Pepperbox Pond Hopping
5-(5-8)-13
Paul Conklin(Curtis Mayfly)
This adventure began from the village of Stillwater on the 150[SUP]th[/SUP] anniversary of Henry David Thoreau's death. It seemed wholly appropriate to begin a simple, solo, journey into the wilderness on this day.
A surgical repair to my rotator cuff was cause to doubt my durability to the rigors of wilderness tripping, so I planned a rather conservative adventure into the Pepperbox Wilderness. The plan was to base camp at Sunshine Pond, a pond worthy of a whole day of exploring by itself. Sunshine is over a mile long with numerous islands, bays and peninsulas around which to probe. However, what really caught my eye was the connecting channel to Deer Pond and the potential of following its outlet to the Moshier Ponds. Aerial imagery indicated a series of beaver ponds and channels that appeared navigable, there would be many portages but most were short, the longest seemed to barely exceed the throwing arm of EJ Manuel's (the Buffalo Bill's first round draft pick) long ball.
After two days of exploring Sunshine and the Moshiers, the shoulder felt great. I had no pain or concerns of overexerting. My offside crossover was nonexistent and I had altered my lifting technique. I was coping with the rigors just fine. So much so, I was in need of additional adventure. Although it would remove me from the highlighted area on the "where to find my corpse map" I left with the wife. I chose to risk it and explore the outlet of nearby Muskrat Pond, following it north to its confluence with the Middle Branch Oswegatchie.
Photos: https://picasaweb.google.com/conk46er/PepperboxPondHopping?authkey=Gv1sRgCLKBh5eD5YOL_QE
5-(5-8)-13
Paul Conklin(Curtis Mayfly)
This adventure began from the village of Stillwater on the 150[SUP]th[/SUP] anniversary of Henry David Thoreau's death. It seemed wholly appropriate to begin a simple, solo, journey into the wilderness on this day.
A surgical repair to my rotator cuff was cause to doubt my durability to the rigors of wilderness tripping, so I planned a rather conservative adventure into the Pepperbox Wilderness. The plan was to base camp at Sunshine Pond, a pond worthy of a whole day of exploring by itself. Sunshine is over a mile long with numerous islands, bays and peninsulas around which to probe. However, what really caught my eye was the connecting channel to Deer Pond and the potential of following its outlet to the Moshier Ponds. Aerial imagery indicated a series of beaver ponds and channels that appeared navigable, there would be many portages but most were short, the longest seemed to barely exceed the throwing arm of EJ Manuel's (the Buffalo Bill's first round draft pick) long ball.
After two days of exploring Sunshine and the Moshiers, the shoulder felt great. I had no pain or concerns of overexerting. My offside crossover was nonexistent and I had altered my lifting technique. I was coping with the rigors just fine. So much so, I was in need of additional adventure. Although it would remove me from the highlighted area on the "where to find my corpse map" I left with the wife. I chose to risk it and explore the outlet of nearby Muskrat Pond, following it north to its confluence with the Middle Branch Oswegatchie.
Photos: https://picasaweb.google.com/conk46er/PepperboxPondHopping?authkey=Gv1sRgCLKBh5eD5YOL_QE
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