Adirondack Sports February 2024

SNOWSHOE, XC SKI & HIKE
continued from 13
HOUR POND.
BILL INGERSOLL
tenth of a mile as you head west out of the spruce plantation.
But then the trail passes out of the reforestation
area and descends gently into the fault valley that contains
Thirteenth Lake and Buck Meadow Flow – albeit
without passing within sight of either feature. At 2.2 miles
you cross a bridge over a substantial stream flowing from
the south.
Moments after crossing the bridge you reach the side
of Hour Pond Brook, which is one of the more interesting
parts of the hike. There is an attractive set of cascades and
small waterfalls to your right where the stream tumbles
quickly out of the high country, shaded by a cover of tall
hemlock. There are several streamside perches with good
views of the watery action below. At 2.5 miles, after climbing
100 feet beside the gorge, you cross a bridge over the
brook. The trail turns left on the far side.
The grade moderates, and at 2.7 miles you reach a
junction beside the brook. The trail to Puffer Pond continues
straight, but without a bridge over the deep brook,
that direction is hardly an option in winter.
The trail to Hour leads north. The route is parallel
to the brook, but located far enough up a hill that you
only have occasional glimpses of the open wetlands
to the west. At 3.4 miles, you descend to a log bridge
and a trail junction, where the trail to the right leads to
Thirteenth Lake.
Turn left, west, following the sign for Hour. The trail
leads to a pretty beaver pond at 4.2 miles where you will
need to walk along the top of the long dam, which has a
flat top and seems well adapted to its dual function as a
trail causeway. The trail veers southwest along a wetland,
FEBRUARY 2024 15
then west beside a dry streambed (an overflow channel)
to an open vly, and finally northwest toward Hour
Pond. The approach is prolonged because the trail does
not lead directly to the water, but instead continues to a
former campsite about a third of the way up the shoreline,
where it ends 1.6 miles from the Puffer Pond trail, 3.1
miles from Old Farm Clearing, and 4.3 miles from the Old
Farm Trailhead. This is an attractive spot with a good view
across the pond to Bullhead Mountain.
A lean-to stands 500 feet to the north of this spot, at
the end of a marked side trail. This shelter is located on
high ground with a substantial setback from the water; it
is a decent campsite, but the lack of a view seems to limit
its popularity. Winter might be the preferred season to
camp at such a sheltered spot, except that there are no
good sources of water nearby – when the pond freezes,
the only other recourse is to melt snow.
The other camping option is a designated tent site
located near the pond’s outlet, under a stand of hemlock
trees with a ledge nearby for easy water access.
Hour Pond appears relatively large, but it is remarkably
shallow and therefore not very appealing for swimming. It
is a brook trout pond, though, and it is subject to the same
regulations that are in effect at Thirteenth Lake.
Bill Ingersoll is a co-founder and the vice-chair of
Adirondack Wilderness Advocates; you can meet him
and the AWA team at the Adirondack Sports Summer
Expo in Saratoga Springs on March 16-17. For more
information on this area, visit: adirondackwilderness.
org/hurricane-mountain-wilderness.
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