The Papoose Branch, A PBX Hike

[Teegate]

All,

After last weeks great exploration Bob decided to have another one ASAP and here is his last minute edited announcement to all PBX members.

2012 Salutations my PBX trail friends. Guy and I are throwing another short-notice curve ball at you. Sorry about that....it's just that we can’t pass this great weather up. That, and we are not getting any younger...may as well see the country while we can still bull our way through the rugged terrain.
On the first day of the New Year, we are going to explore a very demanding area of the plains. We are going to go up stream on the upper left fork of the Papoose Branch of the Oswego River until we run out of water. Then we are going to head upland and cross the Spring Hill area. We'll end at a vehicle parked on Lost Lane road. Sunday's forecast is mostly sunny and 56 degrees. Can you beat that? Lose the hangover and come along if you can.

Unfortunately, many members already had plans for the day, so it ended up being Bob, Jeff, and myself. I was to meet Bob at Spring Hill at 9AM and when I arrived I took these photo's before Bob came along.

We then headed over to meet Jeff at Sim Place and a little after 9AM we headed to our starting point along the Papoose Branch and plunged into the woods. It promised to be a demanding day and it was. Somehow I did not expect anything different. We traveled right up the Papoose Branch for over 3 miles. One of the first things we noticed is something that Al is always interested in .... seeping.

Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtYKa1OyIy8&feature=youtu.be


Bob making some decisions.

Jeff checking out a Haines survey line in the distance.

Bob and Jeff walking the Western Papoose Branch. This video was made for Jack so that he can see what his dad did today. Enjoy this one Jack!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_HvxiMfbrM

This video shows us taking a much needed break after a tough section of the river. This has not safe for work language.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RimmGxteWoU&feature=youtu.be


Slowly but steadily we traveled all the way up the Western Papoose until we reached the very beginnings of it where the water is no longer visible. Here is a video of Bob and Jeff celebrating that event.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSkDYhDbO7E&feature=youtu.be


We then headed across the plains to Spring Hill.

When all said and done we had traveled 5.1 hard miles and were exhausted. However, not exhausted enough to take on two more adventures immediately after this that lasted until sunset. It was a long but interesting day and I will report on our last two adventures in separate posts.

Thank you Bob and Jeff for a great day.

Guy

 

[bobpbx]

Nice report Guy! Are you asleep yet? I love the pine cone shots. Good deal.

I'll post some photos tomorrow. A great, strenuous day....just the way I like it.

 

[Teegate]

I always enjoy sitting back looking over my photo's and video's and thinking about the day. Sleep is overrated anyway.

Guy

 

[oji]

Looks like a great trip! I would have come along but was up too late. Plus I have plans to hike along Bisphams Mill Creek tomorrow.

 

[woodjin]

Oji,
I led a pbx hike from lower mill to Turkey buzzard bridge a bunch of years ago that was very telling of some of the history in there. I can't find the original report and I suspect it was lost in the one of the site format changes, which is a real shame. Have fun. I really explored that area very throughly when I lived out that way.

Bob and Guy, Had a great time today Gentlemen. We will have to hit the east branch one of these days!!!! Guy, that 2nd video is a good documentation of what we do. I'm glad you filmed it.

 

[RednekF350]

Wow, that looked like a good one. I thoroughly enjoyed the hike a few years ago where we ran a stream all the way up to a dry, gentle dip in the landscape.
Nice work boys, sorry I couldn't make it.

Tom,
here is a link to at least the text of the Lower Mill revisit. The picture links apppear to be dead.
http://forums.njpinebarrens.com/threads/revisit-to-lower-mill.3213/#post-31775

Here is alink to the trip report when Jeff, me and Bob did the same area near Bispham's.
I will never forget the wine swilling at the old gravel pit afterwards.

http://forums.njpinebarrens.com/threads/new-woods-and-male-bonding.3137/

 

[bobpbx]

I had a great explore with you guys. Our approximate track.

The Papoose arises out of the West Plains and joins the Oswego River near Sim Place. I have this thing about following rivers upstream until we run out of water. It’s good fun. Some photos to view if you care to:

Here’s Guy and Jeff at the start. Guy is always eager to go, Jeff is more contemplative, always thinking a few steps ahead.

We got into that cedar swamp yesterday, and the temperature felt a good 10 degrees cooler. In fact, my feet stayed a little cold all day from the water. The sphagnum was intensely green in spots.

We all recognize this clean flow. It’s what makes the pines uniquely ours to enjoy.

A wonderful sedge stand. Looks like Carex striata, but I reserve judgment without flower.

This is Carex livida….this photo does not really show it, but the leaf color is a unique aqua-blue.

Jeff now in the thick of it.

At times, the main branch (below where we took the western branch upstream) would braid and have two branches maybe 60 yards apart. The center area was like this below….large expanses of cedars interspersed with sedges, huckleberries and leather-leaf. Very nice if the sun reached these areas. Evidence of long ago logging was apparent.

This is a long ago wooden tree stand. Jeff and Guy did not see this, we were separated for a time.

Often, due to cedars falling and / or vegetation piling up, the water would back up into these little ponds, which were beautiful to see.

In this one, I think I can see Robbins’ Spike Rush in the foreground, but I did not grab a sample. Could also be a scirpus (maybe).

This is simply nice.

Here are some huge cedars competing for the sky in the center of the stream. Very impressive size.

After the junction with the main branch, the little branch we followed up towards the pine plains became predominantly a gum and maple swamp. Tough going unless you trusted the depth (and that trust failed all of us periodically), because you had to stride from hummock to hummock, grabbing the young maples as you moved along, to keep from falling backwards into the cold water.

Still, even in the gum swamp, there were some fairly large cedars, mostly on the margin of the creek.

Sometimes it was safest to take a log as the highway. Right after this shot, Guy went down hard.

Guy with a cedar that has a big problem.

Guy and Jeff on the survey line. I think about 5 or 6 of these lines cut through the swamp on our trip.

Jeff looking north on Spring Hill after we left the branch.

Guy looking south.

Guy making his way up a survey line to a high spot on Spring Hill. Elevation was about 170 feet here.

My neck hurts today from stooping over and trying to look up to see where I was going. But I loved it anyway. A good trip with great friends. We missed having the rest of the guys along, but we did hear from Steve (Bear) who was in the area and phoned us, so that was a plus.

Oddly, our cell phones worked in the swamp. I wonder if the FAA tower has cell phone transponders?

 

[woodjin]

Great summary of the hike and fantastic pictures, Bob. Really, really good!

 

[manumuskin]

I just found this....Great!!! Nice spring! I know a spring on spring hills sw side if you guys don't know of it I can post coords.I have an old collapsed pit hooch along papooses east branch,west side of creek.a fell in log hogan,used to do survival stuff there.
Al

 

[Teegate]

Great photo's Bob. I especially liked the one of Jeff from behind on Spring Hill.

Guy

 

[manumuskin]

39.76977° N 74.47012° W

There is a spring here at the head of Britches Branch. I was at it in the winter.Don't know if it fluctuates with the water table or is always at the same place.When I was there it was a very heavy seep/welling up.

 

[woodjin]

Some additional pictures of the Papoose hike

http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery...are-_-Personal-_-shareCopyLink-_-Sharer-_-Top

 

[woodjin]

oh yeah, one more. This was one big coyote. Probably 50lbs +

http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery...are-_-Personal-_-shareCopyLink-_-Sharer-_-Top

 

[Hewey]

Looks like you boys had a killer day! Great report and pictures! Sorry I had to miss this one.

Chris

 

[Teegate]

Thanks for the photo's Jeff!

Guy

 

[Boyd]

I had a great explore with you guys. Our approximate track.

Very cool. I wasn't quite sure where you were talking about until I saw that map. I love that area but it can be rough going off the trails. This is one of the places I've been working on, so since I have it handy, here's the full resolution LIDAR image combined with my road and hydro data. The NHD data shows the stream to the East of your hike as "Papoose Branch", and doesn't give a name to the other one. Maybe it's the Western Papoose Branch ?

 

[bobpbx]

Very slick, and very accurate Mr. Boyd! The branch we went up is the second from the right. It is the second largest of the tributaries, and we called it the West Branch. The East Branch is the one furthest on the right.

When I say we have to "bull" through things, it is an accurate description for sure. That area on top of the hill is very dense with dwarf trees.

PS: are you in good shape? Come with us sometime. You'll love the subtle nuances of the land.

 

[manumuskin]

is that west virginia?

 

[bobpbx]

is that west virginia?

Yes, I live in the holler on the right, near ta where Billy Joe Bob lives. Bout half a click from the McCoy homestead.

 

[manumuskin]

Yes, I live in the holler on the right, near ta where Billy Joe Bob lives. Bout half a click from the McCoy homestead.

I always knew you was a flatwoods hillbilly at heart