Asquamchamauke River headwaters 4/5/09

[Jason Berard]

A few friends and I decided to spend Sunday in the Church of the Great Blue Dome We decided an adventure to the headwaters of the Baker River up in Jobildunc Ravine would fit the bill. We hiked up the Ravine Lodge Road to the Ridge trail, and then took that into the beginning of the ravine before we broke off into the woods. The Jobildunc Ravine is a wild place, with little evidence that it was heavily logged in the early part of the 20th C. We headed off into the Fir/Birch forest towards the headwall and saw lots of moose-browsed trees, some big tracks, some of which looked canine, and some feline. The upper reaches of the cirque were something to admire! At the bottom of the bowl is a marshy/pond type area which was all frozen over. From the middle of this we could see 360 degrees up towards the ridges that encircled us. Moosilauke to the south, the headwall of the ravine ahead of us, and the sides of Mt. Jim and Waternomee to the north. The ice on the headwall looked interesting...but I'm not a climber so I can't give any useful descriptions of difficulty, etc. On the way out, we saw the biggest black bear tracks I've ever seen! They were as long as the span of my hand, which is 9"!
Here are a few pics, but I hope Jazzbo and Marty will post some as well! Mine do not do the place justice!

full album here http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/570846147jCNaOA

 

[Fisher Cat]

Excellent location to visit! Hopefully there will be more pics up soon! A question: As you approached the headwall was there any area that would resemble a "meadow" to the east? I guess in with snowcover the only indication of such would be the lack of trees without being able to see bare ground?

 

[Jason Berard]

Thanks, Fisher cat. There were two spots that were open, but they were both basically vary small ponds...really glorified puddles. I'd guess they were both the size of Star Lake.

 

[Fisher Cat]

Well, the "marshy/pond type" description may fit for the purposes I'm interested in. The description I mentioned of a "meadow" area is from a long time ago and could easily have grown in somewhat so marshy could have been just as close to the original intent.

We went up Moosilauke awhile ago via Gorge Brook and we got done much sooner than anticipated. On our descent I thought we had so much time we could divert up there as well because for historical reasons its a very interesting area. Then the weather went in the hopper so we decided to pass. I want to get back up in there.

 

[David Metsky]

There's a big swamp in Jobildunc Ravine, it moves around a bit as the beavers change things. Not much pure open space but if you were to look down when the leaves are off the trees it would probably look pretty open.

And incidentally, the headwaters of the Asquamchamauke are usually considered Deer Lake, a swampy area up on the ridge just off the old (now relocated) Beaver Brook trail.

 

[marty]

Hey Jason,
nice report on a really cool trip with a great group. Talk about wild country! This is definitely one of the real hidden gems in the Whites.

It is apparently a closely guarded secret, with lines of defense drawn for all approaching. That is the only way one could explain the ingeniously designed and infinitely numbered spruce traps which each of us fell into at least 50 times. There was one that Jazzbo fell in that required Jason and me to dig him out. Another was a trap that had a sharply pointed dead branch next to it, which I almost fell on and impaled myself like the bear in the movie The Edge. I have since come to wonder if the local bear whose prints we saw designed that trap itself to get a large meal. I am somewhat thin, however, so it would have been disappointed with the quality of its catch. I did manage to twist my knee in that nasty trap and I am suspecting there may be some real damage, but am still not sure.

Anway, great hiking choice, Jason. Nice to see you again and great to finally meet Jazzbo

BTW, I did not bring my camera, so no pix from me.

Marty

 

[Fisher Cat]

BTW, I did not bring my camera, so no pix from me.

Marty

Darn! Alright Jazzbo, its up to you!

 

[Jason Berard]

I hope the knee is nothing serious, Marty!

The were some epic spruce traps! There is at least 4-5 feet still on the floor of the ravine. The snow was so full of air, with just a meager crust over it that we were falling in traps left and right! I think we did better when we spread out, instead of following each others tracks.....

 

[Jason Berard]

And incidentally, the headwaters of the Asquamchamauke are usually considered Deer Lake, a swampy area up on the ridge just off the old (now relocated) Beaver Brook trail.

You know, Dave, that makes sense now that you say it. I was surprised that the river was running so well as close to the headwall as we were....

 

[carole]

There's a big swamp in Jobildunc Ravine,

I think we were navigated quite nicely through the middle of it

It is apparently a closely guarded secret, with lines of defense drawn for all approaching... BTW, I did not bring my camera, so no pix from me.

Some pictures are forbidden

 

[RoySwkr]

At one time I made a project on traveling the entire length of the Baker River from Mt Moosilauke to Plymouth, using a canoe starting at the gorge by Rte.118. For the upper section, I bushwhacked from the then-AT down over the headwall which had some metal rods in it that were once anchors for something.

 

[Jazzbo]

My photos

I've been borrowing my wife's camera until I can replace the one I dropped down the ravine on Scar Ridge. Yesterday I discovered how easy it is to move the slider that turns on "Video Mode". To my chagrin all pictures I took while we in beautiful bowl below the headwall were taken in video mode. :-( So FWIW I'm posting here links to these videos on webshots. I did manage to catch the headwall with somewhat less clouds.

http://outdoors.webshots.com/video/3024671390088087945RXkjTa

This one shows Jason snowshoeing across the boggy meadow.

http://outdoors.webshots.com/video/3026037410088087945yMTCXA

This one shows the view with headwall to your back and looking out over the lip of the cirque (or bowl).

http://outdoors.webshots.com/video/3046606010088087945teWtng

The watercrossings were interesting. Snow bridges are gone for most part leaving deep chasms. Footbridges have monorails that can be tricky. Here's a shot of Bill with skis and poles in hand attempting to negotiate a monorail that's as tall as the handrail. Don't fall in Bill!!!

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This was a mixed media hike. Bill and Kevin had BC skis and rest of us wore snowshoes. Overall I'd say the skiers had the edge on the snowshoers .... metal edge that is. Snowpack was getting spotty at Ravine Lodge gate elevation of 2100'.

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I'd say this warm rain we're getting tonight will have big impacts on snow cover and streams.

 

[Fisher Cat]

Here's why I'm interested, and it goes a little something like this....(I'm sure many of us have heard this before, but it bears repeating)

After the raid on St Francis of Oct 4, 1759, Rogers Ranger's begin their retreat through VT and eventually NH. They can't go back the way they came as their canoes have been bottomed out and word is out of what has happened. Rogers, under pressure from his subordinates and the fact that they are low, if not out, of provisions (but are carrying plenty of plunder from the mission's church) and with the knowledge they are being pursued by the French & Abenakis (approx. 200) decide to break into small groups and meet at various locations on the CT river. One group, headed by Bradley, arrives at modern day Littleton. One of them is from Rumford (now Concord, NH) and decides to head east to catch the Merrimack River. Unfortunately, they believe they are farther south than they really are. They end up following the Israel River instead and are now approaching the Presi's. Many die of starvation. Bradley's body is found the next year by Jeffersonians in an area hemmed in by Old Cherry Mtn Rd and Hardwood Ridge. Four more bodies of Rangers are found 20 yrs later near the high point of Jefferson Notch Road, their packs and muskets intact, though rotting. Bradley's party is that which was carrying the Silver Madonna of the mission church. Three of the party, Jacobs, Pomery, and Stephen Hoit, leave the party prior to its disintegration and head southwest.

Several years later Hoit's body is found on Timber Island on Lake Winnipesaukee. Upon his person is his snuffbox marked "S. Hoit". He got far, but is believed to have floated to the island to avoid pursuit from, not Abenakis who could overrun him on an island, but wolves.

Pomeroy is carrying what survivors recorded as a ruby ring "as big as an eye". Him and Jacobs make it all the way to Moosilauke. He collapses and gives up the ghost, perishing from famine. As recorded by those who recovered his body, it is found in the "meadow" of a ravine, which is today known as Jobildunc Ravine. Jacobs gets farther and collapses as well. While he is on the move, he happens to cross a trappers lines. Within but a few days as the trapper checks his lines, he finds the human footprints and finds Jacobs, alive, but barely. Returning him to his cabin, located at the crux of Gorge and Baker brooks, he nurses him back to health over the winter and returns him the next spring to civilization. From there Jacobs is lost to history. Did he seize the ruby from Pomery after his death? Was he aware of it? Or, is it still in the ravine near the spot of Pomery's death? Its a mystery.

I'm not a treasure hunter. Just cursed with a vivid imagination and the realization that before any of us hiked into these areas, many did before, sometimes under perilous if not tragic circumstances.

Jazzbo, thanks for the vids! I like them and appreciate them a lot! You guys had a great trip into an area I've wanted to visit.

 

[David Metsky]

There's no meadow up there now, just swamp.

 

[Fisher Cat]

There's no meadow up there now, just swamp.

And, I imagine the beaver activity over the course of time has obviously had an effect on the terrain.

 

[Jazzbo]

Good story Fisher Cat

Thanks for the cool story of Rogers Rangers. I've voraciously read all the Kenneth Roberts books. You apparently have more extensive sources than Roberts had in his books. Benedict Arnold's expedition to Quebec is another legendary trek through Bigelow Region and thence to Quebec via the Chain of Ponds.

My videos aren't worth the trouble. Webshots interface for video is terrible. My son Peter is also tyiing up our internet connection with some big downloads. Maybe this area is better left to imagination. We can always go back. If you go, we found the west side of the valley had more open woods and easier traveling than the east side. We entered via east side and managed to locate old dugway that was plainly the original trail, but it was pretty overgrown.

 

[spencer]

If you see the Doc, say Hello for me..

If you see a red spot with a white spot in the center on your partner's neck, run like hell........................................

 

[Jazzbo]

If you see the Doc, say Hello for me..

If you see a red spot with a white spot in the center on your partner's neck, run like hell........................................

I messed and finagled around with the movies and managed to convert images to jpg files. Not up to my usual quality, but just to get some picture up here showing better view of headwall and surroundings I'm pasting some pics in here.

Couple of shots of the Jobildunc headwall. Doesn't show up in these, but there was noble big ice bulge in the slide area to the right.

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Jason approaching across the boggy meadow

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Looking south over the lip of the cirque

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Moosilauke Spur Ridge to west

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[David Metsky]

There's a fellow of legend who lives up there. Some strange, unexplained disappearances have been blamed on him. Doc Benton was his name, back when people spoke to him ... and lived.

 

[peakbagger]

One of these days, I have to go back an finish an ascent of the headwall per Dave's memory