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February 24, 2003 |
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Hodge Pond Snowshoeing
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February 1, 2003 was a day we will remember forever. The unpleasant and uncertain (at that time) events of the morning regarding the space shuttle Columbia set the tone for a recent snowshoe outing at Hodge Pond. This was a Catskill Center-sponsored event and one that we were really looking forward to. Hodge Pond is far off the beaten path - located in the northern tip of Sullivan County near the Mongaup Pond State Campground.
It was a dreary morning - fog blanketed the mountaintops and a light drizzle of rain came and went throughout the day. Eight of us embarked from the trailhead (2,100’) at the end of Beech Mountain Road with the thoughts of the Columbia’s break-up on our minds. The blue-blazed Flynn Trail is an old road that leads 2.2 miles to Hodge Pond. Recent snowmobile activity had packed down the snow a bit, which made for much easier snowshoeing than we had anticipated. The trailheads almost due north through the mixed hardwood forest. After 1.7 miles and a 700’ gain in elevation, the trail bent to the west and we encountered a four-way intersection. The yellow-blazed Big Rock Trail (on which we’d return) heads south, an un-marked snowmobile trail heads northeast to Mongaup Pond, and we continued west towards Hodge Pond.
After a quarter-mile, we entered the Beech Mountain Nature Preserve, which is owned by the Open Space Institute. It seemed to be managed just as state land within the Catskill Park is - forever wild. As the trail descended down to Hodge Pond, spotted a porcupine’s tracks in the deep snow. This ditch-like trail left from the base of a dead beech tree, crossed the hiking trail a couple of times, and eventually entered the dense forest. A few hundred yards further we saw evidence of porcupine activity. The bark from the tops of striped maple saplings had been completely stripped by the gnawing of porcupines.
At 2.2 miles we reached Hodge Pond and had a quick lunch. The frozen-over pond looked like a great place worthy of further exploration, but not on this dark, damp day. A return trip this spring is a must. The Pond and the couple hundred acres that surround it were home to a Boy Scout camp that no longer operates. A road leads up a hill on the east side of the pond, on top of which we guessed was is location.
As we re-traced our steps back to the four-way intersection, seven snowmobiles thundered by, spurring a conversation regarding multiple-use of state-maintained trails. The Big Rock Trail descended gradually for the 1.1 miles we were on it. About halfway, our friend (and forester) Justin noticed two large clumps of branches and leaves in a large beech. He told us they were bear ‘nests’ and regardless to say we did not believe him. We walked over to take a look, and sure enough there were large claw marks all the way up the trunk. Evidently, bears make ‘nests’ in the crotch of trees, usually beech or apple, by breaking off the branches with many fruits. They proceed to eat the fruit and then and stick the branch under them, and move on to the next branch until they get their fill. This tree had two separate ‘nests’, which can be seen in the picture.
We reached another four-way junction called ‘Times Square’. We turned left (east) on another yellow-blazed trail, the Logger’s Loop. This trail follows the eastern edge of Frick Pond. Frick Pond, although smaller than Hodge is no less scenic. Partially surrounded by hemlock, Frick Pond is on state land and has designated campsites around it. The trail passed through a small meadow on the southern end where it joined the red-blazed Quick Lake Trail. From here, a short quarter-mile snowshoe led us back to the trailhead. With the sadness felt that morning, combined with the uncertainty in the Middle East, it felt great to get our minds off of things for a while and there is no better place than the peaceful backcountry of the Catskill Mountains.
- Chris and Aaron
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