RATtreks

Ponds of Chestnut Knob – 5-8-2015

It was a very warm day in early May when my friend Bol’Dar and I began our journey to see the two ponds on Chestnut Knob. It had been almost one month since I had done any real hiking and with some recent injuries and health issues, I was not in the best of shape for a hike of this magnitude although, I did not let that stop me. Getting a late start around 10 am it was already sunny and quite warm but, the worst part would be the annoying, blood sucking, biting flies that would plague us during the entire hike that would only get worse as we gained elevation. It was a long, hard climb from the valley floor to reach the high country so I had to take my time and utilize taking breaks often being very careful not to re-injure my right knee. After a couple hours of slow, strenuous hiking up some very steep terrain, I was very happy to reach one of my favorite old abandoned log roads near the top of the mountain.

After a long break there we enjoyed hiking on a more level surface for a couple more miles albeit is still uphill all the way only much less grade than the previous two miles. I still had to take it slow and easy so that I would not burn out too quickly as not completing the quest was not an option. The old road seems to go on forever but, finally we reached the main road on top of the mountain which would lead us over to another road that would take us to the vicinity of Chestnut Knob. This is an old road, now gated and long since forgotten and shown hardly no signs of any traffic yet, I could not help but recall some 30+ years ago when I used to travel upon it in jeeps and on motorcycles which was the last time I seen the ponds.

Of course most of this would be uphill until we reached a high point over from the knob where it actually goes down some and through a long hidden valley that runs between the double summits that are Chestnut Knob. Another gate was encountered which I actually remembered being there long ago so I knew it would not be long before we would reach the ponds. The roads are numerous and intersecting all over this area and can be quite confusing not to mention they have grown up for the most part making it a bit confusing to navigate. Bol’Dar had found one of the ponds on a previous trip recently so that part of the mystery was already solved. After another break in a welcomed shady spot, we soon found ourselves at the edge of the ages old pond.

I could not believe how overgrown the entire area had become as I remembered it being very open and clean as a pin back in the day. I also remembered coming in on a completely different road which now can barely be found. It was actually more of a bushwhack to navigate around the pond which we had to do in order to get to the deep end of it where the other old road used to be. We set up there to get some pics and take another break despite the intensely bright sun which would hinder our photography skills.

Upon exploring the area it became obvious that this was now a major animal hangout especially to black bears. There were numerous very fresh signs including a mangled tree right near this pond.

While hanging out again at the end of the pond I felt a strange presence like someone or something was watching us. This was followed by my discovery of something white located deep in the woods on the other side of the pond. As I maneuvered to get a better view of this object, I decided to use my camera to zoom in on it and, I was very surprised at what I found. It seems there is a large tree house complete with white vinyl siding and glass windows hiding in the forest there. I pointed this out to Bol’Dar and we decided we would definitely check that out on our way out after finding the second pond.

After hanging out there for a long while, we decided to continue on our task to locate the other pond. On Bol’Dar`s previous trip here a couple weeks prior, he had located the structures nearby but, did not manage to find the second pond. Once I found the faint road from olden times we followed it over a hill and around to the other pond as they are not too far apart. I was elated to finally lay my eyes upon the second pond as it is the one that has been etched in my memory for so long now and it has taken this long to get back there.

The first pond is larger than the second but, each are good sized bodies of water and each has its own unique traits and beauty. Although we had seen small patches of them all day, there was a huge area covered in Dwarf Crested Iris beside this pond which was simply breathtaking. We took another long break at the lower end of this pond to take in all the serenity and beauty that abounds there.

After awhile I wanted to follow the old road remnant up to the high part of the ridge to get a view from up there. Due to the thick foliage it was hard to see but, we were able to see enough to get confirmation on our location. There was more bear signs there as well. We checked out the ridge for awhile before returning to the pond.

There are fish in the ponds as well as other aquatic creatures. We made our way around the pond on the old road that leads to the road on the other side which was the route I remember coming in to this pond by so many years ago. This gave us a view of the pond from the other side complete with a small island. The last time I seen this pond was with my brother Ron in his jeep on a rainy evening some 30+ years ago.

From there that road now dead ends just beyond the pond but, by going back the other way and slightly uphill, it eventually leads back towards the other pond however, at the top of the hill, there are some old structures that seem to have withstood the test of time and there are signs that they are still being used. Of course there is a No Trespassing sign on one and I did locate an ATV trail that looked to be used on a fairly regular basis along with an antique tractor disc nearby that seems in good shape for its age. On our way out on the main road we also noticed a pair of graves just across from these structures that are fenced in by a primitive wooden fence that contains 4 rocks marking two adult sized graves. I seem to recall seeing these before so I must assume this was an old homestead at one time although I am fairly certain this is now government land. If not, then it is alienated completely by forest land. I plan on doing some research on this and will provide updates once more is known.

We did not spend a lot of time around the structures in respect of the sign and graves plus it was getting late afternoon and we still had a long way to go to get back. We made our way back down the other road and through the dense woods to get back to the first pond to check out the tree house there. It also seemed like the light was getting better with some white fluffy clouds moving in. I could hear thunder off in the distance and I was actually praying that it would rain on us not only to provide some relief from the sweltering heat but, mainly from the swarms of biting flies that were literally eating us alive.

It was apparent that back when this was built that the area was much more open than it is now as the area around it has completely overgrown and there is barely a trail to it from any direction. There was a very nice ladder there which would provide access to this if one just wanted to be up there but, a fresh bees nest would discourage that on this day. I have no memory of this building so it was either hidden from sight then or built after my last trip here.Bol’Dar climbs up to have a look

From there is was a real bushwhack to get back to the old road we had came in on. It was short and sweet but, I was really glad to be out of that jungle and back on an open road. It would be a slow go for me as we made our way back the way we had came through the hidden valley around Chestnut Knob. Once back at the old gate at the high point of the valley, I knew it would be downhill all the way from there which despite my knee pain, was alright with me !

Some clouds and an infrequent breeze was also growing along with louder thunder. I was almost out of water so once we walked the two miles of old roads and began the super steep descent I was happy to get back down to a water source where I could refill with some cold mountain spring water. It was about this time that it started to rain lightly which would continue almost the rest of the two miles or less out to the car. This would be the only relief we would have from the blood sucking flies on the entire trip.

Of course no trip would complete without some waterfalls which there are a few of on this small branch that runs along the valley floor. I did not bother to get my tripod or bigger camera out so my pocket cam was blurry due to the low light conditions and my shaking hands but, I did take these shots:

It had been a long and very hard, painful day for me but, it was a successful quest filled with exciting discoveries and beauty as it always is anytime you become one with Nature. Hopefully I will heal soon and become stronger for the next adventure to come. Until then,,,