the lake, I climbed on the rock and considered a jump but didn't (dark water, cool temps), we explored the opposite shore & woods, and we paddled up the pond to an adjacent, smaller pond on the other side of a beaver dam. I managed to hook a fish there, but it got away.
Back at the campsite, I swam across the pond and back, did a little fishing (my first attempt at fly-casting), and we relaxed. That night, we went out for a starlight paddle. I hung a glow stick on the shore to guide us back. I recall tequila & grapefruit at dinner, and I cooked pizza in my cookset!
The next day we hiked out.
