Father's Day Hike in Fundy Park

 Father's Day hike

This Father's Day my brother, his fiancee, and I went hiking with our dad in Fundy National Park. The sunny day faded as fog greeted us at the park boundary. The Moosehorn - Laverty Falls Trail is a favourite of my dad's so we headed there and found a nearly empty parking lot. A surprise, considering this is one of the Park's most popular trails and it was Father's Day. We dressed for the damp weather but within 15 minutes the temperature began rising and throughout the hike it steadily grew warmer.

We decided to hike into Laverty Falls, then follow the trail downriver past the pools, and return to the parking lot on the Moosehorn Trail. Hiking the trail in this direction was a first for me, usually I'd wanted to save Laverty fall for the end. But from now on I'll always walk to Laverty first then head down river.

The trail to Laverty Fall is wide and rutted but if you can take your eyes off the ground you'll see a wonderful example of a real Acadian forest. Yellow birch, gnarled with age, thrust up like great outstretched hands - fingers the size of normal trees. If you look through the open forest you'll see the dark, scaly bark of red spruce that shoot like arrows through the canopy. There's even a big hollow tree you can stand inside and have your picture taken.

We paused at Laverty Falls, then proceeded down river. I love this portion of the trail as it follows the river you can see how the banks are built of deposited gravel and cobble - at times the river cuts into the bank exposing cobble several feet deep. As the river valley widens it takes on a mountainous feel - alders and wildflowers grow in the flood plain along side the occasional boulder.

This deep pool was so good for swimming. 

All of a sudden geology changes drastically and the river is squeezed through a channel of solid rock - leaving a bubbling wake to settle in a deep clear pool. We stopped here for lunch and with perfect timing the sun started to burn a little hotter. That was enough to convince us to go for a swim. We braced ourselves for icy water but it was surprisingly warm - I was able to stay in comfortably for 15 minutes. We probed around the pool looking at giant carved stones and diving into deep clear water.

Bracing for the plunge but it turned out to be quite warm.

Even on an overcast day, the sun powered through the clouds reaching the rock and giving it heat to radiate back. Perfect for lazing about, eating, and drying off. We hiked back up to the parking lot on the Moosehorn Trail passing again through a beautiful lush forest. Along the way I wondered if the Park would consider connecting this trail to the Forks Trail just a little farther down the river. It would make a great loop, plus it would allow people to hike from Laverty Falls, and the Dobson Trail, for the entire length of the Upper Salmon River to Alma.

We finished the day off with a stop at Alma's new cafe, the Octupus's Garden where we got hot drinks, pastry, and sat on the patio. An excellent way to top off the day. I'm so glad Alma has a good cafe once again.

Father's Day is an excellent excuse to get outside. I hope you did something special with your dad.

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Fundy Trek Bday Challenge Update

The Trek starts in 4 days. I can't wait. I want to start now. And as I lay out my hiking schedule I am already feeling bummed that it'll be ending just a few days after I start.

Last night I sat at my kitchen table going over my itinerary once again, thinking about food, building my To Do list, and phoning trip partners. It felt like a night of mundane tasks but all important anyway. I waxed my hiking boots and waterproofed my raincoat.

The Good News from last night is that my friend Paul, a photographer, (http://paulmaybee.wordpress.com/) might be joining me from Saturday to Friday, finishing at Walton Glen so that he can meet up with family that is coming to visit him. We had a great experience hiking Turtle Mountain together this spring and I look forward to spending some more time on the trail with him. Plus he's an excellent photographer.

I plan to Start Saturday in Riverview and finish Friday night at the Big Salmon River.

So Far this is what the itinerary looks like:

Saturday (July 25th) Dobson Trail - Riverview to Campsite past Hayward Pinnacle.
Sunday, Dobson Trail/Fundy Park - Into Alma, or camp just before Alma.
Monday, Fundy Park - Pick up my backpacking equipment in Alma, Hike to Pt. Wolfe
Tuesday, Fundy Footpath - Pt. Wolfe to Martin Head/Quiddy River
Wednesday, Fundy Footpath - Martin Head/Quiddy River to Little Salmon River
Thursday, Walton Glen Canyon - Explore the Walton Glen Canyon. Camp at Little Salmon.
Friday, Fundy Footpath - Little Salmon River to Big Salmon River.

I look forward to having the wilderness amplify my inner dialogue and the opportunity to capture this in writing and drawings.

Getting ready for the Fundy Trek reminds me of a hike I did around the same time last summer. While visiting friends in Waterton National Park I had the opportunity to solo-hike the Tamarack Trail in two days. It was an amazing trail up and down the gravelly red mountains in a dry smokey heat. Forest fires burned across the border in Montana and snow lingered in the mountains.


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Fundy Trek....18 Days to go!

The Fundy Coastline from Martin Head (photo credit Greg McCracken)

Join me on the Fundy Trek between July 26th and August 1st
for my 24th Birthday Challenge.

I decided that this year for my 24th birthday I needed to set a challenge for myself. I guess it all started last year when for my birthday I climbed the Cardiac Arrete Route on the Grand Sentinel near Lake Louise. At the time it was slightly over my head. I'd never tried anything like it before. My friend James and I hiked over 28 km that day, with 800m elevation, and froze our asses on a 4 pitch 5.10c sport route. We stumbled back to the car in the empty parking lot at dusk with smiles on our faces. It was the best birthday in a long time and an excellent way to start my 23rd year. Check out these incredible birthday challenges, http://www.birthdaychallenge.com/index2.html.

After throwing around a lot of ideas I have finally settled on attempting the Fundy Trek. It's a ~125km trail from Riverview to St. Martin's through the dramatic Fundy Highlands. I got the idea from www.fundyfootpath.info. This will be a challenge for me since (1) I've never completed a backpacking trip of this length. My trips in the past have been limited to 2-3 day hikes. (2) I'm unfamiliar with these trails.

The Trek links the 50 year old Dobson Trail (~ 60 km) with the renowned Fundy Footpath (~45km), with trails in Fundy National Park (~20km). The Fundy Trek traverses some of this regions most wild places. Last summer on an overnight hike to Martin Head, my Dad and I found Mossy Rainforests, Giant Hardwoods, Huge Waterfalls, beaches, incredible coastal cliffs. We are so lucky to have this wilderness in our backyard. In fact it was recently designated at a UNESCO Fundy Biosphere Reserve due to its unique biological and geological nature. This hike has garnered a reputation as a serious physical challenge with heady logistics due to the many river crossing near the world's high tides! As it says on the Fundy Footpath website, "This is where the Appalachians meet the Sea".

For practical reasons I decided to delay my "birthday challenge" until the end of July. (My Birthday is July 16th, I'll have a mini-challenge on that day). I'm taking the last week of July off work (27th to 31st), which gives me 9 days to work with. My current plan is to start in Riverview around the 26 or 27th of July. I plan to hike the Dobson Trail as fast and light as possible. When I arrive in Alma I'll pick up my extra gear and food before starting the Fundy Footpath. Mid-way along the Fundy Footpath I want to take a day to explore the Eye of the Needle and the cliffs of Walton Glen Canyon. Check out these links:
http://waterfallsnewbrunswick.ca/?p=210
http://doingstuffoutdoors.com/2007/11/19/through-the-eye-of-the-needle/

The trail has several sections, providing ample opportunities for others to join me for 1 to 4 day chunks. I've learnt that hiking is more enjoyable with people and my hope is that others will come along to share the experience. I've found that the best number for backpacking trips is 3-5 people.

Here are some Options for joining me:
Major Sections:
- Dobson trail (2-3 days)
- Fundy Park (1-2 days)
- Footpath (4 days)
- the whole thing! (6-8 days.)
Minor Sections:
- Join me from Hayward Pinnacle near Elgin and hike to Shepody Road in the Park. ~ 20 km?
- Shepody Road to Alma in Fundy National Park. ~15 km?
- Alma to Goose Creek in Fundy National Park. ~15 km?
- Martin Head to St. Martins (accessible by logging road with a truck). ~35 km

In the coming days I'll be providing more information about my itinery. Please contact me if you are interested in joining me or have advice on trail logistics. Contact me at grhmwgh@gmail.com or 506.647.6588


A Misty Morning at the Mouth of the Quiddy River near Martin Head. Look at the size of this Valley. Think about what it took to create that. Now look at the photograph below. My Dad snapped that photo near the start of our hike. Again its the Quiddy River but wait a minute, how did that little river create such a big Valley? The glaciers that flattened the tops of these appalachian mountains also eroded huge river valleys. And those valleys are what make the Fundy Foot path so demanding.

Trail Info
Fundy Footpath http://www.fundyfootpath.info/
Dobson Trail http://timestranscript.canadaeast.com/rss/article/497528
Fundy National Park http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/nb/fundy/index_e.asp