Boundary Mtn via Border Swath 9/2/06

[Paradox]

Well, Zippy, Chips and I got up around 6 am and drove to the end of the road which is at Cupsuptic Pond. This is a peach site for camping, but it is signed “No Camping” and I didn’t want to risk an international incident. The “Cupsuptic Pond Road” as labeled in the DeLorme Atlas is signed “Border Crossing Road” and takes you within 0.6 miles of the border swath. The walk along the swath is a very interesting one, though I shall be brief here, because it has been described very well by others on this board. I also have added some detailed captions to the pictures.

A few random thoughts and observations:

We did see two cow moose at a salt lick, but Zippy chased them off before I could get my camera ready.

There are some great views from the summit and slopes of Boundary and along the way so this trip is definitely not just a check off.

We placed the new canister and register on the summit of Boundary but it needs a better bracket. I have started another thread on that.

It was very boggy in the first quarter mile or so and then in the half mile section that is closest to Dennison Bog. Most of the rest of it is a very easy traverse and you can follow ATV tracks much of the way.

The monuments and markers are a random distance apart. The distance between monuments from 446 up to 452 are: 0.76, 0.60, 0.50, 0.43, 0.91, 1.28 miles. Marker 445-6 is about 15 feet from monument 446. The distance between markers does not correspond to miles or kilometers either. I’m sure it means something to the surveyors or the Border Commission.

The only people I saw along the swath was a group of 4 people who were working on their hunting camp.

It took 4:20 to get from Cupsuptic Pond to the Boundary summit and 2:20 to get back.

PM me if you want a good place to camp or want to discuss the route I took back through Quebec (cuts off two hours).

I want to thank Kevin Rooney, Mohamed Ellozy, Papa Bear, Nate, docross, and bobandgeri for the information in their trip reports.
Pictures and Map

 

[Papa Bear]

...
The monuments and markers are a random distance apart. The distance between monuments from 446 up to 452 are: 0.76, 0.60, 0.50, 0.43, 0.91, 1.28 miles. Marker 445-6 is about 15 feet from monument 446. The distance between markers does not correspond to miles or kilometers either. I’m sure it means something to the surveyors or the Border Commission.
...

The small boundary markers (like this one) were placed at every point where the border changes directions. The border is defined as a series of straight lines (no curves) so basically where ever they had to set up a tripod to see forward to the next turn, and back to the last turn is where you will find a mark. Some will also be on the very crest of a rise where the site line to the next mark over the hill (even if it's in a straight line) would be blocked. You can almost get to a point where you can predict where they are (although some are hard to find and some are probably gone).

I don't know what the rule is for the big monuments, but I think they are for the most part in saddles where the surveyors were sure the divide was located (headwaters to streams would be on either side, and often the saddle would be boggy). I'm guessing they found the saddles first and put in the big monuments, then went up along the ridge line between saddles and just winged it. That's why the highest points are sometimes a little off the boundary on one side or the other, where theoretically the line should go through every high point on the divide.

I've ordered a document from the IBC on the 1915-1916 survey - maybe it will explain everything.