Bear Pond
The following is the third part of a report on the second day of a bushwhacking trip through the interior of the southern portion of the Pepperbox Wilderness. The majority of the trip follows along streams and beaver vlys with the exit from the area following a marked herd path from the wild interior of this wilderness area. Highlights along the trip included the Threemile Beaver Meadow, Bear Pond, Moshier Creek and Moshier Reservoir. The third part of the second day explored the Bear Pond area.
Date: September 1, 2010
Length: 0.41 miles (2.05 miles cumulative)
Difficulty: Easy
After getting around the Threemile Beaver Meadow’s three northern ponds under very hot and humid conditions I had finally followed the Bear Pond outlet northeast and was approaching its source. The terrain became more aggressive and the elevation steadily increased as I continued along the outlet stream.
Finally the slope leveled off and after a short distance I arrived at a series of small beaver vlys each containing a large dam with a huge breach (point #22). Obviously at some point in the past these were a network of beaver ponds. The remaining vlys were relatively dry near the edges and therefore easy to walk along. After winding through several vlys and around a bend I entered into a wide open area with water a good distance in front of me in the middle of the meadow. This was what was left of Bear Pond.
Obviously in the past the open water of Bear Pond filled this entire opening. But after the dam broke and a most of the water flowed out all that remained was a large meadow surrounding the open water. An apparently abandoned beaver lodge remained at the southern shore of the current pond where the stream flowed out and began its winding journey through the narrow vlys to the south eventually reaching Threemile Beaver Meadow. Next to the lodge was a small snag with a plastic soda bottle stuck on it at the very top.
View Day two, part three in a larger map
As I made my way around the perimeter of the pond along the west shore (point #23) I went out to investigate the lodge and its curious soda bottle marker. The shore line was quite dry and covered in sedges but the sedges became less dense and the open soil more plentiful toward the water’s edge. Many white-tailed deer tracks were scattered around the meadow and near the shoreline. The pond would have been more appropriately named Deer Pond if such a name was not already taken by a pond far to the northeast.
The beaver lodge appeared old and decrepit but I was much more fascinated by how the water bottle made it to the top of the nearby snag. I saw a similar marker on Little Crooked Lake in the Five Ponds Wilderness on my trip there back in June/July (click here for details). After a few moments it dawned on me how the water bottle made it to the top of the snag. So I firmly grabbed the snag and moved it about in the thick mud using a circular motion. The snag moved easily within the muck which seemed to reinforce my theory. Soon I was able to pull the snag out of the muddy hole and set it down on the ground. The soda bottle was now mine!! For a while I thought about replacing it for the next visitor to ponder over but instead I decided to take to be recycled. And of course I returned the snag to its original position hoping to perplex those who placed it there in the first place.
As I moved around the perimeter of Bear Pond I almost stepped in a pile of feces deposited by the pond’s namesake. It looked fairly recent and was filled with black cherry pits. The thought of seeing a large black bear around the edge of the pond gave me pause and I scanned the meadow surrounding the pond to verify none were in the immediate area.
Old beaver dam
Breached beaver dam
When I started along the north end of the pond I was startled by a thunderous snort as a large white-tailed deer appeared out of nowhere within the sedges and ran for the surrounding forest. After a few more snorts and some crashing through the underbrush the deer vanished into the nearby forest. Apparently I roused it from its slumber near the pond and it was less than pleased.
Bear Pond to the north
I continued around pond to the northeastern where I knew there were some flat areas ideal for camping. Unfortunately the best campsite was under a large leaning yellow birch so I had to take a less than ideal site a short distance to the south (point #24). This campsite was up into the forest a little ways from the original shoreline of the pond. It was slightly cramped with shrubbery but it would be sufficient for a single night’s stay.
After unloading my Golite Pinnacle backpack, setting up camp and eating dinner I explored around the shoreline of Bear Pond a little. As the sun began to sink behind the tree tops surrounding the pond, many bats appeared fluttering over the water and around the open meadow. I watched these fascinating flying mammals for quite some time despite the horde of mosquitoes buzzing around me. I watched numerous stars appear before finally succumbing to my exhaustion from the long and hot day (not to mention the blood-thirsty horde) and retreated to the relative comfort under my Golite tarp for a night’s sleep at Bear Pond.
Bear pond beaver lodge
Bear Pond to the south
