Chubb Pond - 1/28/06

[forevrwyld]

Dad, Keith, Jungle Jim and Marcy skied in from Bearcreek Road. Got going around noon and arrived at Chubb Pond L2 at 2PM. There was ~12-16" of fresh powder on the trail over a thin layer of frozen crust. Temperatures were in the upper 30's and 40's which led to sticky conditions on no wax skiis.

Got passed by snowmobile about 1 mile into the ski. (This is both a hiking trail and a ski trail, but doesn't see much motorized traffic). As much as I am not a fan of snowmobiles this actually helped our progress as it was easier to ski on the packed down track than in the wet oatmeal.

Ate lunch at the L2 and admired the bright sunny day. Left around 3 and arrived back at the trail head at 4:45. Warm temperatures had melted the now pack down trail in some spots to bare ground. A lot of mud and exposed rocks were encountered between Buck Pond and Chubb Pond. Metal edge backcountry skis were the ski of choice, Jungle Jims rented EMS touring ski (non metal edge) got hammered.

Had an excellent time despite less than ideal conditions. Great to get out in the woods.

'Ev

[Wldrns]

Dad, Keith, Jungle Jim and Marcy skied in from Bearcreek Road. Got going around noon and arrived at Chubb Pond L2 at 2PM.
Got passed by snowmobile about 1 mile into the ski.... As much as I am not a fan of snowmobiles this actually helped our progress as it was easier to ski on the packed down track than in the wet oatmeal.

Chub Pond and nearby Gull Lake are among those western ADK places that struggle between peaceful wilderness and illegal motorized use. It surely is a beautiful area, but does see more than its share of snowmobiles and ATVs that stray in. The area suffers from spillover due to the proximity of the Old Forge and Tug Hill areas sacrificed to snowmobiles and ATVs. Documenting the extreme illegal ATV damage visible on the summer trails was one of the biggest arguments for the RCPA to put forth and make progress toward severely restricting those vehicles in proposed new DEC regulations. Unfortunately the DEC is manpower strapped and cannot do much about it even with the regulations. I had one ATV driver tell me that he had many tens of thousands of dollars invested in his machine, trailer, and truck, and so a $50 fine meant absolutely nothing for him to ride where he wanted.

I find that sometimes in difficult snow conditions a single snowmobile having passed may make skiing easier if the snow remains soft and not icy, but a pack of them does not help at all; they only make tracking unstable and skiing frustrating. All in all I'd prefer to just make my own tracks in peace, which after all is why I went out in the first place.

[forevrwyld]

I conur.

Have slogged around in here during the summer and witnessed first hand the ATV mess.

'Ev