The Adirondacks are full of great hiking destinations. Sometimes the destination is a natural setting and sometimes it is a man made remnant of times gone by. "Adirondack Trails with Tales" by Russell Dunn and Barbara Delaney describes many such places with man made history. It's a great read and the trails described each have a fascinating history.
The Rock Pond Mine is one such place. These days, it is mostly a scenic beautiful pond located in the Pharaoh Lakes Wilderness. In the late 1800's, it was the site of a graphite mine. You can read a little of the history here, and take a look at what the mining operation looked like in the late 1800's here! It's hard to imagine based on how quiet the area looks now.
Leesa and I went wandering from Putnam Pond to Rock Pond to take a look. It was a beautiful blue sky day, but the wind chill was below zero. We were bundled up pretty good. Still we took the long way around by heading north to Bear Pond first.
The Rock Pond Mine is one such place. These days, it is mostly a scenic beautiful pond located in the Pharaoh Lakes Wilderness. In the late 1800's, it was the site of a graphite mine. You can read a little of the history here, and take a look at what the mining operation looked like in the late 1800's here! It's hard to imagine based on how quiet the area looks now.
Leesa and I went wandering from Putnam Pond to Rock Pond to take a look. It was a beautiful blue sky day, but the wind chill was below zero. We were bundled up pretty good. Still we took the long way around by heading north to Bear Pond first.
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| a bluebird day |
We reached the mine and though it was cold, we poked around and imagined what once has.
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| Mine building foundation |
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| Rev is looking it over |
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| Compare this setting to the old photo of the mine building |
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| The mine |
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| An old steam boiler |
Beyond the mine lay the now peaceful beautiful Rock Pond. It was interesting on this day with the partial ice coverage.
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| Rock Pond, as it looks now |
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| Peaked Hill in the distance |
There is a really great campsite on the north shore of the pond, not far from the remains of the mine. We weren't inclined to camp with the wind chill we were facing. We thought about taking the trail around the entire Rock Pond, but thought the better of it and took the direct trail back to the car. We'll explore more on another day.
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| Campsite |
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| interesting how ice forms |
Hike Stats:
Hike Distance: 6.8 miles
Hike Time: 3.25 hours
Total Vertical Gain: ~ 1100'
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| Our route (click image to enlarge) |
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