Sargent Ponds: Middle Sargent

The Sargent Ponds are the center piece of the 35,000 acre Sargent Pond Wild Forest. The ponds are Upper Sargent (142 acres), Lower Sargent (131 acres), and, the much smaller, Middle Sargent (13 acres). No Trail goes to Middle Sargent, so it's the hardest one of the three to get to, and the least visited.

Middle Sargent Pond, looking towards the east. December 16, 2018 

I had assumed that these ponds were linked in some way; perhaps with the outlet of Upper Sargent flowing into the Middle pond, or Middle Sargent emptying into Lower. But this is not the case. In fact, Middle Sargent Pond sits in shallow bowl, and its' surface elevation is a few feet higher than Upper Sargent. The defining characteristic of Middle Sargent is that it has no outlet stream at all. The Adirondack Lakes Survey website defines this as a seepage pond. Seepage Ponds are generally small and shallow, and Middle Sargent fits that pattern. Data from the website tells us that Middle Sargent has a maximum depth of 10 feet, and, somewhat surprisingly, that it supports a population of Brook Trout. Given the size and depth of the pond I'd be a bit skeptical of that claim if it were not for a significant piece of corroborating evidence. Three old rowboats can be found tucked into the trees along the shoreline. Whoever made the effort to haul those boats into the pond almost certainly did so to use them for fishing.

A 'hillshade' map showing topography. The area surrounding the Sargent ponds is flat. Only the low eskers provide any relief, and these are low, rising less than 50 feet above the surrounding terrain. This image was created using QGIS and Digital Elevation Model (DEM) data download from the NYS GIS Clearinghouse. 

A closer view. Some of the low rises that separate the ponds, and the ponds from Boulder Brook, are highlighted in red.  

Hiking into Lower Sargent the main trail reaches an intersection where a spur trail leads to the waters edge. That spur then continues on around the pond for nearly half a mile to the Lower Sargent lean-to. Glacial land-forms are readily apparent while walking this stretch of trail. The surrounding landscape is quite flat with low, rounded, ridges defining where the water goes. These ridges, known as eskers, were most likely formed by water flowing out from underneath and around the retreating glaciers at the end of the last ice age. The images above show the topography of the area and, in the closer view, some of these low rises are highlighted to make them easier to see. These ridges rise less than 50 feet above the surround landscape, which places them near the resolution limit of the data used to generate the map. They are not high, but they are quite distinct when you see them in person.

There are different processes that can result in the creation of an esker, but one telling characteristic is that eskers are typically composed of sand and gravel. Water flowing out from the glacier is laden with these relatively fine particles which are deposited in these low, and oftentimes sinuous, ridges.

In the Adirondacks, White Pines are often found growing along the tops of eskers. White Pine grows best in well-drained soils and some of the most magnificent specimens in the ADK Forest Preserve are found atop the large eskers that wind through the Five Ponds Wilderness area. The eskers found along the north shore of Lower Sargent pond are also topped with White Pine, some of which are large, approaching 40 inches in diameter.

Middle Sargent sits in a slight depression between two of these rises. The best way to get there is to follow the rise that parallels the trail (on your left) as you approach the lower Sargent Pond lean-to. Just before you reach the lean-to the trail makes a 90 degree turn to the south. At that point, leave the trail and ascend the rise (north). As you reach the top, turn back towards the east, staying on the rise as best you can. This avoids some of the densest of the spruce thickets that are another defining characteristic of this landscape. Middle Sargent is barely a quarter mile away. The way is a bit tangled, but it's not far.

The route, traced in purple, to Middle Sargent Pond from the Lower Sargent Pond Trailhead on North Point Road. It's two miles to the junction with the trail to Upper Sargent. Turn towards Lower Sargent and take the Lean-to spur trail (which is obvious but poorly marked). Travel cross-country from the vicinity of the lean-to Middle Sargent.

The trails left by Northern River Otters were seen in several places on the route to Middle Sargent. This one sets out across the pond showing the alternating pattern of sliding and loping.

Blue Ridge Wilderness Snowshoeing - Wilson Pond Trail

The Wilson Pond Trail (from Route 28, three miles south of Blue Mountain Lake) has become one of my favorites. Along with Wilson Pond, the trail provides general access to the Blue Ridge Wilderness, and it connects with the Northville Lake Placid Trail near Cascade Pond. A half dozen named ponds (all of them small) dot the area, as well as beaver ponds/swamps/meadows of every description. The Blue Ridge Itself is impressive, but it's a long, tough, bushwhack to the top; not something I would try on my own. It's the ponds that I go to see.

The western side of the Blue Ridge Wilderness. Entry from the west is from Route 28, south of Blue Mountain Lake.

A mile from the road the trail splits. The branch to the right heads off towards Wilson Pond, and, to the left, is the connector with the NLPT and Cascade Pond. I've gone the Wilson Pond way a couple of times now so this was to be a trip to Cascade Pond. I ended up going only half-way, just a mile beyond the junction.

DEC lists this route as un-maintained and I'll vouch for that. The trail is reasonably well marked, but, in places, it is a tangle of blow-down. A number of trees had come down in just the prior week when wet snow, accompanied by high winds, had coated every surface. That was followed by eight inches of drier snow that piled on and stuck. Every tree was coated, and the Beeches were especially hard hit. Beeches typically keep their leaves into the winter, and this provided a base on which the snow accumulated. Larger Beeches, weakened by Beech Bark Disease, had come down in numbers, and countless Beech saplings had bent under the weight of the snow to the point that their branches had become froze into the snowpack. Between the deep snow, and the blow-down, this was slow and difficult going.

Walking out into a beaver meadow on my snowshoes I discovered that there was a gap underneath the now. I dropped into the gap. It was wet at the bottom, just a couple of inches of water, but enough to ice up my snowshoes. Note to self, this is to be avoided in the future.

I'll let the pictures tell the rest of the story. Especially, the video below.

Ice fog rising from a beaver pond. I normally associate ice fog with much colder temperatures, it was around 30 degrees (f) when this was taken, but I don't know of any other explanation. It was clearly there, the photo has not been altered in any way.

The same view of the ice fog, zoomed in a bit closer to see it better.

The day ended up overcast and grey, but it started with bright sunshine. 

Tracks in the snow. Probably a short-tailed shrew.