Just Walking to Town - Corn Hill to Sussex on Foot.

I've wanted to walk to Sussex for years. I suppose it all started when I heard stories about ol' Parker Coates. When he was young (we're talking long ago) he'd walk or bicycle into Sussex from Corn Hill for dances on the weekends. That was back when it was an old dirt road with more potholes than you could fill with a dumptruck. Then there is the stories of ol' Joe Dickie walking his cows to the market in Sussex. Nowadays with automobiles, no one walks like they did in the old days. So I thought, what the heck, people have walked long distances since the dawn of time. I might as well give it a try.

I got some maps and planned my route to sussex. The obvious path is to follow the roads but who wants to walk on roads?? So I outlined a route that would take me through the fields and forests of Knightville and over the top of Mount Pisgah. I'd always wanted to hike on top of Mount Pisgah, so why not include it in my trip to Sussex.

I set out from Corn Hill early on Friday morning on snowshoes and by lunch time I had made it to Giermend's German Deli in Knightville. I picked up some deliscious meats for lunch and carried on.

Near the end of the day I climbed onto Mount Pisgah, fought through birch thickets and came out in a gorgeous hollow near a fork in a brook. Exhausted from a couple hours of bushwhacking I decided to set up camp. I put together a simple tarp structure and enjoyed a hot supper as the sun went down.

I feel asleep to the sound of the babbling brook under a canopy of stars. I was awfully cozy that night, snug in my little nest.

Dawn crashed through the trees with an cutting light, but I just put my head deeper in my sleeping bag and kept sleeping. It's nice to sleep in a bit during winter camping to give the sun a chance to warm things up.

I climbed out of the hollow and found myself in a humongous clearcut. The mountain side was totally smoked! "What a disgrace" I thought. But at least you get good views from clearcuts. The sun was high, and in the blue sky I noticed two eagles circling in the thermals. I smashed and cursed my way through the clearcut's thick growth and breathed a sigh of relief when I arrived in an old hardwood forest. From there I could see Smith's Creek, Roachville, Sussex, Sussex Corner, Dutch Valley, and Penobsquis. It was stunning how much higher I was than the surrounding hills.

  Looking over the Sussex Valley. The town is just below the strange black dot.

After a quick lunch in the sun, I was ready for the final push to Sussex. After a steep descent, I hit a forest so thick that I could swim through it. But soon I began encountering a web of woodlot roads which tempted me and soon lead me off track and in the completely wrong direction. I started to realize where I was headed but refused to go back into the choking forest. So I carried on and with a heavy sigh, well actually more like a few F***'s. The wood's road brought me to the Knightville Road near Smith's Creek. I took off my snowshoes, strapped them on my pack and hoofed it the rest of the way to town on the road. Soon I was happy to be on the road. With the warm weather my snowshoes had been balling up with snow some terrible. As well, on the road I got to look up at, the hills I was looking down at from atop Mount Pisgah.

In the hot afternoon sun I arrived in Town and strolled downtown to get a beer at the Broadway Cafe. That was the perfect way to conclude my walk to town. Taking the time to get somewhere always makes the destination a whole lot more rewarding. This walk was probably the most rewarding trip I've done in recent years.

As spring arrives, consider taking a day to leave the car at home and walking to your closest town. Bring a lunch and a friend, and see what that distance feels like. You can follow the country roads, there's no need to contrive a bushwhacking adventure like I did.

graham waugh local motion sussex corn hill snowshoe hiking walking new brunswick wilderness adventure

Loch Alva Wilderness Trip

Loch Alva Wilderness Winter Trip

February 14th to 19th, 2010

6 Days on Snowshoes with Paul Maybee

Pulling sleds, sleeping in a tent, and living the good life. 

I learnt two important things on this trip:

1. Winter camping can be very comfortable and is more rewarding than summer camping. 

2. The Loch Alva Wilderness is unbelievably wild and gorgeous.

I encourage you to visit Paul's Blog for a fantastic photo-essay of our trip. I think he really captured the spirit of our time in the woods.  Just follow the link below.

http://paulmaybee.wordpress.com/

Day 1. Starting from the Highway near Westfield. 

Day 1. Pulling sleds on skidoo trails to Turtle Mountain.

Day 2. A day of exploring around Turtle Mountain. Here, Paul is bracing himself against the wind atop Turtle Mountain. 

Day 2. A new watersource is discovered! We collected a couple liters from the tart throughout the day.

Day 3. Dawn from the top of Turtle Mountain. 

Turtle Mountain's Rocky Summit. 

Day 3. Paul pulling a sled on Turtle Lake, Turtle Mountain in the Distance.

Day 3. Paul crossing Turtle Lake with ideal weather and snow conditions, Turtle Mountain in the Distance. 

 Day 3. Paul with Turtle Mountain in the distance. Notice the blue sky and sunglasses. Brilliant weather for traveling.

Day 4. Morning at our camp near Rocky Lakes. 

Day 4. Exploring the barrens around Rocky Lake.

Day 4. Black Spruce stab through the ground like Narwhales Tusks.

Day 5. Onward! Leaving Rocky Lakes after two days.  Paul with his trusty sled in tow. 

 

Day 5. On the big lake - Loch Alva.  Heading towards Green Ridge which is visible in the distance. 

 

Day 6. Admiring the old spruce on Green Ridge. 

Day 6. Leaving Green Ridge on our final day's travel to Musquash.

graham waugh local motion new brunswick sussex outdoors saint john hiking saint john snowshoe loch alva turtle mountain wilderness loch alva protected area camping new brunswick fredericton hiking

Loch Alva Wilderness Trip Catch Up

I'm back from the trip. First off, no it didn't rain on us and we weren't dragging our sleds through dirt despite brown landscapes in nearby Saint John and Fredericton.

The Loch Alva Mountains are a winter paradise! We had perfect snow conditions up there and real winter weather while the rest of Southern New Brunswick melted into Spring. It may be hard to believe but in New Brunswick the mountains drastically affect winter weather. In the Loch Alva Mountains, as well as the Fundy Highlands, just a few hundred feet of elevation means snows more and it melts less.

The Loch Alva Wilderness was full of surprises. Snowy lakes, granite boulders, wide open barrens, narrow valleys, bright hardwood stands, haunting black spruce bogs, and of course the crown jewel; granite topped, Turtle Mountain. It's an incredibly diverse area that is refreshing natural. As we trekked deeper into the heart of the wilderness, signs of humans faded away and we didn't see another person or hear a snowmobile until we finally descended into the cottage country on our last day.

That's all for now, I'll be posting more as I digest the experience. The trip gave me a lot to think about and ignited a fire in me to explore more of NB's forgotten places.

 

Paul atop Turtle Mountain

 

Crossing Turtle Lake, Turtle Mountain in the background.

Graham waugh saint john moncton fredericton outdoors loch alva turtle mountain adventure winter camping snowshoe paul maybee wilderness local motion sussex

Cold Comfort - Winter Camping Guide

Winter is here!  Welcome to the other half of the year!

Last winter I tried winter camping for my first time. A couple friends and I dragged two days of gear into Walton Glen Canyon for an unforgettable weekend. I'll never forget the stars that night, then waking up to crisp morning sunshine followed by a hot breakfast in bed. 

Winter camping in Walton Glen Canyon with Lucas, Cory, and Peter.

 I just came across this excellent introduction to winter camping on the Backpacker Magazine website. It's got some real useful information for someone thinking about trying winter camping plus some new ideas for the seasoned explorer. Everything from clothing, to cooking, and when to build a snowcave are covered in this easy to understand guide. And its not just for winter camping, weekend warriors will find lots of great tips of being comfortable on a cold Saturday afternoon.

I really like this little guide. I think you will too. So check it out and kick start your next winter adventure. Just follow the link below.

COLD COMFORT: WINTER CAMPING GUIDE

No crowds, no bugs: Winter camping holds rewards aplenty– once you master the gear and skills required to thrive in frigid climates.

you can also copy and paste this link into a new window:
http://www.backpacker.com/fall-gear-guide-09-cold-comfort-winter-camping-guide/skills/13513

local motion new brunswick moncton hiking skiing sussex snoeshoe  fundy walton glen graham waugh saint john winter camping

SW Miramichi Run

Early morning steam on the Miramichi.

Last weekend everything lined up for a perfect canoe trip along the South West Miramichi. The SW Miramichi is just one many branches of the Greater Miramichi System. We settled on a two day trip between Boiestown and Upper Blacksville. Friends and a local outfitter O'Donnells, tolds us that it was sure to have lots of water, no serious rapids, and enjoyable scenery.

All 14 paddlers, across two generations, met Friday night at a friend's cottage on the river near Boiestown. We enjoyed a relaxing evening on the shore watching the sunset around a bonfire. The sun was cooking in the morning as we loaded the canoes and pushed off into the first shallow rapids.

The river carried us along, passing beaches, hardwood stands, and camps. We dodged a handful of fly fishers and zipped through some mellow rapids. We stopped for a picnic lunch on cobble beach under the shade of maples. Later on we stopped for a swim at a narrow spot where we had fun floating with the fast current. I think we were all surprised how warm the water was.

After a full day of paddling ( and floating!) we passed Doaktown and began our search for a campsite. We had heard you could camp on the islands but weren't sure which one to pick. Of course flowing downstream doesn't give you much chance to compare islands. Once you're past an island it's gone. We landed on a cobble beach that looked suitable but found uneven cobble. There was head scratching, speculating, pacing, and canoes began searching the nearby shores. We heard of a better site downstream so a gang went investigate. We found a cathedral growth maple forest with ferns up to our waists. Nearby was a better cobble beach which held some hope for camping. We signalled for the other boats. I was determined to make this site work but luckily others were less into it since further exploring discovered a beautiful sandy site nearby.

I think everyone was pretty relieved at that point to have reached a consensus. It was a wonderful spot to pitch tents and have a bonfire. We felt quite remote despite catching glimpses of a cottage on a the far bank. It was amazing arriving at this perfect camping site without seeing any trace of human's having been here. I think part of the wilderness feeling is the sensation that you are the first person to have touched a place in a long time.

We had a gourmet supper, including salmon (from home! not fresh!) and salads, thanks to many great cooks. We sat around the fire on logs we plucked from the river, laughing, and watching nighthawks swoop for insects in the darkening sky. The wind carried a hint of rain and brought dark clouds overhead. But even the rumbling thunder didn't prepare us for the explosion of wind and rain that ensued. I think some sleep was lost while the sky danced but we stayed dry in our tents. I woke up in the morning to a oppressive heat. Ross later described the feeling in our tent well. "I felt like I was in a muggy greenhouse, I couldn't get a breath of air." For the second day in a row the pressure was high and the sun was hot.

The group on the second morning. Look at that Sand! What a Campsite!

Leaving our campsite for day two on the river.

The second day on the river took as through steep valleys again, past cottages, down mellow rapids, and a into widening river. We sped down the Miramichi with the wind at our backs. For lunch we stopped on an another island, nestled down behind a knoll and picnic'd in the sun. We enjoyed pickles, peanut butter, cheese, and hot pepper on pitas. Which as you can probably tell signified the end of our food reserves.

We pulled out at the Upper Blacksville bridge after traveling around 50 km in our day and a half on the river. O'Donnell's, a local outfitter, shuttled our drivers back to Boiestown where the cars had been left. It was impressive to drive back to Boiestown and see how far we had travelled.

I think the consensus was great company, perfect weather, good food, and next year we're going to go bigger!

Thank you Joe, Gudi, Lee, Ruel, Mike, Laura, Linda, Dave, Cathy, Lenny, Mom, Dad, and Ross for all the laughs. I look forward to next year!

One of those experiences

that leaves you stoned and stirring.

Waking up on top of a river, I feel that omen. Damn I have to piss. Zzzzip, tent door opens, my face feels the cold air and my eyes squint in the brightness. Starlight, a relic, that dreamy notion, is alive and well tonight. A traffic jam of diamonds crunch underfoot and jostle overhead. Back in the tent I can hear the stream burble three feet beneath my pillow.

Cold, wet, hard. Three things that could easily describe winter camping. But not this weekend. Sunny skies, fresh-air that hung on every breath and dried my clothes overnight. How about breakfast in bed? So why did we get so lucky this weekend? It was the first time for all four of us - winter camping and being to this place. We had heard the stories. The claims about this canyon. Fuzzy photos and poor maps. Not far from town yet a trek to get here; logging roads, skis, sleds, snow up to our hips. Nothing really prepared us for the scale and depth of this place. We swore and laughed at the snow bridges, cliffs, and 200 hundred year old spruce.

Everything lined up so perfectly. Two days of river walking headlamp hiking. Do you suppose that some of those stars lined up for us? We left the wilderness this evening, humbled and thinking. One question that rose above the coffee-fueled high on the drive home is "What did we do to deserve this?" Maybe we started by being stoked like a fire. And just believing there's always more to explore when you play outside.

Stoke your fire. Go explore with friends. Remember that photographs and descriptions only show about 1%. You've got to discover the rest.



p.s. This is all you get. The two white dots in lower center of the photo are headlamps as we hike back to camp through the slot canyon.