Archive for July, 2011

Birdathon 2011: Bushwhacking Straight to Cropsey Pond After Failing to Get Around Moshier Ponds

Jul 31st, 2011 / 0 Comments

Southernmost Moshier Pond

On May 21, 2011 I birded some of the ponds and streams in the northeastern Pepperbox Wilderness in the Adirondack State Park for the Audubon Society’s Birdathon. The Birdathon is a challenge to locate as many bird species as possible in a single 24-hour period. This would be my second attempt to perform the Birdathon in the Pepperbox Wilderness. The afternoon of the Birdathon found me trying to bushwhack around Moshier Ponds before a thunderstorm forced me to make a fateful decision.
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birding, Reports, Trips

Birdathon 2011: Bushwhacking Birding Along Deer Pond Outlet Stream

Jul 25th, 2011 / 0 Comments

Sunshine Pond

On May 21, 2011 I birded some of the ponds and streams in the northeastern Pepperbox Wilderness of the Adirondack State Park for the Audubon Society’s Birdathon. The Birdathon is a challenge to locate as many bird species as possible in a single 24-hour period. This was my second attempt to perform the Birdathon in the Pepperbox Wilderness. The morning of the Birdathon took me from my campsite at the southwestern shore of Sunshine Pond to Deer Pond where I subsequently followed the outlet stream to the southern Moshier Pond.
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birding, Reports, Trips

Perfect Note Recording System for Bushwhacking/Backpacking Adventures

Jul 18th, 2011 / 0 Comments

Keeping notes while out bushwhacking can be a rather tedious task. From carrying a notebook and writing utensil where they are relatively handy to making sure the notebook does not get wet during inclement weather, there is a lot of necessary juggling involved to keeping notes. Unfortunately, note taking is a necessity if one wishes to chronicle their adventures for a blog or just for their own information.

Note taking can become increasingly difficult in wet conditions. During wet conditions, such as during or after rain showers, paper can become difficult to write on or pens can stop functioning. Although writing in the rain can become almost impossible, it is still very difficult to keep notes in under any wet conditions such as the morning after a night rainfall or even periods of very heavy dew. In rather wet areas like the Adirondacks, this could result in a large portion of a trip being completely without note. Unless you have a very good memory, the lack of notes can be real problem.
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Asides, Equipment

Trip Report: Oven Lake and Beyond Teaser

Jul 9th, 2011 / 0 Comments

Southern portion of Oven Lake

Recently, I returned from an 8-day sojourn into the heart of the Five Ponds Wilderness of the Adirondack State Park. Despite the immense challenge of blow down from the 1995 Microburst, I returned to the area with the idea of making it all the way to Oven Lake and several other water bodies in the immediate vicinity. Unfortunately, the original plan from this trip was truncated somewhat due to a late start, an early lack of motivation and some rain showers the first couple days.

Other than the first couple of days, the weather was rather nice although a tad too warm for my liking when bushwhacking (especially the second half of the trip). Although the first two days were rather light as far as miles and/or effort, this was more than made up for by at least three other marathon days in either distance or overall effort. The hardest day included some highly difficult going through some very dense new growth immersed within 100 percent blow down.

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Reports, Trips

Birdathon 2011: Thunderstorms at Sunshine Pond

Jul 1st, 2011 / 0 Comments

Sunshine Pond

I journeyed back into the heart of the Pepperbox Wilderness of the Adirondack State Park to once again try my luck at the Audubon Society’s Birdathon. The Birdathon is a challenge to locate as many bird species as possible in a single 24-hour period. This would be my second attempt to perform the Birdathon in the Pepperbox Wilderness. The first day included a walk along a dirt road, a hike using an old hunters trail and a bushwhack to Sunshine Pond for the night.
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Reports, Trips