Viddy Stix Version 2.0
On June 20, my new lightweight hiking poles arrived. As you may recall, I broke one of my hiking poles during the Birdathon back in May. I notified the manufacturer (a friend of mine) a few days afterwards and put in an order for a new custom-made pair. The new Viddy Stix (as the poles are called) were dropped off recently and they are gorgeous (Thanks Dave!).
Have you ever had an injury that kept you on the sidelines from doing what you love? I have had this problem for the past month. A few days after completing my last bushwhacking trip (see the 2010 Birdathon posts), I came down with a searing pain in my lower back and buttocks. In actuality, I believe the affected area was my sacroiliac joint (SI joint, for short). It was so bad at one point that it took me an excruciatingly agonizing ten minutes to get up and go to the bathroom (I recommend NOT waiting until you have to run for the bathroom).
Little Shallow Lean-to
Last year when I was backpacking within the Five Ponds Wilderness around Memorial Day I read an entry in the Little Shallow Lean-to register about someone who had hiked from that lean-to to Stillwater Reservoir and back within a 24-hour period. To see a trip report from that individual click here. At the time I found this startling given the bushwhack from near Wolf Pond to Clear Lake was through an area hardest hit by the 1995 microburst. But at the same time it really got me thinking of a trip I fantasized about when I was just starting to explore the northwestern part of the Adirondacks back in the mid-nineties. I wanted to trek from Cranberry Lake to Stillwater Reservoir and back in a single trip but after experiencing the 1995 microburst first hand, I decided such a trip would not be possible for many years. But now someone actually did it!! Although I seriously thought about it last year, I decided to explore the southern part of the Five Ponds Wilderness instead.
For those of you interested in the final results of my Birdathon bushwhack within the Pepperbox Wilderness on May 15, 2010 the final results are listed below. The name of the each bird species is followed by the location where the species was first detected.
Cropsey Pond
The following is an account of the final day of my trip to bushwhack my way through the Pepperbox Wilderness while participating in the National Audubon Society’s Birdathon. The Birdathon is a 24-hour contest to detect as many bird species as possible and this was the first time I participated since 2002 and the absolutely first attempt in the trailless Pepperbox Wilderness. The final day consisted of hiking from Cropsey Pond through dense new growth due to blowdown back to my vehicle to report my less than stellar Birdathon results by noon.
The following is an account of the second half of the second day of my trip to bushwhack my way through the Pepperbox Wilderness while participating in the National Audubon Society’s Birdathon. The Birdathon is a 24-hour contest to detect as many bird species as possible and this was the first time I participated since 2002 and the absolutely first attempt in the trailless Pepperbox Wilderness. The second half of the second day consisted of backpacking around the northern point of Sunshine Pond and hiking south to Deer Pond before making a mad dash to Cropsey Pond before the day ended.
© Copyright Bushwhacking Fool