JAK
2010-03-07, 00:57
I just got back from an aborted attempt at the fundy footpath in March. Couldn't have asked for better conditions. Sunny, clear, highs 40F Friday, maybe 50F Saturday, low of maybe 25F Friday night. I bailed out Saturday halfway from Seely Beach to Cradle Brook, took the Cradle Brook access road out, then back down the Big Salmon River Road, then hiked back to the gate of the Fundy Trail Parkway. All in all about 20km Friday, and 30km Saturday, from 3pm to 4pm for 25 hours of adventure.
I bailed because even though the trail conditions were pretty much perfect, hard dry ground, very little snow, there was some ice in spots, and alot of blowdowns since post-winter trail maintenace hasn't been done yet. I had 33 pounds skin-out, which at my current weight of 195# was enough to make me a bit sketchy on my feet. I used 7oz adidas adizero running flats, which worked surprising well desipite their unagressive tread. I think if I was 10 pounds lighter and my pack was 10 pounds lighter, and some more hiking fitness, I might have been able to make a decent attempt at a winter Fundy Trek = Fundy Footpath + Fundy National Park + Dobson Trail, but only because the conditions were more or less as ideal as they get for this time of year.
There was more snow and ice at the higher elevations. The Fundy Footpath goes more or less up and down up and down from sea level to 500 feet or so. The shoreline slope is somewhat sheltered from the North wind outbreaks, and moderated by the Bay of Fundy, and heat from the sun; but the higher elevations don't get the same effect. Seely Beach to Cradle Brook was a good test as it gets up there, and my concern was that as I got further up the coast it tends to get colder, steeper, and more rugged, and perhaps most importantly more remote. I didn't want to make any embarrassing calls with a broken ankle, but the risk of actually slipping and sliding off a cliff had me thinking also. I had already taken enough chances for one trip. I had food and clothing for 5 maybe 7 days, but my intention was to be flexible.
Close calls:
One the very first km of the footpath on the Big Salmon River itself there was a frozen over landslide I had to cross, which wasn't too bad, but I ended up above the footpath and nearly fell getting back down to it. Fortunately I took my pack off first, and slid it down the 10 feet, then slipped and fell after it. Good wake up. There were 3 more major frozen over landslides between Big Salmon River and Long Beach Brook. One of them was massive, maybe 100 feet across, big trees and rocks, frozen pretty solid. Not sure when all this occured, but the construction they have going on to the Fundy Trail Parkway is probably contributing to it as well as the hard rains we had in the Fall. Probably nothing compared to the logging and mining done over 100 years ago. This wilderness has seen it all before.
Close call #2 = Very Stupid Move:
I got to Long Beach Brook just after dusk, too long after dusk really. I was lucky the white blazes were easy to see and the last part of that trail was moderate, except for the landslide right at Long Beach Brook I had to slide down as there was no other way around. I didn't have a working headlamp and like to go without them sometimes, which was a dumb move for this trip, especially as it was a third quarter moon. That was stupid, but the other thing I did next was very stupid. I hiked the beach from Long Beach Brook to Seely Beach Brook at low tide. I have done this before at night, but the difference this time was that it was a third quarter noon, not a full moon. This means two things. Less light, and more critically, a neap tide instead of a spring tide. I got to the three outcroppings from the cliffs just before Seely Beach about an hour before low tide, waited 30 more minutes, then to make a long story short nearly killed myself. First outcropping not too bad, waded around the second outcropping knee deep in 36F water, on slippery rocks, in the dark. The waves weren't too bad as the wind was blowing offshore, but they were bad enough for one wave to splash me pretty good. I was cursing myself pretty good by then, but had already decided there was only one way to go and that was onward, even if I had to swim. Third outcropping wasn't as bad as the second, but I stumbled hard over a black rock between the second and third outcropping, but didn't break anything or knock myself out. Very thankful to get off those rocks and up above high water onto Seely Beach. Beautiful starlit night, 9pm, maybe 3 hours before 3rd quarter moon rise. Orion looking down on my with much disgust.
There is a clothes line at the campsite in the trees at Seely Beach Brook, which came in very handy. Nothing really wet. 200wt fleece pants. Hiking shorts. Heavy Helly Hansen Fleece hoody I put over my wool sweater for the beach walk. Wool socks and running flats of course. Everything more or less dry by morning, or dry enough. Didn't bother with a hot meal. Just had a can of corned beef and cold lemonade and some fruit to goes and went to bed. Slept well. Blue foam pad. Gortex Bivy. 3 pound Kelty synthetic sleeping bag.
Older and somewhat wiser the next day. Hiked out the next day via Cradle Brook Access Road, Big Salmon River Road, Fundy Trail Parkway. Some snow on road but not much. Got a bit of a sunburn. Cramp in left calf, but I seem to be over my feet/ankle and hip/thigh issues for now. 6 hours hiking Friday for 20km, and 7 hours Saturday for maybe 30km, for about 30 miles in total over 25 hours, with 13 on my feet with pack. Need to lose weight, without risking live and limb. All in all a great hike though.
Main lesson was when doing something potentially dangerous for the 2nd or 3rd time, you have to be extra careful to really think things through because you might be missing something important, something important might have changed, or you might have just gotten lucky the first time. The mind is a funny thing, and gets very fuzzy sometimes when your in the middle of a hike. I should have stopped and spent the first night at Long Beach Brook. The fact that I hiked the last 30-60 minutes in dusk after sunset should have been enough to tip me off that things were not working 100% upstairs. If you do something stupid, but are in a safe place, stop and destupify yourself before going any further, especially out onto a beach at low tide after dark.
I bailed because even though the trail conditions were pretty much perfect, hard dry ground, very little snow, there was some ice in spots, and alot of blowdowns since post-winter trail maintenace hasn't been done yet. I had 33 pounds skin-out, which at my current weight of 195# was enough to make me a bit sketchy on my feet. I used 7oz adidas adizero running flats, which worked surprising well desipite their unagressive tread. I think if I was 10 pounds lighter and my pack was 10 pounds lighter, and some more hiking fitness, I might have been able to make a decent attempt at a winter Fundy Trek = Fundy Footpath + Fundy National Park + Dobson Trail, but only because the conditions were more or less as ideal as they get for this time of year.
There was more snow and ice at the higher elevations. The Fundy Footpath goes more or less up and down up and down from sea level to 500 feet or so. The shoreline slope is somewhat sheltered from the North wind outbreaks, and moderated by the Bay of Fundy, and heat from the sun; but the higher elevations don't get the same effect. Seely Beach to Cradle Brook was a good test as it gets up there, and my concern was that as I got further up the coast it tends to get colder, steeper, and more rugged, and perhaps most importantly more remote. I didn't want to make any embarrassing calls with a broken ankle, but the risk of actually slipping and sliding off a cliff had me thinking also. I had already taken enough chances for one trip. I had food and clothing for 5 maybe 7 days, but my intention was to be flexible.
Close calls:
One the very first km of the footpath on the Big Salmon River itself there was a frozen over landslide I had to cross, which wasn't too bad, but I ended up above the footpath and nearly fell getting back down to it. Fortunately I took my pack off first, and slid it down the 10 feet, then slipped and fell after it. Good wake up. There were 3 more major frozen over landslides between Big Salmon River and Long Beach Brook. One of them was massive, maybe 100 feet across, big trees and rocks, frozen pretty solid. Not sure when all this occured, but the construction they have going on to the Fundy Trail Parkway is probably contributing to it as well as the hard rains we had in the Fall. Probably nothing compared to the logging and mining done over 100 years ago. This wilderness has seen it all before.
Close call #2 = Very Stupid Move:
I got to Long Beach Brook just after dusk, too long after dusk really. I was lucky the white blazes were easy to see and the last part of that trail was moderate, except for the landslide right at Long Beach Brook I had to slide down as there was no other way around. I didn't have a working headlamp and like to go without them sometimes, which was a dumb move for this trip, especially as it was a third quarter moon. That was stupid, but the other thing I did next was very stupid. I hiked the beach from Long Beach Brook to Seely Beach Brook at low tide. I have done this before at night, but the difference this time was that it was a third quarter noon, not a full moon. This means two things. Less light, and more critically, a neap tide instead of a spring tide. I got to the three outcroppings from the cliffs just before Seely Beach about an hour before low tide, waited 30 more minutes, then to make a long story short nearly killed myself. First outcropping not too bad, waded around the second outcropping knee deep in 36F water, on slippery rocks, in the dark. The waves weren't too bad as the wind was blowing offshore, but they were bad enough for one wave to splash me pretty good. I was cursing myself pretty good by then, but had already decided there was only one way to go and that was onward, even if I had to swim. Third outcropping wasn't as bad as the second, but I stumbled hard over a black rock between the second and third outcropping, but didn't break anything or knock myself out. Very thankful to get off those rocks and up above high water onto Seely Beach. Beautiful starlit night, 9pm, maybe 3 hours before 3rd quarter moon rise. Orion looking down on my with much disgust.
There is a clothes line at the campsite in the trees at Seely Beach Brook, which came in very handy. Nothing really wet. 200wt fleece pants. Hiking shorts. Heavy Helly Hansen Fleece hoody I put over my wool sweater for the beach walk. Wool socks and running flats of course. Everything more or less dry by morning, or dry enough. Didn't bother with a hot meal. Just had a can of corned beef and cold lemonade and some fruit to goes and went to bed. Slept well. Blue foam pad. Gortex Bivy. 3 pound Kelty synthetic sleeping bag.
Older and somewhat wiser the next day. Hiked out the next day via Cradle Brook Access Road, Big Salmon River Road, Fundy Trail Parkway. Some snow on road but not much. Got a bit of a sunburn. Cramp in left calf, but I seem to be over my feet/ankle and hip/thigh issues for now. 6 hours hiking Friday for 20km, and 7 hours Saturday for maybe 30km, for about 30 miles in total over 25 hours, with 13 on my feet with pack. Need to lose weight, without risking live and limb. All in all a great hike though.
Main lesson was when doing something potentially dangerous for the 2nd or 3rd time, you have to be extra careful to really think things through because you might be missing something important, something important might have changed, or you might have just gotten lucky the first time. The mind is a funny thing, and gets very fuzzy sometimes when your in the middle of a hike. I should have stopped and spent the first night at Long Beach Brook. The fact that I hiked the last 30-60 minutes in dusk after sunset should have been enough to tip me off that things were not working 100% upstairs. If you do something stupid, but are in a safe place, stop and destupify yourself before going any further, especially out onto a beach at low tide after dark.