LEDGES AROUND RUSSELL POND PEAK: 9/7/17 & 9/12/17

I enjoyed two short bushwhack excursions on 9/7 and another on 9/12 looking for views on the ridges around the road leading up to Russell Pond. 

9/7/17

On 9/7 I took part of the afternoon off and did two short bushwhacks, starting from the upper part of the road to Russell Pond.

A view of West Tecumseh and its long spur ridges from a ledge on a ridge east of Russell Pond.

Another ledge offers a view of the ominous mass of Scar Ridge.

A vista peering through Thornton Gap to the distant Sleepers and Mt. Whiteface. Osceola's Breadtray Ridge is on the left, West Tecumseh on the right.

Zoom on Thornton Gap.

A random meadow in the forest.

Nice hardwood whacking to "Russell Pond Peak," (2071 ft.), south of the pond.

Osceola, Tripyramid (through Thornton Gap) and West Tecumseh from the top of a wooded cliff on the precipitous east face of Russell Pond Peak.

The summit of Russell Pond Peak, a "2000-Footer."

Title page of the summit register.

A scene at the summit.

Russell Pond, looking across to the two summits of Russell Pond Peak. There was a loon out on the water.

9/12/17

A short, steep afternoon bushwhack from Russell Pond Road led to a great ledge perch on the east side of Russell Pond Peak, offering wide views of the Osceola-Tecumseh area. I first visited this ledge back in the mid-1990s.

Open woods are the rule on this whack.

The final approach to the ledge is steep.

A commanding perch looking towards Mt. Osceola and Thornton Gap.

West Tecumseh and ridges stretching out towards Dickey Mountain.

Tripyramid is sighted through Thornton Gap.

A comfortable place to hang out for a while.

The West, Middle and Main peaks of Osceola, with Breadtray Ridge on the right.

From here you can see the entire Scar Ridge-Osceola ridgeline.

Down-look.

Quartz intrusion.

Looking up the Talford Brook valley to the North Peak of Loon (left) and Scar Ridge (right),

The wild back side of Loon.

Parting shot.

Balanced boulder.