Adirondacks: Cooper Kiln Pond & Morgan Mountain 5/20/21

Ponds are a major part of the Adirondack experience - it's said there are 2600 of them in the Adirondack Park - and I opted this day to visit one with the curious name of  Cooper Kiln Pond. This small tarn, nestled at 3020 ft. on a high shelf between the Stephenson and Wilmington Ranges, is one of the higher ponds in the 'dacks. Nearby is Morgan Mountain, one the the ADK 100 Highest peaks, with a view ledge near the summit. A pond, a peak and a view - sounded good to me.

I took the Cooper Kill Trail (there is some dispute as to whether the name should be "Kiln" or "Kill") from a trailhead near the Whiteface Mountain toll road.

The lower part of the trail was quite pleasant.

A section of the trail ascending to the pass by Morgan Mountain had poor footing, wet and rocky.

The stretch leading through the long pass at ~3200 ft. was wild and appealing.

The trail descends a couple hundred feet from the pass to the pond. Here the trail gives a preview of this high-country beauty.

Beaver activity has raised the water level and necessitated a trail relocation.

There's a lean-to right at the shore.

One of the sweet spots in the mountains, overlooked by a spur of the Wilmington Range.

I lounged on a flat rock in front of the lean-to for an hour and a half. My only company was a squadron of squawking blue jays, plus a few singing warblers and peeping frogs.

On the return trip I made the fairly steep but short and mostly open whack to the summit of Morgan Mountain.

At 3458 ft., it is one of the ADK 100 Highest. The summit is marked only by a piece of orange tape.

In The Other 54, his guide to the 100 Highest peaks, bushwhacker extraordinaire Spencer Morrissey makes note of a nearby view ledge that some call the "Lunch Counter."

This was a fine spot to hang out for quite a while and enjoy the hazy views to the south, stretching as far as Dix Mountain.

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Off to the east I could see the Jay Mountain Range, where I had been two days earlier.

Close at hand the sharp peak of Whiteface Mountain rose above its lesser neighbor, Esther Mountain. After a long visit here, it took not much more than an hour to return to my car.