A Warm Summer Run

I had a topic for this column in mind but that all changed when I went for a run on a warm summer evening in July. It's funny how that happens sometimes. I knew what I wanted to write about but on that run I saw some things that reminded of other things and by the time I got back I started putting together a completely different piece.

It was actually the third evening in a row that I was out running and when I passed by the fields at River Valley Middle School they were packed with people as they had been the previous nights. What must have been about a hundred kids were on the field for soccer practice. Parents were either helping out or sitting on the sidelines watching. There was a lone runner using the track. The ball field next door was equally as busy with a girl's team playing and a men's softball team waiting for their turn. Cars were parked everywhere. Some had music playing. People were gathering in small groups and talking. It was a hive of activity and great to see. This is what an active community should look like.

As I continued on to the trail, I got thinking again about the track and how great an addition it is. Just a few days earlier Grand Bay-Westfield had been the site of another successful Canada Day Run with all the proceeds again going to support the new track. The event was different this year. The half marathon was replaced by a 10 Mile Race and the 10 km run was dropped. The feedback from all the participants was very positive but the number of runners was down this year by a little more than a hundred. The event went off without a hitch and everyone said it was well organized and a lot of fun, thanks in large part to the many sponsors, supporters and volunteers including the RCMP and the River Valley Community Centre. The organizers are looking at some changes for next year including a possible return of the popular 10 km event.

I'm on the Run committee and I know there was one big disappointment we all expressed. Again this year as in past years, the event seems to have been overlooked as a major Canada Day activity in town. It was never mentioned in a write up of Grand Bay-Westfield Canada Day events in the Saint John paper. And just before my run that evening I picked up a flyer from the town that had arrived in the mail that day thanking all the Canada Day volunteers, participants and sponsors who made possible a wonderful day of activities at Brundage Point but there wasn't a single mention of the Canada Day Run. It was signed by the Mayor and all of council. I know the town supports the event because it is a regular sponsor. This annual run has been raising money for charity and bringing a lot of people into the community every Canada Day for the last 7 years. Maybe if it was included in the promotion of events our numbers wouldn't have dipped this year. All the members of the committee are hoping we'll be included next year.

As I continued my run I got thinking about Brundage Point and the great facility it is. Just that morning I had been to the other new River Centre in our region in Hampton. It too is an attractive building, a little bigger than ours I think and just as important an asset to their community. They have meeting facilities and a boat launch site, much the same as we do but they have one attraction that we don't. Rafe Hooper and his local outfitting company 'Osprey Adventures' is operating in the lower level of the centre. He offers canoe and kayak rentals as well as guided tours of the Kennebecasis and Hampton Marsh. Rafe tells me he's been pretty busy since he opened about a month ago. I know the Kennebecasis River in Hampton is more suited for that kind of operation. The river is calm, protected and not prone to the tides, waves and current that we experience in Westfield. They also don't have a cable ferry to contend with when they launch their kayaks. But I think it would be a terrific addition to Brundage Point if somehow down the road we could figure out a way to offer a similar outfitting service here.

I went for a kayak paddle myself just a few days before my run that evening. The weather was perfect and I've never seen the River Centre or the river in general so busy with traffic. Boats were everywhere and people were busy in almost every cottage and camp along the shore. I was disappointed however to discover a new chain gate across the road to Westfield Wharf and the beach. I don't know why it was there and locked on one of the busiest days of the summer. For years kayakers like myself have been able to drive right to the waters edge to unload our boats and then park the car out of the way beyond the gate. It was easy for a number of kayakers to unload at the same time and launch from a sandy beach in protected water. Now it's a lot more difficult to do. I had to pull up to the locked gate, unload my kayak and carry it by myself through a narrow gap in the gate and all the way down to he water. With two people it might be OK, but if you're on your own it means a lot more work, if you're able to do it at all. The only other alternative is to put in at the boat launch on the other side of the ferry. But it's meant for power boats on trailers and it's all concrete, pavement and rocks, not the kind of surface that is kind to a wooden kayak like I have. If the locked chain across the gate remains, I'll have no choice but to launch by the government garage on the Nerepis River. I'm sure many other kayakers will do the same. I spoke to the town manager about the situation and was told the chain is there to prevent people from launching boats on the old ramp because it isn't safe anymore. The town wants everyone to use the new boat launch on the other side of the ferry. I can understand that. I was thanked for my call and told they would look at the situation. I hope something can be done because blocking off access to the water doesn't make any sense when you're trying to attract more people to the river centre.

As I continued my run that evening I witnessed an event that I knew I had to write about. It was one of the most ridiculous, dangerous and careless things I've seen in a long time. An ATV with two people on it was tearing along at high speed on the railway tracks. That's right.... on the tracks. From my vantage point it looked like the tires were right on the rails, if that's possible. Either way they were going fast. With helmets on and the engine noise, I suspect it would have been difficult or impossible to hear a train coming. And at that speed they could have easily slid off the rail or hit it and tumble down the embankment. From what I witnessed I think these two idiots are lucky to be alive. Kings County has already experienced five fatalities this summer in motor vehicle accidents. We don't want anymore.

Yes I did get worked up about a few things on this run but overall the positive outweighed the negative. I came home feeling pretty good about the community and especially good about this wonderful summer weather. And I'm ready for many more evening runs. Next time it's the column I didn't write this time.... about beating the high price of gas and taking the bus.

Bad Behavior in the Woods

If you’re out in the backcountry a lot you meet all kinds of people. Most are great, whether they’re skiers, snowmobilers or four wheelers. We all share that love of the outdoors. But sometimes you come across some real jerks out there.

A couple of weeks ago three of us took off for a little ski from what’s known as the four corners in Westfield. We parked beside the ball field where the Britian Road and the Campbell Road meet. It’s a busy place in the winter with trails leading off from that junction in all directions and plenty of snowmobile and ATV traffic. We skied for a couple of hours and on our return, as we got closer to the car we heard a group of ATV’s nearby. It sounded like one or a few of them were just spinning around in circles kicking up the snow. It went on and on. A short time later we saw the group from the top of the hill. There must have been about ten ATV’s most of them those racing models with rear wheel drive. They’re a lot noisier and faster than the four wheelers. We could see what appeared to be mostly kids driving them, spinning the tires and chewing up the trail as they went. When we reached the car the driver’s side was completely coated in snow. A moron on one of those machines had spun around in circles doing donuts a few feet from the vehicle, kicking up a spray of snow and pebbles on the car. It was on so thick I had to scrape the windshield. Thankfully it was my old car and not the new van belonging to a friend we were originally going to take.

About a week later I was skiing again with one of the same guys and we came upon a pile of empty beer cans and bottles and other garbage just tossed in the snow. It was at a beautiful spot where the Robin Hood and Little John Lakes connect. It is at the beginning of the trail to Turtle Mountain. No doubt a large group of riders were out for the day enjoying themselves and decided to leave their garbage behind for someone else to deal with. This is just thoughtless and selfish behavior. People using the trails should know better. Thankfully the kind of people who do these kind of things are in the minority.

Rutted Trails

Just a short post today… actually a bit of a rant. I attempted to go for a ski this afternoon. It was sunny and warm, about 6 degrees, certainly spring conditions. I drove to the Backland Road, probably the most used trail in the Grand Bay-Westfield area. Given the deep freeze and then the rain, I knew trail conditions weren’t going to be the best. They’ve been icy and crusty for the last week but the hard packed trails that have a lot of snowmobile and ATV traffic are usually passable. With the sun and mild temperatures I figured the snow would soften and maybe produce some pretty good spring conditions. Boy was I wrong.

That trail that’s been in great shape for the last month is now a rutted mess. Four wheelers tore it up so bad you’d have a difficult time walking on it let alone skiing. The tire ruts are deep and full of water. Even a snowmobile wouldn’t go down that trail now. It’s probably destroyed for the rest of the winter.

This trail in particular is really multi-use. People walk and snowshoe along it. Many of us ski it. The horseback riders use the trail as well. And yes there has been motorized use all winter too. Snowmobiles and ATV’s share the trail with everyone else and there hasn’t been a problem until now.

When it’s cold and the snow is hard and packed down everyone can use the trail without damaging it. But when it’s wet and soft, care has to be taken. A walker or skier or even a horse wouldn’t have much of an impact. A snowmobile would probably pack it down and improve it. But a four-wheeler makes a mess. I can’t imagine it would be much fun riding either. After seeing the damage, it’s too bad this person or persons didn’t stop and go somewhere else. There are plenty of places to ride besides the popular walking trails.
Thanks a lot.

River Valley Rambler - Local Trails

The town of Grand Bay-Westfield has a fabulous waterfront development and trail building plan in the works. We can see the progress every time we pass by the Westfield Ferry Landing. Work on the Brundage Point trailhead is well underway. I wrote about the entire development plan in an earlier column and it includes the extension of the trail system along Route 177 and the development of a backcountry trail network. The plan is a good one and when completed will certainly be a welcome addition to the community.

We don’t have to go far to see how a well planned out and maintained trail system can contribute to the quality of life in a community. The city of Fredericton has over 70 km of trails to explore within the city limits. The non-profit and voluntary Trails Coalition looks after these trails year round. The Coalition members include the local Outdoor Enthusiasts club, area bicycle clubs, a running club and the x-c ski club. There are 17 trails in the city and about 9 recreation areas. I’ve walked on some of the trails in the summer and recently I had the chance to ski on a few of them this winter. This superb trail system is one of the best things about Fredericton.

There was about 10 cm of fresh snow on the ground the day I took my skis to Odell Park. A network of ski and hiking trails winds throughout and around the park. In the winter the trails are groomed for x-c skiing but the groomer hadn’t been out that day yet. Plenty of other skiers had though. If you have the trails people will use them. I skied almost ever trail in the park that day. The snow conditions were perfect. The park is located on the side of a hill so some of the trails are challenging, especially on the way down but what a ride! It’s a fabulous place to ski and it’s right in the city.

I still had some legs left so next I went to the UNB Woodlot and Game Refuge beyond Regent Mall and toward New Maryland. Skiers just call this place “The Woodlot”. I don’t know how many kilometers of trails there are but it’s a lot. I wanted to ski for about half an hour but got lost and ended up experiencing a lot of what the Woodlot has to offer. I eventually found the trail out to my car about an hour and a half later. The trails were all freshly groomed, packed and tracked by machine. The local Wostawea Ski Club looks after the trails in the winter and they were wonderful that day.

It was an absolute treat to ski on well maintained groomed trails. I don’t have an opportunity to do that very often. Most of the skiing we do in this area around Saint John is of the backcountry variety. We either break our own trails or share them with ATV’s and snowmobiles. This is the kind of skiing I like but I have to admit how nice it sometimes is to have that groomed track and not to be concerned about motorized traffic on the trail. I have no problem sharing our vast trail system here. There’s plenty of room for everyone who wants to get out in the backcountry and explore.

But if we are to become known for our trail system and waterfront here in Grand Bay-Westfield I think we’ll have to make sure that some trails are reserved just for hiking, walking, skiing and perhaps mountain biking. Hikers will not come to explore our trails if they’re overrun with ATV’s. It would be ideal to have a section of forest somewhere nearby with a few kilometers of linked trails on it just for non-motorized use. If the trail is there people will use it just like they do in Fredericton. And if we ever get a winter with reliable snowfall again, I bet skiers would use the trails all the time. I know I would. And if enough of us do, maybe just maybe we could have groomed trails and form a club. It’s a big attraction in Fredericton and it could be here too.