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| Crater Lake, view from the southeast Rocks |
With April quickly approaching, I realized that I was about to miss my window for hiking in the northwestern corner of New Jersey. I reserve hikes in the Delaware Water Gap for the winter and early spring months. At this time of year, certain roads get shut down, limiting access to the interior, which makes the trails far less congested. Also, people in the Mid-Atlantic don't like the cold. So the winter, for me, is really the only time to enjoy the Gap. So on a chilly late-March day, I decided to try a new variant on an old favorite - the Six Ponds Loop. Accessing the ridge from a lesser used dead end parking area near Fairview Lake, the hike takes you to six picturesque mountain ponds. Some they call ponds; some they call lakes. I never get the difference. This time, I added an out and back to Bird Mountain summit and Silver Spray Waterfall, which extended the hike to a respectable 15 miles over 2,000 feet of elevation gain.
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| Rhododendron Tunnels near Long Pine Pond |
Starting out at 7 a.m. sharp, I found the forest eerily quiet. In the lower elevations where I live, the early morning woods were already filled with the sounds of the many birds that you start to hear at this time of year -- Robins, Red-Winged Blackbirds, even Eastern Towhees. But apparently they had not yet decided to venture into the higher elevations and all was quiet as I climbed up the ridge and descended down to Long Pine Pond. As the day progressed, I did have some good sightings -- Common Mergansers on many of the ponds and plenty of Pileated and Red-Bellied Woodpeckers. I also came across a cacophony of American Goldfinches, the New Jersey State Bird. Later in the day, I had a great view of a Red-Tailed Hawk soaring low over Mountain Ridge Pond and another of a Red-Tailed Hawk and Common Raven casually hanging out together on a tree along the AT. It was neat.
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| Wetlands Viewing Rock East of Hemlock Pond |
I had the whole hike to myself and took nice breaks on the shores of most of the water bodies. The only hiker who I encountered was on the trail after Blue Mountain Lake. She had an old Brittany Spaniel with her, which reminded me of my brother's long-time hiking companion, Dilsey, so I stopped to pet the pooch. She was a regular on the trails and expressed surprise at seeing another car at her "secret" parking area where we both had started our hikes.
I'm glad that it's still a secret.
Destination: Six ponds and Bird Mountain
Distance: 15 miles
Elevation: 2,067 feet (gain)
Route: Counterclockwise loop
Conditions: Partly sunny, 30-40 degrees F
Notable Flora/Fauna: Common Mergansers, Red-Tailed Hawks, Common Ravens, Pileated Woodpeckers, American Goldfinches
