Lapland Pond, Millman Pond, Fishbrook Pond and Greenland Pond(Eastern Adirondacks)

Wet, wet, wet!  The theme of the hike today was soaking wet trails after weeks of endless rain.  A sunny, comfortable spring day meat that my dad and I would be doing some hiking in the Lake George Wild Forest in the Eastern Adirondacks.  My dad loves the outdoors, but has a hard time climbing mountains, so we decided to hike into a group of ponds that neither one of us had ever been to. We started from the Pike Brook Road parking area(the same trailhead for Black Mountain) just south of Huletts Landing.  We were a bit surprised to find only one car in the parking area when we got there at about 9am. 

The trail follows the same trail for Black Mountain on a fire emergency road for the first mile, which was very wet and muddy with a bit of elevation gain.  At a well marked trail junction, turn left, towards the ponds.

On the way to Lapland Pond, the trail passes by an extensive, picturesque beaver pond.

After a bit over 1 mile from the trail junction, and two miles from the parking area, we arrived at a yellow marked spur trail, which leads down to the shore of Lapland Pond.  The trail skirts the east side of the pond, with nice views across the calm water.

Lapland Pond is a beautiful body of water, and very serene on a weekday morning like this.

The yellow trail ends abruptly at a Lean To placed at the top of a large rock slab that drops steeply down to the water.

We explored the shoreline for a little while and my dad fished a bit(with no luck).  From there we headed back to the main trail and headed along the north side of the lake, on our way towards Millman Pond.

The trails were basically drainages after the rainy spring we have experienced.  We did our best to keep our feet dry, but to no avail.

Crossing the inlet to Lapland Pond.

Just prior to arriving at the Millman Pond Lean To, we had to cross the HUGE "Bridge On the River Kwai".  Glad someone has a sense of humor.

After about one mile from Lapland Pond, we arrived at the Millman Pond Lean To.  This Lean sits upon a knoll away from the water as well. 

This Lean To is in excellent condition and sees much fewer visitors than the other neighboring ponds.

We both enjoy relaxing here at this Lean To for a few minutes.  A nearby privy and supplied reading materials would make this a nice place to spend a few hours.

Looking down at Millman Pond's reedy shores.  Looks like a foot bridge leading out to the open water has become permanently submerged.

There are not as many good access points to Millman Pond, but the trail does follow the water's edge for a while, offering up some pleasant views.

After continuing southwest for another one mile, we soon arrived at Fishbrook Pond's shores.  This pond is quite large in comparison to the others we had seen and offers two Lean To's on opposite shores.  Here is a look north across the open water to the north shore Lean To.

We followed a red marked trail to the gorgeous north Lean To, which sits on a point.

This is quite a lovely spot to spend the entire afternoon.  We even found a new canoe with ores in good condition.

Looking out from the Lean To, where a picnic table made a nice lunch spot in the shade.

This pond sits at least 3.5 miles away from any trailhead(nearly 4.5 from the direction we came) and gave us a feeling of complete solitude.

My dad fished for a while here, while I explored a bit and enjoyed lunch.  The clear pond waters and quiet location made this a truly magical spot. 

After finally leaving Fishbrook Pond's quiet waters, I decided I wanted to explore one last pond.  Greenland Pond sits about one mile east of Fishbrook Pond and looked close enough on the map that it would take me no time.  Washed out trails made this much more of an adventure than I would have expected.

A tricky stream crossing over the outlet of Greenland Pond.

The trail nearly circles completely around Greenland Pond, on its way to the east shore.

Greenland Pond is a very small, but incredibly secluded pond.  It took me nearly 5.5 miles from the parking area to get this pond.

The red trail ends at the far east side of Greenland Pond, where a Lean To sits nestled amongst and open area of evergreens.

Dropping down to the peaceful waters of Greenland Pond.

After leaving Greenland Pond, it was a long, wet hike back.  Here we are, passing by a very large marsh at the southwest side of Lapland Pond on the hike back.

Dad crossing over the outlet of the large beaver pond, as the afternoon drew to a close.

Hiked about 11 miles Round Trip and didn't see anther person until we had made it back to the parking lot.  A beautiful, underrated area of the Adirndacks.