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Trail Journal




Date: July 4 2000
Trail Day: 34
Miles Today: 23
Location: On Rte 180
Section Mile: IAT 442.2
ECT Mile: 442.2

Today morning Maurice Simon came to the bed and breakfast I was staying at. He is the one responsible for designing and maintaining the Kedgwick section of the trail. He is a very enthusiastic young man and knows the trail very well. We talked for a while about how and where I got lost, about the problem IAT is having with the paper companies etc. It appears as though there are now 2 sections that have been clear cut. The one I ran into was new. There is another one further down the line which I never got to.

I stopped by the library on the hike out to check my e-mail and the web page. Some of the names are getting transcribed wrong. Its my hand writing. Most of the times I am lying down in my tent and writing propped up on my elbow - not a very comfortable position. I tried to make an entry in the "From the trail" section but the browser almost froze. Then changed my mind. They have a really slow computer here.

Today and tomorrow will be a roadwalk to Mt. Carlton Park. There I will hike for a day and then begin another 3 day road walk to Plaster Rock from where the trail leads to the US border. At Fort Fairfield I pick up the set of maps for the Maine section that Vivek has sent and continue.

The road walk was relatively uneventful. Dogs are a nuisance. Too many of them. The smaller ones are not leashed and can be a headache. The owners only make half hearted efforts to call them back.

A few hours into Rte. 180, the houses came to a stop. I was lucky I got some water at the last house on the route. The man also gave me a Pepsi. After that there were no streams or houses for a long time. I was wondering if it was going to be another no-cooking day due to lack of water. But towards the end the road ran past a little lake where I filled up.

Something interesting - On my train journey to Gaspe I had gotten off at Matapedia station to stretch my legs. There I saw someone with a long white beard. I half jokingly told myself - "There goes Nimblewill Nomad". Then I gave it some thought and figured Nomad would be on the trail near Gaspe and not here. But during my conversation with Dick 2 days ago, he said that Nomad had seen me at the station. Nomad had jumped ahead due to snow at the Gaspesie section. What a coincidence. For those who dont know, Nimblewill Nomad is the second person to do the Eastern Continental Trail (Key West to Cap de Gaspe). He did it in 1998 at the age of 60. He is now doing it southbound. I have heard conflicting reports as to where he is headed. Some say Key West, others say Georgia. Anyway, I will know for sure as time passes. I also hope to meet him on the trail somewhere.



Date: July 5 2000
Trail Day: 35
Miles Today: 16.1
Location: Mt Carlton Park
Section Mile: IAT 458.3
ECT Mile: 458.3

It rained very heavily last night - almost Florida kind. Lots of lightning too. I was afraid my tent would seep water. The moss and the dry leaves are capable of holding a lot of water. But this was a downpour and almost non-stop. But the tent help up well. While filling up the water bag last evening the cap had caught a piece of the bag and hence started leaking. My sleeping bag was sitting in a little pool of water in the bottom compartment of my back pack. However by morning it had somewhat dried out in spite of the rain.

It rained almost all day. The temperature dropped and the wind picked up. All in all a miserable combination. My hands were numb. This is the coldest weather I have experienced since leaving Parc de la Gaspesie. The bright side was the strawberries. They are in season now. They seem to grow in places that are sloped, stony and open - road side drainage ditches are sometimes full of them. I stopped several times to pick and munch on them. Saw a grouse with two chicks the size of little hen chicks. They flew into the bushes as I approached.

Got to Rte. 385. Walked another 9 km to Carlton Park. The park employees knew I was coming. Apparently Mel Fritton of Natural Resources and Energy had informed them. I also met Burton and they put me up in a cabin with a fireplace. In all these days on the IAT if I really needed a heated cabin, this is it. I have now got all of my equipment out to dry. Tomorrow I hike the 3 peaks here - Carlton, Head and Sagamook and then leave the next day. The park staff have been extremely kind and helpfull. Thanks to all of them.



Date: July 6 2000
Trail Day: 36
Miles Today: 15.5
Location: 6 km from Nictain
Section Mile: IAT 473.8
ECT Mile: 473.8

Got up warm and dry. All my clothes and equipment had dried out. The cabin was warm while it had been windy and cold outside. In Kedgwick I had decided to bypass Mt Carlton and take the Sentier NB trail instead. From Kedgwick to Plaster Rock (about 5 days of hiking) is all roads. The Sentier NB trail is an old railway line where they have taken out the rails. It runs among numerous other places, from Kedgwick to Plaster Rock. But then after talking to Maurice Simon and looking at the maps it looked as though the NB trail meanders a lot to avoid slopes. So I had decided to do Rte 385 instead and touch Mt. Carlton. I am now very glad I did. I got a chance to dry out, got a warm nice place to sleep in and got to meet very friendly, wonderful people. It is always nice to meet warm people. Its a morale booster especially on a hike where it can get quite lonely.

Spent the morning hiking Mt. Carlton, Mt Head and Mt. Sagimook. It was about 12 km. One of the park employees gave me a ride to the base of Mt. Carlton from where I started my hike. The hikes of the first two peaks was fairly easy. Mt. Sagimook was steeper and rockier. Took a photograph on Mt. Carlton. You can tell when you are nearing the peak - the wind will almost knock you off. I got done at about 1:00 pm and got a ride from an old gentleman who drove extremely slowly. He had a cup of soda that he was drinking . Between sips he would put it on the dashboard and it wouldn't even come close to tipping over - and we were on a bumpy dirt road ! He told me of an Indian friend he had named Kuppaiswamy, who was an engineer in the Indian Navy. He had some problem getting a US visa but a Canadian one was easier (This was 30 years ago). So the American company transferred him to Canada and then after things were straightened out over years he moved him back to the US. He married a native Indian girl and had two children who are now grown up. The old gentleman offered me some grapes as I was leaving. Only politeness prevented me from snatching the whole bag and gobbling it. They were delicious.

As I was done with my Mt. Carlton hike fairly early, I decided to get some trail miles in. Said thanks and good byes to the park folks and started walking Rte 385. About 5 minutes into the hike I saw a fox with a pup. It was sitting on the road and continued to look at me as I approached, then ran half up a small hill and looked at me for a while and then ran away.

Saw Dick Anderson and Will Richards again. Looks like they had bad weather at Parc de la Gaspesie and had to return early. They also said Henry, the President of ALDHA (Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Association) was doing the IAT and that I would run into him soon. Soon afterwards I set up tent, cooked and got into my tent. Then I heard a voice say "Excuse me, is this the way to Cap de Gaspe". It was Henry. His trail name is Trickster. He also set up his tent nearby. We chatted a little about AT, ALDHA and other related stuff.



Date: July 7 2000
Trail Day: 37
Miles Today: 20.5
Location: Everett
Section Mile: IAT 494.3
ECT Mile: 494.3

It rained off and on all night. However, by morning it had stopped. Packed up, took a photo of Trickster and said good bye. About half an hour into the hike it started raining again. I got completely wet. I stopped by the salmon traps just as I entered Nictane. I recommend this to all hikers. The caretakers showed me the traps and the station where they are weighed and measured. They are held in this large section of the river for their protection and then released just before the spawning time. Atlantic Salmon return to the fresh water to spawn every year while some of the Pacific salmon spawn and die. I also got to see the salmon in the river very clearly. They were also jumping around a lot. I also stopped by at Bill Miller's place. Bill is well known in the IAT circle. He makes wood canoes and has been doing so for the past 25 or so years. He gave me some sandwiches, chips and hot chocolate - good after the rain. He let me use his computer. I took a look at the web page. Charlotte Collard from my old Louisville workplace had made a guest entry. Nice to hear from her after quite a while. Hi Charlotte !

Bill showed me around his workshop. The canoes are made from cedar. He cuts the trees and makes them into strips himself. A rib cage kind of thing is made by bending strips of cedar. Then strips of wood are rivetted on top. Then it gets a covering of fibreglass and then varnishing. Quite fascinating. The canoes are surprisingly light. He also makes miniature ones that can be set up as a coffee table - very nice.

I then continued on to Riley Brook. Had lunch at a restaurant. I am yet to have a good hamburger in Canada. It is always under cooked and bland. Even some hot peppers that I asked for could not save this one. Off topic - I would like to polish off a banana split.

Continued hiking. I decided to hike till Oxbow and reward myself from stuff from a little store they have there. But by the time I got close to it, it was past their closing time. I dont have a watch and lost track of time as it was cloudy all day. I decided to camp instead and buy breakfast tomorrow at the store.

I am now beside the Tobique river and it is raining. No cooking today.



Date: July 8 2000
Trail Day: 38
Miles Today: 12.4
Location: Campground at Rock Plaster
Section Mile: IAT 506.7
ECT Mile: 506.7

It rained almost continuosly all night. Middle of the night I realized that my sleeping bag was getting wet in the middle. In the morning, I realized that my tent and sleeping bag were quite wet. I saw two deer about 100 ft from my tent. They seemed curious. I was able to get fairly close to them for a photo before they ran away. I hiked to Oxbow where there was a small store. They had banana splits on their menu and I ordered it immediately. The counter woman was a sour faced, metallic voiced lady - the kind you try to talk as little as possible for fear that she may snap and bite you any minute.

I continued down the road and talked to an old gentleman. He asked where I had walked from and where I was headed to. I told him. Then he asked if it was very expensive. Told him no, because most nights I sleep in my tent. He was about to give me a couple of dollars but I told him I was doing fine.

I got to Plaster Rock and found a camp ground. It had large fiddle heads made of concrete in front. Fiddle heads are fern like plants that take the shape of fiddle handles when they sprout. They are edible although if you are not used to them it can give you the runs. I tried to get a fire going but could not because everything was wet. The couple from the next tent site tried to help me with logs from their fire - still no luck. They then invited me over to their fire. Being wet and cold I gladly accepted.

They are from Germany. The man was an electrical engineer while the woman was a teacher. They were going to tour Canada, US and Mexico for a year. We talked about paddling, hiking and travelling. Also had a good session of US bashing. The themes were - fat people, junk food, over commercialization of everything and ignorance of other cultures and countries.

Later on, some local teenagers set up tent. Some more joined them and soon it was a party. There was alcohol, drugs and sex all around. They were loud and obnoxious and I could get no sleep till early morning. They certainly had no parental supervision or concern. With such parents I can easily see a "Columbine" incident happening. Anyway, the skies cleared up late night and tomorrow should be a better day.



Date: July 9 2000
Trail Day: 39
Miles Today: 21.1
Location: Near Tobique Narrous Dam
Section Mile: IAT 527.8
ECT Mile: 527.8

Could not get much sleep last night due to the morons partying. It was drizzling in the morning. I waited for it to let up and started packing. Said good bye to the German couple - they are very nice people. Had some difficulty finding the trail. First the guy I talked to had no idea of a Sentier NB Trail. Finally, he said he knew of an old railroad bed. I said that was it.

Had lunch at Arthurette. I still havent gotten over how expensive food is here. I am down to about 20 Canadian dollars now. Will have to stretch those dollars. The trail was swarming with ATV's. They are not even allowed on the trail. Not very law abiding. The trail roughly parallel's the Tobique river. At one point it crossed over a river. It was not supposed to cross the Tobique river. There was no way to tell whether it was the Tobique or not. Confused I thought to myself -

"Tobique or not Tobique
That is the question"


Actually it was a smaller river but I just wanted to work the above gem of literature in !

I am aslo slowly beginning to get a smug feeling, a feeling that the world owes me a cushy life, a desire to bitch and moan while sitting on my ass. Wait a minute, let me check my map - Yes, I am nearing the US border. Being in Canada I do get the feeling that I am superior to other colored "third world" countries but tomorrow I shall be superiorer. Sarcasm aside, I shall be entering the US tomorrow noon or so.

Today was somewhat tiring. The railway bed is hard and jarring on the joints. I also need to catch up on my sleep. Today I am camped in an unusual place. A public park sort of a place facing houses in full view of the road. I hope nobody kicks me out in the middle of the night. Tonight I finished a concoction made of rice, dried mashed potatoes and dried refried beans. I have been carrying this since La Gite or Mt. Albert - more than 20 days. I also saw a very strange place on the trail. There was a good shelter with the ground extremely uneven. You couldn't even put a bench there. It was besides a half built and abandoned house. Some of the insulation and construction material is still there. Half the house was underground. You had to climb stairs to get to the first door which was above the level of the house and then a stair case took one down to the house. Quite bizarre. I was thinking of tenting under the shelter as it had just started raining. But then the rain stopped and seeing how uneven the ground was I decided to move on.



Date: July 10 2000
Trail Day: 40
Miles Today: 9.7
Location: Ft. Fairfield
Section Mile: IAT 537.5
ECT Mile: 537.5

It rained again last night. Waited for the rain to stop and got a late start. The trail continued along the abandoned railway bed beside the Tobique river. Tobique river merges with St. John river. The trail follows this river to the town of Perth - Andover where I had lunch. Then it crosses the river and then continues along the river north to a town called Aroostook. Here it uses another abandoned railbed called Timber which runs west into the US border. Then it runs along the US border till Ft. Fairfield. The border is fairly easy to tell. About 50 ft. of the forest has been cleared and there are concrete markers every km or so which says US on one side and Canada on the other. At one point there was a large beaver pond. I got quite disoriented trying to work my way around it and found myself walking in the wrong direction. Off the border some of the places are very dense and it is easy to get lost. Finally found my way back by spotting the electric lines that also run along it part of the way. I also saw a moose with its calf. It did not run away immediately and I was able to get my camera out and get a shot. I also took a shot of me near one of the concrete border markers.

I then tried to get a lift from the border to the town of Ft. Fairfield about 4 km away. No luck, had to walk the whole way. The post office was open, so I got my mail drop from Vivek. There is a Potato Festival here. I tried to find a hotel/motel or bed and breakfast. There is only a B+B with the owners absent. Folks around here aren't sure if they are still operating the B+B. The door to the porch is open so I decided to wait there. I think I will wait here and if no one shows up, sleep here in my sleeping bag. I have no other choice.

Customs was no problem. Looks like every customs officer has a sour puss and I always get him. He almost regretfully told me that my documents were fine and that I could proceed.

Wrote too soon. Around 10 PM a couple came in. I think they were taking care of the B+B in the owner's absence. They told me that there was no B+B anymore. They wouldn't even let me put a tent in a nearby lawn that belonged to the post office. I started walking out of town back to the trail. On the way I saw a little pond with some mowed areas. It was quite out of town and near the border. I put my tent up. As soon as I got comfortable in my sleeping bag it started pouring. I was lucky. It has been raining here a lot. I think I have had about 10 days of rain in the past 12.

Also a note on the trail quide description for New Brunswick. Almost all the stated mileages are under estimates. It says Mt. Carlton to Plaster Rock is 67 kms, its actually 81. Plaster Rock to Perth Andover it says is 25. Its actually 41. Road mileages are easy to obtain and therefore there is no excuse for them not to be accurate. This needs to be corrected.







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