Adirondack Sports May 2020

HIKING & BACKPACKING
Northern Frontier Camp
(Private)
MAY 2020 9
Big Bad
Luck
By Bill Ingersoll
Often, the name of a backcountry landmark suggests
an interesting tale. For instance, Calamity Pond in
the High Peaks got its name when a gun accidentally
discharged and killed a man. Good Luck Pond near Arietta
was named when the same event occurred but no one was
injured. Between those two ponds is Big Bad Luck Pond near
Indian Lake. I’m sure there is a story here too, but so far, I
haven’t come across it.
There has been a marked hiking trail to Big Bad Luck
and its neighbors for about 20 years, although ever since the
opening of nearby OK Slip Falls to the public, the ponds have
been getting short shrift. Since social distancing measures
were first implemented in March there has been a crowding
issue at the trailhead parking area, but I recently revisited the
area confirmed that nearly everyone has been going to the
waterfall. The branching trail network to the ponds has been
cleared out this spring, but it sees far less use.
Getting There
The trailhead parking area can be found on NY Route
28, 7.8 miles east of the hamlet of Indian Lake (or 9.7 miles
northwest of the hamlet of North Creek), at a fork with an
unnamed side road. You will need to walk westward along
the shoulder of the highway for 0.2-mile to find the sign for
the start of the trail.
The Trail
The trail to Ross, Whortleberry, and Big Bad Luck ponds
shares a common trailhead with the route to OK Slip Falls.
Begin by following that trail down from the highway and
through a short muddy area, intercepting an old road within
minutes. Bear right and follow the marked foot trail for
0.7-mile, over a small hill to a junction where the new bluemarked
trail to OK Slip bears right.
The trail up to this point has become a well-worn route
ever since the OK Slip purchase. The old trail to the left seems
like a faint wilderness track by comparison, although it is
marked and relatively easy to follow. It follows the trace of
an old roadbed north and downhill into the valley of Bell
Mountain Brook. This stream, which you reach at 1.1 miles,
does not have a legitimate bridge but is easy enough to cross.
On my spring visit, I kept my boots dry by stepping on an
assortment of small logs placed in a bridge-like position.
The trail then embarks on its longest climb, rising 220 feet
in 0.4-mile to a rugged little notch with rock outcrops. A prolonged
descent follows, with the trail passing close to beaver
meadows, which appear forlorn and muddy with their dams
in disrepair. The trail circles through a muddy area, with a
few stepping stones erratically placed, and at 2.2 miles you
reach the junction with the side trail to Ross Pond (see map).
Continuing northwest, you dip through a glen and reach
the side trail to Big Bad Luck Pond at 2.6 miles (see map).
Still following the main trail to Whortleberry, watch for a
right turn 0.1-mile later. The trail is arcing northeast through
a coniferous forest, but an unmarked trail continues straight,
enticing you to stray in the wrong direction.
The rest of the hike to Whortleberry Pond passes through
a thick forest of spruce, balsam, and pine, with the marked
trail ending at 2.9 miles at a campsite in a rocky clearing. You
are very close to Whortleberry Pond at this point, although
you can barely see it from here.
There are two ways to proceed. The shortest route to the
shoreline is an unmarked path that leads northwest and
downhill for about 250 feet to the pond’s southern shore.
This area is wooded and boggy, and the view of the pond will
entice you to seek out something better.
The better option used to be to follow another unmarked
trail leading northeast from the campsite for 0.2-mile. I speak
in the past tense because beaver flooding has effectively cut
off easy foot access to the scenic campsite at the east end
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MAP & PHOTOS BY
BILL INGERSOLL
To Indian Lake
of Whortleberry. The path
led toward the outlet of
the pond, crossed it, and
then hooked west to reach
the campsite. Northern
Frontier, the nearby youth
camp on OK Slip Pond,
keeps a small fleet of boats
stashed on the south bank
of the outlet, presumably to
make this crossing easier.
Side Trail to Ross Pond
A yellow-marked side
trail (see map) leads to a
very charming campsite on
the south end of Ross Pond.
The spur is 0.3-mile long
and has a very faint tread,
but basically it circles the
shoreline around the southernmost
tip of the pond,
hops up a small rock ledge,
and ends at the prominent
campsite. A herd path leads
down to a scenic ledge. The
campsite is spacious, and
the water seems inviting for
a summer swim – I haven’t
had the chance to try that
yet. Because the total oneway
hiking distance from
Route 28 is only 2.5 miles,
this is probably the popular
favorite of the three ponds.
BIG BAD LUCK POND.
WHORTLEBERRY POND.
Side Trail to Big Bad Luck Pond
This is the largest of the three ponds, although admittedly
the trail experience always leaves me wanting more.
The blue-marked hiking trail turns left from the stem trail to
Whortleberry (see map), leading generally west for 0.7-mile.
Much of that distance takes you through a coniferous forest,
but there is also a prolonged section – very pleasing! – that
leads along the southern edge of Big Bad Luck’s wide outlet.
The problem is that the marked trail ends well shy of the
pond’s widest point, meaning that you can only see a corner
from land. There is a small fleet of rowboats here, and you
would definitely need a boat to explore more of the pond.
There is also an attractive campsite here – you can see it from
the trail, about 0.2-mile away on the opposite shoreline.
Wilderness Recreation in the Time of Covid-19
Our favorite outdoor recreational pursuits are perhaps
more vital to our mental health than at any time previously.
P
To North River
However, not only do social distancing guidelines remain in
effect, but many facilities and services in the Adirondacks
remain closed.
Key Guidelines for Outdoor Recreation – 1) Stay local, keep
visits short, and avoid high-traffic destinations. 2) Be safe by
keeping a six-foot separation from other people on the trail.
3) Be ready to move quickly through places where other people
might be congregated, including parking areas and scenic
vistas. 4) Stay home if you are not feeling well, or fall within
one of the high-risk groups for contracting Covid-19.
Bill Ingersoll of Barneveld is publisher of the Discover the
Adirondacks guidebook series (hiketheadirondacks.com). For
more info, consult Discover the Central Adirondacks or his
recently-published 50 Hikes in the Adirondack Mountains
(Countryman Press).
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