After happening across a pamphlet on Saturday night which pointed out a few places for good rides, John and I decided we'd try out the Old Uncas Road trail ... assuming we could find it. The road started at Camp Sagamore, headed west toward Mohegan Lake, and then cut north back up to Route 28. We figured if we could get that far, we'd cross the road to the trail we were on yesterday and end up back in Raquette Lake village again. We parked in a lot at Sagamore and ventured down the limited access dirt road toward Mohegan Lake. Finally, the road split and we bore right onto a small side road that should have been part of the Old Uncas Road, according to our calculations. We caught sight of a deer at that very spot, but it must have seen Lucy the Faithful Trail Dog, because it took off like a shot. After Lucy grabbed a sip of water, we were off into the woods.

Just around the first bend we noticed a large grassy field to our right, which we admired, along with the views of colorful mountains that it afforded in the background. After continuing on, roller-coastering over some rocky hills in the road, we noticed a small footpath leading into the woods on our left. We were in no hurry, and decided to check it out. What we found was something neither of us will ever forget.

About a quarter of a mile down the path, the evergreens that we'd been squeezing through suddenly parted to reveal one of the most astounding and breathtaking scenes we'd ever witnessed. Our jaws dropped and our eyes grew wide as we stood, awestruck, staring at the perfection that surrounded us. There lay Lake Mohegan before us, a light breeze rippling its waters. All around the shore of the lake, the bright reds, oranges and yellows of the fall foliage glistened under the rays of the midday sun. The sky was a bright blue, with a fluffy cumulus thrown in here and there for good measure. Below our feet, the long needles of the surrounding pines carpeted the ground. The trees themselves were tall and narrow, and there were no low branches, making it feel as if we were in a great open area, while at the same time the smaller pines behind us provided privacy from the rest of the world. A table constructed from tree branches sat near a small circle of stones, but excepting that, there were no signs of human existence to be found, no hint of anything unnatural. The sheer tranquility of the scene left us speechless. To speak would have been to disturb its perfection.

When we finally did speak, the superlatives were a plenty. We decided then and there that we must come back to this place. We snacked, gazing at the scene, knowing that an experience like this doesn't come along very often. It was difficult, but after a while we decided that our trip must continue, that we needed to leave this paradise and move on.

We followed the road for a while more, expecting it to make a turn to the right a little at some point, to head northward toward Route 28. We kept going, and going, and going, but the road seemed to be continuing west all the while. We wondered what was up, but unless they were very subtle, there were no side trails leading off the road that we could've missed. At one point, we found a little camp (what was it called, the Eagle's Nest maybe?) whose driveway we at first thought was the turn we'd been looking for. But no dice. So we kept on, passing through some colorful sections of forest along the way, including a red carpet of leaves along one stretch. Before long, though, we arrived at yet another camp (Bear Pond Camp, I think?), which, to our dismay and despite our efforts to prove otherwise, was at the end of the road. We had no choice but to turn back after futilely searching around for a continuation of the trail. Confounded at having been unable to find the "real" Old Uncas Road trail, we turned back, our eyes peeled for any little scrubby trail into the woods that we may have missed. We found many (most of which we'd seen on the way in), but all were so overgrown that they were clearly not the way to go--if they were, it wouldn't be worth it anyway.

We eventually made our way back to that first big field that was off to the side of the road. We did in fact notice a trail leading across it that we'd missed before, but it wasn't all that easy to follow, and though it seemed like a possible candidate for the Old Uncas Road trail, we still weren't too sure. The sun was still beating down, and we were tired out from the many miles we'd biked, so we decided to flop down in the grass and rest for a while. We lay by some apple tries, taking in the warmth of the sun, and Lucy the Trail Dog--who, only a puppy, was far more exhausted than we--finally got a chance to catch her breath.

After our rest, we finished the ride out along the dirt road and back to Camp Sagamore. We found a pay phone near the gift shop, and called camp for our ride. We chatted with the woman in the shop, and she was able to confirm that the trail across the field that we'd spotted on the way out was in fact the Old Uncas Road.¹ Well, I guess it just leaves us something to do next October, right guys?

¹ Actually, it turns out that the trail we wanted was not the one through the field--it was hidden just west of a bridge that we'd crossed along the way. Which one is actually the Old Uncas Road I'm still not entirely sure.