Physical Location Information

General Description of Location:

This is a forested area. A high embankment overlooks the river on the east and on the west side the ground level is low with an area of old growth cedars we call the “cedar flats", as well as a large meadow.
 

East Side of the River:

Base Camp:  Located at the top of the river embankment (on the map, a light orange line indicates the edge of the embankment) Base Camp is comprised of a large clearing with a fire pit (open gray circle) and a covered shelter on the edge of the embankment (rectangle). About fifty feet south of the shelter, also on the edge of the embankment, is an old growth oak tree (solid gray circle).

The Embankment:  (indicated by a light orange line on the map) is roughly fifty feet high where base camp is located. It is very steep and densely forested with cedar, poplar, oak, pine and maple. Trees are a mixture of old growth, saplings, and all stages in-between, as well as a lot of undergrowth and the usual forest rubble. Directly below base camp, an area of the embankment has been somewhat cleared. There are still many trees here, but some of the lower branches have been clipped off and small trees along the water’s edge have been removed to give the team better sight lines across the river for our night vision scopes.

River’s Edge below Base Camp:  At the bottom of the embankment the bank varies in width from a few feet wide with uneven ground and many tangled roots, to more level areas that can be ten feet wide in places.

The River:  is approximately seventy feet wide directly below base camp. Just north of base camp, at the bottom of the game trail, the river is slightly wider, roughly eighty feet wide. River depth is shallow below camp. In spring it can be 2 ½ feet deep, with a treacherous current. By late summer, if there hasn’t been much rain through the season, it may only be 1 ½ to 2 feet deep. It runs a bit slower then, but still has a good current.

The River Bed:  is comprised of a mixture of sand, round river rock, and good sized boulders. Ten feet out from the base of the game trail, the river bed is made up of sand and small pebble-sized rocks. From there to about one-third of the way across, there are mostly 1” to 4” round river rocks interspersed with sand. From that point west to the opposite bank, irregular shaped boulders of approx. 1 to 1 1/2 feet are strewn randomly across the remaining width of river bed, intermixed with round fist-sized river rocks, making walking in the fast flowing current difficult and slow in daylight, and extremely treacherous at night. For a person to navigate the river in daylight they must walk very carefully, keeping a close eye out for where they’re stepping at all times if they don’t want to break or twist an ankle. The current moves quite rapidly as well, even when the water is low, and can sweep you off your feet if you’re not paying close enough attention to what you’re doing.

Game Trail:  is approximately seventy feet north of base camp. It leads from the riverbank up the steep embankment. Exposed tree roots create natural steps up the embankment in some places. The game trail has been there for over 30 years and is used by all kinds of wildlife in the area.

The Point:  is roughly 370 feet north of base camp. Here the river embankment reaches a high point of approximately seventy to eighty feet.

North Woods:  is a large forested area that covers many square miles.

West Side of the River:

Cedar Flats/Cedar Grove:  On the west side of the river, directly across from base camp, the land elevation is just a few feet above the river. We call this low area the cedar flats, because it is filled with old growth Northern White Cedar (Thuja occidentalis). There are wide spans of 10 to 15 feet between some of the cedars, while others cluster together in denser groves. As is typical with old growth cedars, most of the live growth is found about a third of the way up, with the healthiest branches toward the tops of the trees which are 75 to 100 feet tall. The bottom branches of these large trees are mostly dead, have no foliage, and are rather hazardous to walk beneath, since they are spiky and sharp, and hang at eye level or below. In many places the sharp branches bend quite low to the ground, making it difficult to walk under them without stooping into a crouch and shielding your eyes and the top of your head.

The forest floor in the cedar grove is predominantly dry hard-packed earth, with some fern growth closer to the river. The ground beneath the cedars is covered with tree needles and litter, as well as many dead, broken branches. Growing near the river edge are several younger Northern White Cedars that are roughly 40 to 50 feet tall. Their foliage is thick and green right down to close to ground level, which blocks vision into the cedar grove from Base Camp. Mosses, reeds and grasses grow close along the river’s edge here as well.

Cedar Bog:  is an area to the south within the cedar grove and close to the river’s edge where several low-lying areas are filled with black muck-like soil in amongst the many cedar roots.

Meadow:  Toward the back of the cedar grove, the ground slopes up about 20 ft. to a higher elevation and a large open meadow.
 
Clearing:  is an open area approximately 150 feet wide to the north of the cedar grove. North of the clearing, forest begins again and follows the river to the north.