Big Pine, Wanakena
I hike not to socialize with humanity, but rather to eavesdrop on the forest — conversations between tree and fungi, bird and berry, frog and pond. The vistas from popular mountains have their merits, but the parade of people descending, and walking ever so slowly up the trail defeat the purpose of hiking, for me. Amid the frequent banter of man, I’m unable to hear the forest speak.
l hike not for the health of my material self, — though there are undeniably tangible benefits — but in an effort to stitch myself, even for a moment, into the tapestry of the forest community. Consequently, the trails I seek out are what Robert Frost famously described as “the one[s] less traveled by[.]” A far off pond on my wrinkled map, or lore of a grove of old growth — that’s what draws me into the forest like a monarch to milkweed.
Such was the case here, on Big Pine Trail. A passing remark from a Wanakena resident first piqued my interest in a specific Eastern White Pine (Pinus strobus) tree located not far from the shores of Cranberry Lake. Much to my great pleasure, during my first trek in to meet the grand tree, I both reached the hallowed ground over which the tree has stood for nearly 300 years, and did so without meeting another person.
Reaching the “Big Pine” is no great challenge — a relatively flat trail (mostly) lacking formal markers delivers your body, and hopefully your spirit, to this sacred grove. You pass under no crucifix entering the grounds of this natural cathedral, but rather along a well worn path dotted by columns of sun-bleached snags —the dominion of woodpeckers, and ascending fungal mycelium. Big Pine stands about 40 feet to the right of the trail, near the bottom of a natural bowl, yet it towers over every neighbor. Its hulking bole shows little sign of slimming as your eye moves up toward the canopy—its craggy needled branches like a crown atop the head of forest royalty.
Me, hugging Big Pine
Owl pellets rest at the base of Big Pine
Birch, my hiking companion
Red Trillium, Trillium Erectum
Getting there:
From Route 3, turn onto County Route 61
As you approach the first Y in the road, stay right (some maps refer to this section of the road as Main Street)
Proceed over the bridge crossing the Oswegatchie River, and stay on South Shore Road.
At South Shore Road’s terminus, head back a short distance and the small pull-off will be on your left. It lacks signage or formal marking (as far as I could tell), but it is not terribly difficult to spot. If you pass a yellow sign indicating a bend with a 25MPH speed recommendation, you’ve gone too far (slightly). Photo of the parking area attached below
Terminus of South Shore Road in view (see white sign)
There is an additional branch of this trail, which extends down to Cranberry Lake. From this point you’ll see the Ranger School on the opposite shore. This offshoot is easy to miss, but slightly more apparent as you head back to the car from Big Pine. My route (above) also includes passing Big Pine and continuing along the trail a short distance further—the trail does end a short distance from Big Pine, but is worth the extra time.
This data represents the full extent of my route (blue lines in the above photo), but it should be noted I stopped many times to admire moss and flowers. A less distractible hiker could do this route in little more than a half hour, but life is short, bathe in the wonder of this forest.
Big Pine Trail lacks traditional markers, so pay close attention to both the visible footpath and infrequent eye-level markers