Diamond Mountain's South Sub-peak(Siamese Ponds Wilderness-Adirondacks)

Did a part trail/ part bushwhack hike along the East Branch of the Sacandaga River and up to a sub peak of Diamond Mountain in the heart of the Siamese Ponds Wilderness Tuesday.  The weather was perfect for early April with temps warming into the middle 50's with partial clearing as I searched for a "Diamond" in the rough .  I parked at the Eleventh Mountain Trailhead along Route 8 to get started(Elevation 1775 feet) and was the only car there when I arrived.  I set out northwest on the trail, which was a more of a wide old woods road, following blue blazes through a combination of mud and lingering ice-but luckily mostly dry conditions.

The trail basically hugs the lower, western slopes of Eleventh Mountain, gaining elevation slowly but steadily before eventually dropping down near the East Branch.  As the trail descends, it gets much wetter-and even snowier-in the darker conifers.

After 1.5 miles of hiking along the trail, I arrived at the footbridge over Diamond Brook, which was not the sturdiest looking bridge I've ever seen, but it was more than suitable for crossing.

Just prior to crossing Diamond Brook, I headed off trail a short distance to where the brook runs into the East Branch and caught this great view north at Diamond Mountain's south sub peak(and my destination).

Once back on the trail and across the brook, I continued heading NW, closely paralleling the East Branch.  There were several spots along the way where I was able to pop in and soak in some nice river views.

Although we are well into spring now, large ice chunks on the river's edge were a reminder that winter isn't yet in the rear view mirror.

At a spot about 4/10 of a mile past Diamond Brook, I left the trail and began my bushwhack, heading north into the woods.  I was aiming for a soft spot in the terrain just west of the steepest ledges, when I unexpectedly stumbled upon a pretty waterfall draining the slopes above. 

The woods were a mix but mostly open and easy to navigate as I gained elevation. 

Contouring my way east over to the steep ledges I was aiming for, I was able to find some decent views.  This is the view west/ northwest up the East Branch valley.

South facing views from a ledge at about 1950 feet.

The woods near the ledges grew increasingly thick and hard to move through, so I headed back away from the steepest slopes and into the wide open hardwoods. 

One last steep push brought me up to the open 2290 foot top of the sub peak, where there were good views mostly south and southwest.

A window SW.

After enjoying the "summit", I poked around the woods a bit more in search of additional views, but only found a couple more similar views to what I had already found.  When it was time to descend, I headed NE until I was able to find more forgiving terrain, and then zig-zagged my way SE back down towards Diamond Brook.  Now off the steep slopes and back along the brook, I followed it SW where I eventually ran back into the trail at the bridge crossing.

Once back on the trail, it was a nice and easy hike back to the car for a total of 5.5 miles RT with over 1400 feet of combined ascent, and didn't see another soul all day!

Map below.   Red=Trail hike    Blue-Bushwhack   Black P=Parking