Let's Go Wheeling

We got up and started breakfast.  It was instant oatmeal, coffee and hot chocolate. 

While the coffee was brewing, I decided to drain my spare gas tanks into my main tank.  I was disappointed that my Super Siphon did not come in time for the trip but had bought a bulb type siphon hose from Wal*Mart at the last minute to stand in.  The idea was that I would siphon the gas into the main tank rather than pour it using a nozzle on the can.  I figured that it would be a whole lot easier and far neater than trying to stand there with the 40 pound can waiting for it to drain while it leaked on the ground.  My idea worked and the siphon started draining the tank.

Unfortunately the hose was stiff from being cold and stuck in the coiled position.  So it just floated on the gas and the fuel soon stopped flowing down the hose.  I whittled a stick clean of all bark then polished it with the pot scrubber so there were no loose particles.  Then I used two wire tires to strap the hose to the stick, holding it straight that allowed me to put the hose to the bottom of the gas tank and drain it dry.  I did both tanks and let JJ borrow it to do his.

Meanwhile, Carl poured his tanks into his main tank using the screw on nozzle.  It was faster but Carl was stuck standing there the whole time holding his tanks.  I just wandered around getting my coffee, cleaning up after eating and generally relaxing.  (I have since received the Super Siphon and used it to drain the tanks again.  It was a whole lot easier to get going, and stayed in the tank without the aid of the stick.  Too bad it didn't arrive sooner, but it is now part of my gear.)

Somebody noticed that there was a fisherman on the island out on the pond.  I set the image quality on my camera to high and snapped a photo.  The water was nice at that time of the morning and I am sure the man fishing was having a nice peaceful time out there.

(Detail)

(Click this one for the original image)

I caught a shot of JJ down at the pond doing the dishes.  The day was shaping up to be really nice again and it looked like a good day for a ride to nowhere.

Soon we were in the Jeeps and going up Narrow Pond Road in search of a trail to try.  We wanted to try going in near Second South Branch Russell Pond.  Soon we found a promising looking side road that lead to a bridge that was supposed to be out.  We hoped we might find a difficult crossing to try and a road beyond that might reward us with some wheeling.  The first leg that we pushed into was interesting and lead us through a swamp but dead ended without a down bridge.

On returning to the main road I noticed another shale quarry and decided to climb some of the loose hills.  I did the first one while Carl and JJ were still making their way out from the trail.  When they caught up, they too gave the pit a run.  Leo decided to get out while we played and look for fossils in the shale.

Once we ran all the little hills that looked safe, and I had tried one that wasn't, we decided to move on in search of the trail with the down bridge.  As luck would have it, the very next turn off the road was our trail and we followed it down to the bridge, which was indeed out.  The crossing would have been tough.  The bridge was built up from the stream level so just getting down to the water level would by itself have been a major ordeal.  Needless to say, we were not interested in that kind of challenge so we turned around and backtracked to the trail.

A little further down, we found a branch in the road.  The right branch continued on, a solid, well traveled little road, with no major challenges.   The left branch was far less traveled and appeared grown up a little ways down.   Of course we took the left branch.  According to the map, it went in the same direction as the main road we left and came out on Narrow Pond Road where it runs North/South, but further north.   Russell Brook was on the map and we expected to have to deal with.

Some ways in, the trail remained about the same: somewhat grown in with low brush.  We guessed that it was a winter road, or perhaps a recently discontinued logging road.  Pretty soon we came to a moderately large down tree that stood in our path.  I scouted about but didn't find a better way around; we would have to cut it in two to move it out of the way.

Carl set to it with his buck saw, working at the tree much the same way a beaver does - cutting small wedges out to prevent the saw from binding, gradually making a large enough cut that the tree can be cut or broken through.  Somebody climbed up on the tree and a couple of jumps cracked the tree through.  That was all I needed to conclude that it was time to put a strap on it and see if it would break and pull out of the way.  I had Leo cut down a dead tree that stood in the way of opening up a gap large enough to drive a Jeep through.  I gave a gentle pull on the tree and it came apart, and pulled back far enough for us to drive around and through the opening.

We noticed two large trailer tanks with pumps that we figured were used to transport fuel to the location.  I guessed that they might trade tanks - a new one being brought full and the empty one taken away by the same vehicle.  We never saw a soul and soon finished lunch.

Carl and I wanted to continue our explorations but Leo and JJ had enough so they teamed up and headed back to camp.  Meanwhile, Carl and I continued further north on Narrow Pond Road and then turned west on Cyr Road in search of a likely road to go wheeling.  Carl spotted a road that crosses Snare Brook and goes down to the Russell Ponds area and suggested we poke in there and see what we could see.

It was an interesting area.  The road kept going and going.  We met a truck coming out, which made us think there was something down there to see.   Around every corner we were hoping to see one of the Russell Ponds but we never did.  Instead we just kept going deeper and deeper into this area of land.  We took a few side trails and saw some interesting country, and we did use 4-LO a couple times, but nothing was terribly extreme.  We found an active logging operation where there were skidders, parts, parked pick-up trucks and tools. And of course a large wood pile.  But no signs of life beyond that.

The map showed one road leading down to one of the ponds, crossing a stream and then running up the side of it and connecting back to one of the main roads.  

After a short distance we came to a dead end near Upper Russell Pond and found three small huts with propane hookups and bunks inside.  Nearby was a ladder going up to a pole spread between two trees, and a toilet seat sitting on top of a stand with no walls.   It was a strange place, probably a very minimalist hunting camp.  We backtracked to the road and continued further inward.  Pretty soon we found another road that looked like it might be the one we were seeking.

We drove down it and came to the spot where the crossing would be and found a berm that had been pushed up with a dozer some time ago.  The woods beyond revealed the crossing that at one time led to Crescent Pond but the low growth was already high enough to prevent passage even if the berm were not much of an obstacle.  There was no view beyond the crossing so it made no sense to try.  I think if I could have seen the road past that point, I would have attempted it after some saw time.  But it was not to be.  On the way back, Carl tackled a little hill and I came along and tried it too.

Not long after that, we spied a couple deer standing by the road, watching us approach.  I managed to get a photo of them before they crossed into the brush.

We were now on familiar road, the route we had traveled the first night we made camp on Round Pond.  We drove into camp and found that dinner was being cooked and that JJ had succeeded in getting a signal on the Satellite Phone.   Carl and I took turns making calls. 

It was good to talk to Maria and the kids, to let them know that all was well, and that we planned to be back home by Saturday.   Later, when my father told someone about it at one of the stores, they commented about the cost of using the phone.  I silently hoped that it would not cost JJ anything, but as he was certain it was provided at no cost, I didn't worry too much.   I must say that even as accustomed to cellular phone as I am, it was very strange to be so far away from anything, with cellular phones not working for days, and to be talking to Maria while sitting in this place.

Pretty soon the battery went dead so JJ switched in the other one.  I called back and left a message on voice mail to finish the thought I was sharing when it had stopped working.  I went back to eat supper but was a tad lonely after talking to the family, missing them and feeling bad that they had not shared this experience with me.   It took a while to shake that feeling.

Pretty soon it started to rain again, and the wind came up.  It was pretty cold that night and once again I was toasty inside my sleeping bag, thankful that Carl had gotten such a deal on it, and that it was so good at keeping me warm.  The tent was nice and dry too, the tarp set up still holding up well after almost a week of being out.

In the morning, I knew that we would be packing our gear and heading back to the pavement.  I had enjoyed the time away.  We accomplished everything we set out to do, snuck in a few extra things, and had a great time overall.  Even the botched trail selection that eventually led us to the trains had been worth doing once.   So far, we had managed to have a great week without anyone breaking anything (except a flat tire) or getting hurt (except that JJ aggravated an old knee injury).   Not bad for a week in the boonies!