Raven Lake Road
It is May once again, and that means many things in the Adirondacks, including black flies, bushwhacking and the Birdathon. The Birdathon is my traditional first bushwhacking adventure of the season, and it mixes two of my favorite things, birding and bushwhacking. What better way to get back into the bushwhacking groove than an all-day contest to find as many bird species as possible in a 24-hour period courtesy of the Onondaga Audubon Society.
Every year since 2010 (except for 2012 when I was out with an injury), I journeyed to the Pepperbox Wilderness to spend an entire day to bushwhack through the remote backcountry in a struggle to find at least 50 different bird species. As limited as that goal seems, I rarely make it, let alone exceed it.
This year I decide to do something a little different. Instead of hiking into Cropsey Pond and heading northward on the big day as I have done in the past two years, I decide to start in the north and head south instead. It is not that radical of a deviation, but maybe this will bring me better luck this year, though I am not holding my breath.
Section Stats:
Date: May 15, 2015
Length: 2.3 miles (2.3 total daily miles; 2.3 total trip miles)
Difficulty: Easy
Once again, I fail to get an early start. Arriving at the trailhead along the Beaver River at the very end of Necessary Dam Road at about half past twelve in the afternoon does not give me too much of a buffer, but it should get me in before nightfall. Not a single black fly is anywhere to be seen at first, but after being outside my car for a while, they make their presence known – in a big way. They do not appear to be biting at the moment, but I am sure that will change as soon as I get far enough from the car.
On the way down Necessary Dam Road, I notice that Stillwater Reservoir’s water levels were down significantly, though not anywhere near as low as during the drawdown of 2001, when repairs were performed on the dam. Regardless, many rocks and bare ground were exposed, bringing back memories of that year when the reservoir was drained. Apparently, the winter and early spring did not bring the snow and rain necessary for keeping the levels up where they ought to be. Below the dam, along the Beaver River, water levels do not look even remotely as bad.
Only a single pick-up truck is parked at the trailhead. A canoe is tied to the top of the truck, indicating that the owners are probably out fishing somewhere. The trailhead register indicates that the last hiker to enter the forest along Raven Lake Road was five days ago. Looks like I will have the wilderness all to myself this weekend. I could not be happier.
After eating a quick lunch and doing some last minute packing, I sling my backpack on my back and register my entry into the backcountry. With registration complete, I head across the bridge over the Beaver River. The bridge, built primarily for vehicles to get across the river to Raven Lake Road, is wide and sturdy. These is little chance of me wandering off, but it is best to take care while traversing it as the spaces between the slats can easily catch a boot. Or swallow a hiking pole.
Raven Lake Road is a dirt road, which winds through the forest, acting as the right-of-way for a private inholding on Raven Lake four miles or so into the backcountry. This inholding contains a camp along the southeast shoreline of Raven Lake, though calling it a camp is somewhat of a misnomer. The camp is the size of an average house, with several smaller outbuildings, if my memory serves me. The road is also used by the NYS DEC occasionally, but it is closed to the public. The locked gate at the trailhead parking lot ensures that no one takes a casual ride whenever the mood strikes.
Bridge over Beaver River
After passing a wetland on the left, the road starts one of its many steep climbs. For most of its length, the road provides the division between the Pepperbox and the Five Ponds Wildernesses, with the former to the west and the latter to the east. The road terminates south of Raven Lake, where the way forward, now blocked by boulders, enters the Five Ponds Wilderness as an old logging road. I have used this road to access the southern portion of the Five Ponds Wilderness many times in the past. But not this year, as my plans call for leaving the road just shy of the boulders at the Shallow Pond canoe carry.
Although not always steep, the road continues to climb for a good mile before its first good descent to a stream crossing in a small clearing. After the stream crossing, the road begins a more gradual climb, making a few gradual swerves as it does so. When the road levels out for a ways, I stop and take a break just before reaching a large beaver meadow just west of the road.
Stopping here is like meeting an old friend, as an old hunters’ path leaves here and leads north into the remote interior of the Pepperbox Wilderness. While I snack and have some water, I walk down the old trail just a short ways, as if just to dip my toes into a comfortable stream. Although my curiosity pulls me down the trail a short distance, I quickly return to my pack along the road before something or someone can get into it. Unfortunately, this old trail will not be leading me into the backcountry this year, as it has a few times in the past.
Site of hunters’ path
The sky is partly overcast to the west now, but more hazy blue to the north and east. The sun’s rays penetrate the haze, while a steady breeze causes the tree limbs to sway slightly. The leaves are mostly just a green hew in the canopy, still small and lime green after just recently bursting from their buds. While watching the canopy, I feel a sharp pain on my ear – my first black fly bite of the year. Oh joy.
With the black fly horde zeroing in on me, I pick up my backpack once again and resume my hike up Raven Lake Road. The road remains largely level now, as I first pass the long beaver meadow to the west, before turning eastward with only the occasional up and down to contend with.
The road descends sharply and then turns north, passing the canoe carry down to Kettle Hole on Stillwater Reservoir. A series of small water falls are located down this carry, or so I am told. Just before turning north, the road begins to climb sharply again for the final time before reaching its conclusion.
Shallow Pond Canoe Carry
By about two-thirty in the afternoon, I arrive at the Shallow Pond canoe carry at the point where the pond’s outlet disappears under the road courtesy of a large culvert. This is where I plan on leaving the road behind for several days before getting reacquainted with it much farther south again. Before leaving the last vestige of civilization behind, I stop for another drink of water. Best to remain fully hydrated now that the bushwhacking will soon begin, but best not to dawdle with many hungry black flies lurking about.
Looking around in the surrounding forest, I prepare myself to get closer to nature than I have since last year. It cannot come soon enough.
Shallow Pond outlet
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