Feeder stream

The following is the third part of a report on the third 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 and final part of the third day found me confused at a point where the stream took a sudden turn from flowing southwest to northwest.

Date: September 2, 2010
Length: 0.92 miles (2.25 miles cumulative)
Difficulty: Easy

After my lunch was finished along the beaver pond, I bushwhacked further south along the shoreline when I could and back in the forest to the west when it was necessary due to the thick coniferous forest.

As the beaver pond gave way to an open stream connecting it to a smaller pond to the south (point #33) I retreated further into the forest to the west to avoid some densely vegetated and wet areas. Although I planned on staying out in the hardwood forest to the west I was soon lured back toward the water’s edge.

Along the shoreline I found a beaver dam crossing the entire width of the pond. Instead of going around the pond to the south I braved the beaver dam and got across with no incidents. The old dam was set on top of some very large logs which made the going easy as they provided a firm footing in the shallow water.

Upon crossing the dam and reaching the eastern shore (point #34) I took a bearing to the southeast so as to clear a marshy, southerly tendril of the pond I ate lunch at. After clearing the tendril and crossing the small stream feeding it (point #35) I took a new bearing of 69 degrees and headed for the southern-most bend in the original stream I started following earlier in the morning.

Realizing I could easily miss this bend in the stream since on both sides of the bend the stream heads in a northerly direction (northeast on one end and northwest on another) I consulted both the map and my Garmin eTrex Legend GPS frequently along this forested stretch.

It was after 2 PM when I started to climb up a rocky shoulder of a hill to the south (point #36). Despite the climbing and the rocks the going was pleasant here, mostly due to the beautiful mature hardwood forest with little understory. Large American beech, red maple, sugar maple, and some very large yellow birch towered over me as I continued through this area.

After bushwhacking for another 30 minutes I consulted my GPS and decided I was a little too far south and may miss the bend in the stream so I headed northeast to ensure I hit the stream where I had planned (point #37). The thickening conifers I encountered as I proceeded foreshadowed a stream crossing as I struggled through their prickly and often painful assault on my physical being.

Finally after 5 minutes of struggling I arrived at a small but steady stream strewn with rocks and small boulders (point #38). The direction this stream was flowing confused me as it did not match the stream I was heading for according to the map. When I consulted the GPS it put me 60 feet away from the main stream. Since I was somewhat confused I did what any smart bushwhacker would do, I sat down, took off my Golite Pinnacle backpack and had something to drink and eat.

With some renewed calmness due to the water, snack and rest I decided to cross the stream and head up and over a densely conifer-covered ridge to the northeast. Once on top of the ridge I would see what I could from an elevated vantage point. The struggle through the dense young conifers was made even more arduous due to the steep climb but the effort was well worth it since I could see a stream down below me to the east (point #39). This confused me even more until I realized I had arrived at the stream exactly where I had planned, at the point where the stream took a sudden turn from the southwest to the northwest. The small rocky stream I had just crossed was indeed my originally guiding stream albeit in a smaller form.

Dam crossing

Since I would continue heading east tomorrow I needed to get back on the eastern side of the stream so I made my way down the steep ridge to the floodplain below. Upon reaching the stream shore (point #40) I conveniently located a crossing where I could rock hop over to the opposite shore and thus set myself up for the bushwhack to Moshier Creek tomorrow morning.

I continued along the eastern shore heading northwest passing two small beaver ponds and a beaver dam before reaching a large, narrow beaver pond half-choked with shrubbery. The long day of bushwhacking in the heat and humidity was finally getting to me and I started to search for an adequate place to camp for the night. Unfortunately, the conifer forest along the edge of this pond was quite dense and flat areas were almost nonexistent.

When I reached a smaller stream cascading down from the hillside to the south and east I decided to follow it since the access to the beaver pond shore was nearly impossible. As the terrain rose from the pond’s shoreline the forest shifted from coniferous to completely deciduous and I noticed flat areas to the south only a short distance from the stream. After a brief search I located an ideal place for my campsite just before 4 PM (point #41).

Rocky stream at bend

While setting up my campsite I heard a loud crash down in the direction of the beaver pond. It was impossible to tell the source of the crash but my initial thought was a fallen tree. Since I was in the middle of making camp and making dinner I did not investigate any further.

Around 7 PM, after I was finished with dinner and was waiting for my water to run through my Sawyer Inline Filter, I strolled down back to the pond’s edge. The sky was completely overcast again but the heat and humidity remained. I caught sight of two ducks in the pond but the dark conditions and the ample vegetation they took shelter within made it impossible for me to determine their species for sure. Earlier I thought I heard a wood duck from my camp site and these ducks could have been of this species.

Before 8:30 PM I was under my tarp and ready for a pleasant night’s sleep after a hard day of bushwhacking through some arduous terrain. In mere moments after getting under the tarp I heard the pitter-patter of light rain upon the leaves in the canopy. But as soon as the rain began it was over before any drops even reached my tarp. The prospect of rain seemed to rejuvenate a few seasonally-challenged spring peepers as they began calling in unison.

Beaver pond near campsite

Prior to slipping off into dreamland I started to hear that strange humming sound as if a boat was continuously breaking through a wave as I had previously at Threemile Beaver Meadow two nights before. What is this sound? Does anyone have a possible explanation?

That night there was much activity around my campsite. I was continuously awoken by rustling of leaves as if something was jumping around in the leaf litter surrounding my tarp. When the sound got too close for comfort I would yell “Hey” and whatever animal was out there would leap away with great speed. The only two animals I could think of that would cause such a commotion were either a snowshoe hare or a jumping mouse.

At another point in the night I heard what I thought to be a white-tailed deer repeatedly snorting down by the stream. This creature’s true identity shall remain a mystery and I did not even think about investigating it any further but instead slipped back into my slumber until the next morning when Moshier Creek and Reservoir awaited.