Threemile Beaver Meadow

From August 31 to September 4 I took what is most likely my last bushwhacking trip in the Adirondacks for 2010, where I journeyed deep into the heart of the central Pepperbox Wilderness. Although I have explored much of this 22,560-acre wilderness area in the past (e.g. the northwestern Cowboy Beaver Meadow area during Labor Day weekend 2009, the ponds west of Threemile Beaver Meadow as recently as 2008 and the northeastern ponds for my Birdathon adventure in May 2010 (see teaser here)), I never bushwhacked through the heart of the Pepperbox Wilderness. This area is devoid of large ponds or wetland complexes but contains many smaller beaver vlys along waterways and is bisected by the Moshier Creek running from the Moshier Ponds to the north down into the Moshier Reservoir along the Beaver River to the south.

Bear Pond at sunrise

The trip used DEC marked hiking trails, semi-marked hunter trails, herd paths along streams, and good old-fashioned bushwhacking to complete a loop through the central portion of the Pepperbox Wilderness west of Moshier Creek. I gained access to the area via a bridge over the Beaver River located near Moshier Falls and a series of distinct hunter trails into the Threemile Beaver Meadow area. From the beaver meadow area my trek eastward started by following a stream leading northeast to the shrinking Bear Pond. I headed east from Bear Pond following streams where possible until reaching the Moshier Creek. The creek was followed south until Moshier Reservoir along the Beaver River. The last day of bushwhacking consisted of a long trek over a rocky hill to a beaver vly where a hunter’s trail was used to exit the wilderness area.

Beaver Reservoir at sunset

The trip was characterized by hot, humid and breezy conditions, numerous streams and examples of the impact beavers have on their forest environment both past and present. Highlights of the trip consisted of a magic beer pond, glimpses of high cliffs above Moshier Creek, the beaver-impacted forest along the shore of Moshier Creek, possible moose tracks, fresh black bear scat (where else but at Bear Pond) and several white-tailed deer sightings.

Expect daily trip reports to show up here as soon as the Stillwater Reservoir to Cranberry Lake trip reports concludes.