Baker's Pond

2/26/12
Baker’s Pond
    A group of us drove up to Baker’s Pond to explore the source of the Wolf River. John brought his single seat canoe in hopes of being the first person to put a boat into Baker’s Pond.  We carried the canoe the half mile through the pine forest and over the red loess ridge to the shallow, clear water pond studded with cypress stumps. We climbed the steps up the bluff and followed the trail to the pond’s outlet. John put in here and toured the pond. On the return, he found a log protruding from the shore that could provide an easier launching point. Each of us took turns paddling the pond. The log didn’t quiet reach the water, but it was easy to slide the canoe through the slick mud to the launching point. The pond was only three feet deep at the most. During my turn, I noticed a fish box in the middle of the pond. Clearly, we weren’t the first to float the pond. I didn’t see any fish, but apparently someone was attempting to breed them here.
    Next we drove to National Forest land near Goose Nest Lake. The lake is private, and we avoided it. However, the road leading past it is public and allows entrance to the forest. As we walked down the road, we noticed several deer stands, a game camera and a steel trap. Anyone entering here should be aware that a large amount of hunting takes place in this area. We turned left off the road and walked about a hundred yards through the woods to find a sand bottomed ditch with a shallow trickle of water.  When John was here last, the creek contained two feet of flowing water. We turned back to the road and walked toward a large beaver pond that we had seen when we first entered the forest. John led us through a tangle of small trees and brier bushes to a large beaver dam. The dam was old and pocked with holes that sucked water in spiraling swirls only to emerge into one of the streams on the lower side of the dam. Most of the vegetation was dead at this time but in a couple of months, leafy trees would block any passage here. We also found the feathers of a dead great blue heron along the pond side of the dam.
    We headed back to the Goose Nest Stream to explore it. We climbed down the slick red clay bank to a sand bar and took pictures. Some of the guys walked down the stream to find the Baker’s Pond Stream. The Goose Nest Stream had twice the flow of water and a higher altitude. It is more likely to be the true source of the Wolf.
    From what we had seen so far, it is obvious that the Wolf springs from many different sources. According to the national forest sign, Baker’s Pond was just on of them. John said that the locals call this whole spring bed Baker’s Pond. I could see why. We were standing in the bottom of a spring filled valley surrounded by hills of red loess. I tried to imagine what it would have looked like before settlement. A bottom area comprised of beaver ponds and streams. It might have appeared as one large body of water.
    On the way back, we stopped at the house of someone who lives near Black jack Road. He gave us a tour of his land and even offered to let us camp there in the future. He explained that the government cut a canal to the right side of the river to straighten it out for barge traffic. Starting in the early 1900s, barges would carry grain from this county to Memphis. In the 1940s, trucks had replaced barges for shipping, so the canal was ignored and allowed to silt in. Even though it appears as a straight blue line on some maps, it is now a grassy field. The landowner also told us stories about the otters, snakes, beaver, deer and people that inhabit this area. Everyone we met was amazingly welcoming. It is refreshing to meet people that are genuine and nice.
    To end the day, we stopped at the Black Jack Road Bridge over the Wolf to take pictures and video of the setting sun. The sun was only a glow on the horizon as a beaver crossed the dark water to where we were standing. It saw John and turned back. However, it seemed to forget there were people on the right bank because it circled back only to turn around again. The beaver continued to circle until we left.