6/17/12 Pot Holes Adventure

A beautiful day. Decided to do the Pot Holes Trail  ( shown on the map as a black broken line, along with the cliffs trail) which is one of the abandoned trails we like. It has woods, streams, granite ledges with views and is a fairly gradual climb up to the Featherbed area of the Cadillac S. Ridge Trail. We started from the Canon Brook trail head on Rte. 3. and walked this easy trail to across from the end of the Dorr Mtn. S. Ridge where, if you go through the brush a very short distance you find a clear trail- easily followed to Otter Creek. Once you cross the stream finding the old trail can be difficult ( though the last couple of times we found it right off). After walking around the woods for awhile we found a trail- I didn't think it was our trail but we took it anyway. After awhile I decided we were on the Cadillac Cliffs Trail ( another abandoned trail) which takes you to the foot of Eagles Craig (on the above map) and this turned out to be the case. When we reached the steep rocky section up we turned back ( didn't want Kelley to have to deal with it and still wanted to find the Pot Holes)  to look for the junction with the Pot Holes and we did find that trail and began our climb.


This is a view looking back down the trail

    
and this is the trail ahead

As we neared the Featherbed end,  the trail became confusing- it is usually easy to follow the stone cairns. I suspected someone had moved some of them as we kept being lead to dead ends. We decide to just return the way we had come and started looking for the trail again. I  found what I thought was the trail but  soon came across  blue blazes and realized we were off track again. I soon came to a sign that indicated we were on the Cadillac S. Ridge Trail ( big surprise) and I also realized Kelley was not with me ( bigger surprise) .  I met some other hikers and asked if they had seen a dog and they said a chocolate lab was heading south on the trail- very unusual behavior for Kelley but I started walking south also until I met her coming back to me.  At this point the shortest way back was to turn, go to just beyond the Featherbed and take the Canon Brook down.  After taking a break for Kelley to have a swim in the pond we started down.   

We had come up this trail before and I knew there were parts Kelley could not manage  and we did a large bushwhack down through the woods.     

That is not an easy bushwhack and it took her some time to work her way down- in the process I lost a lens hood and cap.

Once down we went to a spot we like on the Canon Brook and had our lunch and some more water time for Kelley before continuing on the canon Brook back to our car.

This pond is near the trail head and gave Kelley one last swim and me one more dragonfly                                                                                                                                                                                 

     

Though it hardly went according to plan and was longer than planned ( 5 hours) it was a satisfying hike to complete and Kelley did not seem to suffer from the excessive length.