Breaking Trail

The frigid winter air nipped at my face as I walked out the door. It wasn’t the coldest January weather I’d seen, but it was probably the coldest one we had so far this winter.  It was that cold that seemed to make everything outdoors appear crisper and brighter than usual.  The sun had decided to shine, making the light wispy clouds pop from the brilliantly blue sky.  I loaded up my truck with my snowshoes and extra warm clothes and hit the road.  My first stop was to pick up my hiking partner for the day then we were off to see if we could make it to our planned destination.  The “if” factor weighed on my mind the full hour and ten minute ride.  Looking on the maps it was hard to tell how seasonal the road was but I could make out a few cabins along the road so that gave me hope that we could get close.  As we pulled on the Tooley Pond Road I was happy to see that a plow had been down it a few times.  A thin layer of snow laid undisturbed on the roadway so it looked like we were the first ones to adventure this way since the sun had risen.  I popped the truck into four wheel drive just as a precaution and slowly rolled on.  The winding back road  was lined with snowmobile tracks along both sides.  I didn’t know exactly where we were going but I had a pretty good idea.  I checked my Google map as we approached the general area of where we needed to be.  Finally I found it, the yellow gate with the number 4 on it. 

If my research was correct somewhere back behind the snow covered gate was our destination for the day.  Welcome to Allen Pond.  

The undisturbed snow wasn’t a surprise to me but I had to admit I was kind of hoping someone had made this trek recently.  We strapped into our snowshoes, climbed over the snowbank and onto the unbroke trail.  Step by step our snowshoes creaked and groaned in the sub zero degree air as our feet gently sunk ever so slightly into the light fluffy snow.   We took turns breaking trail as our hearts pounded and thighs burned. 

Every few hundred feet I checked my map just to make sure we were indeed heading in the right direction, it was also a great excuse to take a break and catch our breath.  Under snow covered trees and through the deep white snow the only sound to be heard was our heavy breathing.  About ⅔ of a mile from the main road we came to another gate in the woods.  I knew we had to be in the right area so we moved on.  Finally I found the sign I had been hoping to find.  Allen Pond, 0.6 miles away. 

With a sigh of relief I placed my first DEC sign on a tree and we wandered on.  The sun’s rays peeked through the snow capped pines making the walk a true delight.  The only tracks other than ours were from a few deer telling us that no one else had been back here in some time.   

Following the red DEC foot trail markers we came upon a hollowed out tree.   We stopped to take a look at this abnormal sight.  The inside had been charred and was coated in soot.  Possibly a lighting strike from a summer’s storm years ago.

  A few hundred yards down the trail we could tell that there was a large opening within the forest.  We knew it had to be the pond we were looking for.   We approached the snow swept frozen pond and took in the view.  The leafless trees that covered the surrounding hillsides really added to the backcountry ambiance.  

We located a tree pondside to place my last sign and noticed a no camping sign. 

I figured if there was a no camping sign here there had to be primitive camping sites somewhere around.  We followed the trail a bit further and found what I was looking for.  We found one primitive campsite and, to our surprise, a backwoods toilet sat frozen covered in snow. 

We discussed how nice it would be to set up a tent and spend a cool spring weekend back there with nothing but the breeze and wildlife to break the forest's silence.    We enjoyed the view for another  20 minutes and decided it was time to head back.  Thin gray clouds slowly rolled in as we retraced our broken path back out of the woods. 

We knew that soon enough a storm would roll through again and cover the trail we had broken, leaving no trace of the prints we left behind.

About this location:

     The Allen Pond Trail is located on the Tooley Pond Road  in the Tooley Pond Conservation Easement, approximately 3 miles southeast of Degrasse, New York.

The Tooley Pond Conservation Easement tract is 23,950 acres of ponds, streams, and trails to explore.  There is no big DEC trailhead sign along the road so it is a bit of a hidden gem.  I had to do quite a bit of research to find my way to this pond.  The best directions I could find were that I needed to find the yellow gate with the number 4 on it.  Along the Tooley Pond Road there are many yellow gates so I was relieved when I found the one I was looking for.   During the winter the Tooley Pond Road is plowed however it isn’t maintained as well as the main roads so I suggest anyone adventuring that way to be careful.   There is no parking area (at least during the winter months) so I had to park on the side of the road.  The first part of the trail is a dirt road.  When the gate is open during the fair weather months you can drive in and the hike would be cut in half. Once you make it to the trailhead sign back in the woods it is just over a half mile to the pond.  According to the DEC website Allen pond is stocked with brook trout so I see a fishing trip in my future.  This area is also popular for hiking, biking, camping, paddling, and hunting. 

If you are interested in getting away from the busy groomed trails of some of our local nature centers and want to head out into the backwoods of winter I highly recommend this trail.  It isn’t too long but the view is worth every trail breaking step.  It is truly a Northern NY Adventure you don’t want to miss.

Aaron Hardy

Northern NY Adventures

“Make Life an Adventure”