Long Pond and Round Pond, part one

Well, we haven't kayaked since Nicks Lake, but this summer we got in a few paddles, despite my inability to blog about them. So I'm going to go back and tell you about one such place-- Long Pond and Round Pond near Croghan, NY.  By the way, I have realized that it might be helpful to list the nearest town for these kayaking locations, making them a bit easier to find if you're interested in going.  Of course, the best way to pinpoint any place I've blogged about is to go to my website, Quiet Kayaking in New York State, www.quietkayaking.webs.com   Choose "map" in the left column menu and you will find locations marked and identified.  Be aware that I'm not quite caught up to our trips-- I think the Kunjamuk, new for us this year, is not marked yet.

Anyway, here is a photo of Long Pond to start off the blog with an "ahhhh," as in, "this is a beautiful and peaceful place to kayak."

This pond is one of two areas which one branch of the Oswegatchie River flows through (Round Pond being the other, which is connected to Long Pond.)  The photo above was taken from an area near the put-in, looking "up" the pond.  There are a couple of houses/camps near the put-in, then there is a stretch without buildings on either side, until you near the FFA camp property.  We kayaked here on a June weekend when there wasn't any activity at the camp.  But if you go in the summer, be prepared for campers and canoes, a few motorboats from those who have private property on parts of the pond, and even from a seaplane that is sometimes on the pond. (At least until it takes off, that is!)

Even though this can be a busy place and the few motorboats are noisy, it is one of our favorite destinations.  We always go early in the morning.  If it's a warm and/or summer weekend morning, we usually get off the water by 10:00.  That seems to be when things get humming, and we like the peace and quiet.  We have not paddled here in the fall, but that would also be a good time to go.

This is the put-in.  As you can see, it's our kind of entry-- gradual and sandy.  The access to Long Pond is on a dirt road but it is well-maintained/graded in the summer, and it's only a few miles off a paved road.

There was a slight breeze on the morning we paddled here, making the reflections just a bit rippled.  Usually it is very calm in the morning.  At the end of this post, I'll show you how great the reflections can be-- I have some nice photos from a paddle here a few years ago.

There is an esker between Long Pond and Round Pond.  We got out for a walk along the trail crossing the esker for a view of Round Pond.  Here is the trail:

We hadn't stopped here before, so we enjoyed Round Pond from a different perspective.  It's more sheltered than Long Pond and except for some cabins that are part of the FFA camp, there are no buildings along its shores.

It's easy to see that Round Pond is more protected from the breeze just by looking at the water in the photos above.  Round Pond is very peaceful.  We stood looking at the view from the esker for a few minutes, happy to be able to feast our eyes on this kind of beauty in nature.

Then it was time to get back in our kayaks on Long Pond.  Here is a shot looking back the way we had come.  One of the best things about Long Pond and Round Pond is the number of  easy exit/entry spots for a short walk or to eat your lunch. 

Another "thing" we like about this destination is the footbridge.  It's part of the FFA camp, but kind of fun to look at and to paddle under.  Here it is, on the left of this photo as we approached it.

 

 

And a closer look at the bridge after we'd paddled underneath it.  Yes, we did!  It isn't very far above the water, but near the end on the right of this photo, it's a bit higher.  We did have to lean back as we went under, but it wasn't a problem at all.

So we are now on Round Pond.  Here are a couple of reflection shots from that day:

And here is a photo of the path we had taken from the other side of the esker.  It looks much more overgrown from this side than it actually was (if you look earlier in this post you will see the clear, pine needle-strewn path.)

Round Pond is probably about a third of the size of Long Pond, but the footbridge means the few motorboats on Long Pond can't get into the smaller pond.  That's just fine with us!

Along the shores of Round Pond were some purple wildflowers whose name I can't remember (darn it!) Do you see the butterfly among the leaves of the flowers?

I enjoy taking reflections of clouds on the water.  This shot also includes Dick in his red kayak on the other side of the pond, waiting for me.  I wanted to paddle the shoreline in case there was something interesting (like the flowers and butterfly) to capture with my camera.  His shoulder was a bit sore, so he paddle straight across and waited for me to join him.

The serenity of this area draws us back many times.  I think we've paddled here 4 out of 5 years because of the feeling we get when we're on the water here.

I will finish the description of our paddle on Long Pond and Round Pond in my next blog post.  For now, I'll leave you with the promised reflection shot, taken early one July morning a few years ago.  It's one of my favorites:

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