Ride to the Headwaters Sum-Up

Was it a success? I think this photo sums it up. I snapped it on the flat stretch coming into Corn Hill just a couple miles from home. All in all, a perfect ride. A hundred and some kilometers in about 5 hours. No flats, no breakdowns, good pavement, great views, plenty of water, and a new sense of how compact Southern New Brunswick is.

Smiling on the final stretch into Corn Hill

I realized as I left my appartment in Saint John at 2 pm, that I was nervous. I thought, this is good. It means I'm doing something beyond my comfort zone. Raindrops made me hesitate as I crossed the Courtney Bay causeway but I carried on. It was a boring ride through Loch Lomond and traffic was steady until I passed the airport. I am blown away by the size of Loch Lomond (the lake). I stopped to drink some of its water that I had brought from my tap at home.

After that it was quiet back roads through Upham, Upperton, Hillsdale and all the way to Hammondvale. I followed the Hammond River past fresh cut Hay fields and cow pastures. This was a very mellow and peaceful section of biking. I used this opportunity to snack on carrots and trail mix that filled my pockets. As I turned toward Sussex Corner I crossed the Hammond River for the last time and began a section of big fast hills. Hills so long that on the way down you reach terminal velocity.

And old barn in Hillsdale with one summit of Saddleback Mountain in the background


Looking over spokes at the community at farm country near Sussex Corner

Wide open fields near Sussex Corner

I made it to Sussex Corner, hooped and hollered to myself, then swung through downtown to get water at Winter Wood Natural Foods. Being on my bike for the first time in Sussex it occured to me that this is a perfect town for day to day biking. Its completely flat and relatively compact.

The last section of biking, Sussex to Corn Hill, I knew would be the toughest. Not only because I was getting tired but because its got lots of hills.

Hesitant rain started falling as I left Sussex but it wasn't enough to slow me down. Once you get moving on a bike its psychologically hard to stop. After a few kilometers the rain stopped and the warm wind dried my shirt. I past more freshly cut Hay fields, big barns, and front yard vegetable gardens. My pedalling slowed on the straight aways and now I was for the first time using the easiest of my ten speeds on most of the hills. With about 12 kilometers to go I decided it was time to pull out my secret weapon...Sauerkraut! I ate a few mouthfuls of my homemade energizer and life flowed back into my legs. I'm not sure what it is about homemade fermented sauerkraut but it gives a huge rush of nearly hyperactive energy.

Looking west down the valley towards Sussex

The last hill, the killer, just before pulling into my parents' driveway

My dad biked out to join me for the last kilometer and together we sped our way up the final hill which just also happens to be steepest hill of the entire route! And as we turned into my parent's drive way, it started to rain. Which is a fitting way to end the journey to the top of a watershed. That night we enjoyed a delicious meal from my parents' organic vegetable garden, topped off with homemade strawberry ice cream from their garden's final berries.

Good Food from the Garden at my folks' place

local motion, graham waugh, bicycling, new brunswick, sussex, saint john, cycling, bike, birthday challenge

Ride to the Headwaters - mini Birthday Challenge

Biking the backroads of Southern New Brunswick

Looking across the Saint John - Petitcodiac Watershed Divide in Corn Hill

This afternoon, for my mini Birthday Challenge (the real deal is the Fundy Trek), I'm bicycling from my house at the Mouth of the Saint John River to the Headwaters of one of it major tributaries, the Kennebecasis River. I grew up in Corn Hill which forms the watershed divide between two of New Brunswick's famous rivers- the Saint John and the Petitcodiac. A good birthday challenge should provide some reflection. As a kid I was obsessed with the creeks near our house, the puddles in our driveway, and even a good rainstorm. So for my 24th birthdday it's fitting to retrace my path through the river network back to Corn Hill.

Since I'm dedicating my ride to water I thought I'd start by tracing the taps from my house back to their source at Loch Lomond in East Saint John. Beyond this I'll continue through Barnesville, Upham, and Hillsdale following the beautiful Hammond River Valley (http://www.hraa.ca/). Near the community of Hammondvale I'll part with this river and head towards Sussex Corner, joining Trout Creek shortly, before I leave Sussex and begin to follow Smiths Creek to Corn Hill.

While watersheds collect and concentrate the rain, our backroads reflect century old carriage paths that took people and their goods from farm to village to town and city. From the hinterlands of the Kennebecasis Watershed, people for thousands of years have walked and floated downstream to Saint John. These age old paths are now paved and impersonal but they can be tamed once again on foot or bike.

I love hearing the old stories of farmboys from Corn Hill biking the 25 km into Sussex for a Friday night dance then biking home again in the wee hours of the night. Although I doubt it would be much fun to ride a single speed bike on those bumpy old dirt roads, the idea of riding my bike get somewhere is very appealing. Biking home today is about more than just a physical challenge, I frankly need to get home. Its my Dad's big 60th birthday party on Saturday and I have a whole day of work to our place ready for it!

As my friend Ross often reminds me, human bodies evolved for motion. We can walk and run more efficiently than any other land animal. And the invention of the bike in the early 1800's increased the efficiency of our human potential once again. Last night I got a lesson on bike mechanics from my friend Lucas, the bike mechanic, as he fixed up my old Nishiki road bike on his backdeck. It's been a couple years since I pedalled 100km. I'll see how it feels to be an efficient human...probably painful :)
graham waugh, local motion, biking, bicycling, cycling, birthday challenge, corn hill, sussex, saint john, kennebecasis, hammond river,


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The High Rollers of Kings County

Thump thump thump, my heart pounds in my throat as I take three leaps up the scree slope and brace into a tree. Wiping sweat from my eyes I look for cliffs through the lush jungle. After I left the car this morning, the sun came out to cook the week's rain turning the valley into a muggy greenhouse. The climbing is slow but at least the elevation provides a benchmark for my progress. I'm drawn up this hill to a silent cliff that flanks the ridge.

I spied the cliff last winter while driving back to Sussex after hiking with my dad near St. Martin's. Driving home through the Hammond River Valley my face was glued to the window staring up at the big swollen mountains covered in snow and hardwoods. These are the remains of old Appalachian Mountains. Smoothed over millions of years into high whale-like ridges and giant building waves ready to crash into the valleys below. In this High Roller Country, the names of the communities speak the narrative of the land; Hillsdale, Upham, Upperton, and Mount Prospect.

I jog up the last of the scree slope and reach the base of the brown cliff. Whoa. What I saw from the road was just the forehead of the cliff face. Below the canopy the cliff runs along for a couple hundred meters. In most places it rises over 50 feet to break through the canopy. I explore the base, skirting around fern covered boulders, and admiring the rock formations. I startle a turkey vulture which explodes over my head and breaks into flight over the valley, joining its partner in arching turns.

I scramble around to reach the top, finding a perch overlooking the valley. In front of me the Hammond River snakes below a wide green mountain. To the East I can just see the back of Saddleback Mountain, and to the Southwest I can see the wedge of Mt. Prospect steeply rising above Upperton. Pristine White clouds pile up into the blue sky and sun is catching mist rising out of the forest. I sit there imagining hiking and skiing trails coursing through these hills. Hardwood forests, steep climbs, ridge and gaps. The raw ingredients are here among the High Rollers of Kings County.

Growing up in New Brunswick, I didn't imagine places like this existing around here. I thought they were only found in far away exotic destinations. This little cliff may be no comparison to soaring cliffs of the Rockies but remember that this is not the Rockies. This is here. We are here. You might just find that the surprise in your backyard holds more significance than a tourist destination half a world away. Since coming back to New Brunswick I have been finding more and more wild areas just like this. The unexpected discoveries suddenly fill spaces in my mind the size of Mountains. And I've realized that I can have my life here and adventure too!

Unfortunately I forgot my camera that day :(
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DIY:
I encourage you to explore the High Rollers of Kings County. If you spend a bit of time driving (or biking) around the hills south of Hampton ( Titusville-Upham-Upperton-Hillsdale) you'll soon find a ridge or mountain that catches your eye. Pack some food and safety gear (compass, whistle, map, etc.) and go exploring. Remember that this area is almost entirely private land, so be respectful of that. I'll also warn you that bushwhacking is hard work, progress may be slow. It's also easy to get disorientated and loose your bearings. You're blind exploring now could someday help the development of trails in this area. The country roads in this area would also make for an excellent day of cycling.