Thanksgiving Hike 2: Walton Glen Canyon

This is the second of three Thanksgiving Hikes I'll be writing about:

 My parents at the Lookoff over Walton Glen Canyon

On Thanksgiving Sunday, my parents and I loaded into their old truck and headed South, into the Caledonia Highlands. Our destination was Walton Glen Canyon. My parents and I made a pact back in July to take ourselves on a hike here for our birthdays which all fell within the middle of July. We wanted to do it in July, but with with Bike Festivals, parties, and the garden we were too busy.

So here we are on Thanksgiving weekend, digging out the toques for our birthday adventure. My parents had been to Walton Glen Canyon, about 35 years ago. I've been there a number of times in the past couple years. It's one of the main reasons, I was drawn back to New Brunswick.

I had never been there until the winter of 2009. But I'd found out about it online in 2007 and had been mesmerized by one photograph of the cliffs. After returning to NB in 2008, I fulfilled my dream to begin ice climbing and that same winter satisfied my thirst for the Canyon. The first attempt involved 20 km of skiing, headlamps, 1 pitch of ice climbing, and in fact we only reached the Little Salmon River Gorge but even that was mind blowing. A month later friends and I skied in with camping gear for a weekend of ice climbing in the canyon. Dropping into the canyon in the middle of winter, in waist deep snow, was ridiculous. My first thought was "How can this exist in New Brunswick? I feel like I'm back in the Rockies."  I wrote about it on my blog here. Since then New Brunswick hasn't ceased to surprise me with its hidden wilderness.

This fall I've been working in the Caledonia Highlands on a salmon habitat project. I've gotten to know the backroads well so a trip to Walton Glen Canyon is less intimidating than it used to be for me. The first time I tried to find Walton Glen Canyon was with my Dad and brother in 2003. It was Father's Day and we were going to find a big gorge that I'd never heard of. It didn't go well, my brother ended up with a blown ACL in his knee (long story) and after a trip to the hospital, my Dad and I got lost on muddy roads. We nearly got the truck stuck and finally gave up.

These days, the roads to Walton Glen Canyon are in great shape. You can drive a car to within a couple kilometers. A regular pick-up truck will take you to within 1 km. It's hard for me to even write this online. It's seems too easy and I hate to take away the awe of discover. It took me so much effort to get into Walton Glen Canyon, that I've come to really appreciate it's secluded power. I've been kept out of Walton Glen Canyon by raging water in the Little Salmon River (Read about the Fundy Trek here) and flat tires this Spring.Canyons are different than Mountains, they hide themselves from the world even while they lure you in. The nights are darker in canyons, the world farther away.

I like wilderness that you have to work for. Maybe that's why I've fallen for the Walton Glen Canyon. But it's becoming more and more well known. The recent Waterfalls of New Brunswick Website and Guidebook feature its falls. The canyons "Eye of the Needle" is gaining in popularity too. I'm excited that more New Brunswickers are getting out to see our incredible wilderness. But, even though I use this site to promote the local outdoors, I'll admit that I'm a bit selfish with it. I like to think of these places as 'my' places. A good piece of wilderness should always feel like it belongs to you. Whether you enter it alone or with friends, it should give you the feeling that you're "on your own". The more people use an area, especially when its trashed, the less it feels like wilderness. But there's a balancing point. If no one uses it, no one cares about it and it could easily end up on the chopping block like so much of New Brunswick's Crown Land.

Ok, back to the story. My parents and I had no troubles on the back roads and were able to drive into the Jack Pine Plantation just a short distance from the Canyon. The first thing we did was walk to the lookoff. I love taking people here, there's a point about 100 feet from the rim of the canyon, when I start to smile in anticipation of the other person's shock. The canyon just seems to appear out of nowhere. All of a sudden you're staring into a 500 foot deep void. The updraft wafts your clothing and falls plummet down the opposite face.

Walton Glen Falls - 200 feet

This is where we started our hike. Next I lead them down the rough trail into the Canyon. Once you've looked over the whole canyon, being deep inside it takes on a new meaning. We climbed down the steep trail, using the old ropes, and roots when we could. Down below the falls we found a gravelly little bar that was perfect for lunch. We enjoyed our Thanksgiving leftovers, chatting over the sound of the rushing water. After lunch my mom sketched the brook while my Dad and I each found a good place to nap.

We decided to save the Eye of the Needle for another day, perhaps a warmer one. On our hike out we ran into some good friends - what are chances. They were the only people we saw in the Canyon.

Mom and I at the base of the Walton Glen Brook Falls

 --
Walton Glen Canyon is part of the Little Salmon River Protected Natural Area. It is located south of Sussex near the Fundy Coast. For more information and directions please visit Waterfalls of New Brunswick. Or as always you can drop me a line. I'm more than happy to provide directions in email or by phone.
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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