Local Motion - New Brunswick

Welcome to Local Motion where we celebrate hiking, biking, camping, paddling, skiing, and exploring in Southern New Brunswick.

February 26, 2010

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

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