Tracks, Trails, Tourism and Taking out the Trash

The trail choppers are back at it again. First it was the railroad that cut and slashed trees by the side of the walking trail along River Valley Drive in Grand Bay-Westfield. Now NB Power is cutting down trees along the other side of the trail beside the road. They're clearing trees and branches from under the power line that runs along the side of the road. I know they have to do this. Tree limbs that touch or could easily fall on a line are a hazard. But like NB Southern on the other side, why are they so eager to cut down the trees? Why can't they selectively trim the offending branches around the wires as I've seen them do on many other streets? Has no one bothered to ask them to cut judiciously along that stretch of road because the trees form an important buffer for the trail? On some stretches the trees have been cleared right to the road. We might as well pave the trail and call it a sidewalk. At least the cutters are cleaning up after themselves. Crews are following behind with a wood chipper to grind up the branches. But there is still plenty of downed brush that has to be dealt with.

NB Southern left everything it cut lay by the tracks all winter. In the spring the railway said it was going to clean up the mess and it did, to a point. A clean up was done on the southern section of the trail, for which everyone who uses it is grateful, but there are still tree limbs and branches strewn by the side of the tracks at the north end.

I was talking to a friend of mine who lives in the city the other day. He told me about going to the landfill and asking if you could still drop off old paint. He was told yes you can do it every Saturday but come early to avoid the long lines of people from Grand Bay-Westfield dropping off their weekly trash. He asked why are they doing that... don't they have garbage pickup? My friend couldn't believe it when he was told there was no garbage pick up in the town. He was even more surprised when he found out he was being told this by the new deputy mayor. He asked me how a town this size that always looks so clean doesn't have its own garbage collection. I explained how I can go to the landfill in off peak hours and drop off my trash for just a few dollars. I did tell him however that with this setup it's sometimes difficult to compost on a regular basis. He left me shaking his head.

There was a big crowd at council the other night. An unusually large group of spectators showed up at the June 23 town council meeting. They came to hear a presentation by ADI Limited, a consulting firm reviewing our municipal plan. The parameters of the review and some of the process involved was explained to council and the public. Some people wanted to give their input right away but this wasn't the place. There will be a series of sessions where the public will have input into the plan. These will be scheduled early in the fall. It's good to see so many people are interested in having a say in the new plan.

As well a number of residents gathered at the Brundage Point River Centre to hear a presentation about tourism development in the area. Local resident Laurel Reid, a consultant in the tourism industry prepared a detailed report making about 20 recommendations on how to develop and implement a tourism plan. Again it was great to see so many people interested enough to come out on a beautiful, warm evening to hear the presentation. I think most people left the session excited about the tourism possibilities in Grand Bay-Westfield.

Finally I just want to say how wonderful it is to run on the new track at River Valley Middle School. I've sneaked on there a few times already, usually at the beginning and end of my regular run along the trail. I usually do a couple of laps which translates into half a mile. Even though I'm slow it makes me feel good to know the distance I've traveled. Our new track will feature prominently in the Canada Day 10 Mile and 5 km race. Local runners and walkers as well as visitors will be able to test out the track because it forms part of the race route. About the only time I'll stay off the track is when the field is being used for soccer practice. I don't mind the kids but it's the comments and stares from the soccer moms who are sitting in chairs by the side of the track, that I want to avoid.

Tidy Trails and Turtle Mountain

(This is the latest column in River Valley News. Just today my wife and I were walking along this trail and were almost run over by two older kids on bikes. Bicycles are not allowed on the trail. It's clearly marked as such. These kids were racing as fast as they could up and down the hills and around the bends. We got out of the way just in time. It was around 5:00 pm when the trail starts getting crowded with people walking after supper with young kids and pets. Someone could get seriously hurt. These kids on the bikes are old enough and should know better. )

It's nice that we can once again walk along the River Valley Drive Trail through Grand Bay-Westfield. The wet areas are drying out and the town has added more crushed gravel to parts of the trail, making the base underfoot smoother and more secure. We can witness the approach of summer with every step we take. More leaves are budding every day and plants of all kinds are poking out of the ground. It's one of the nicest places to be in town at this time of year.

That is until you turn your attention toward the train tracks. Those trees and bushes that were needlessly mowed down last fall are still lying where they fell. Now I know the railway has to trim brush along the line for reasons of safety. But it's clear in many places along the trail they overdid it, knocking down fairly large trees standing well back from the tracks. Even if this was the standard sized path they normally clear along the rail line, surely they could have exercised some caution and common sense here. This is an urban area with backyards on one side and a popular walking trail on the other, a trail that already has a limited buffer of trees and brush between it and the tracks. It's sad to look at what they've done, but it's done. We can't put those trees back. It'll take many years for nature to repair the damage.

But some of the harm that was done can be corrected by at least clearing up the mess left behind. And I have some good news on that front. I put a call into the Irving owned NB Southern Railroad to find out if they had any intention of cleaning up the slash. The answer is yes. A company spokesperson got back to me and said they will be sending a crew out to do the work within a few weeks. Now I don't know if this was the company's plan all along or if my inquiry prompted them to take action. Or perhaps someone in authority from the town contacted them and asked for a clean up. I some how doubt that because when I called the town about it last fall, they didn't seem very concerned. Either way, I'm delighted to hear a crew from NB Southern will be coming to pick up the scrub lying on both sides of the track. It'll make the loss of the trees easier to take if we don't see them left strewn about and rotting on the ground.


While we're on the topic of trails, I had a wonderful hike to Turtle Mountain the other day. A group from the Saint John Outdoor Enthusiast's Club was supposed to go but canceled at the last minute because they were told the road was wet and messy. That wasn't the case at all. The road and trail are in great shape, except for a few wet areas that you would expect to find at this time of year. The day was sunny and not too warm, perfect for the long 14 mile hike to and from the mountain. I've done that hike many times and skied the trail in the winter and I've never seen much wildlife. However this time we were treated to a wildlife fiesta. On the way in and again on the way out we saw fresh moose tracks. It turns out we were chasing two moose ahead of us on the trail and we didn't realize it. We were fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of a big bull and a juvenile. We also got scared by a partridge and saw another one running across the tail and we scared a large snake sunning himself on a rock. The wildlife was a nice bonus to what turned out to be probably the best hike I've ever had to Turtle Mountain. It's a full day hike but well worth the effort, especially if you've never gone.

Outdoor Tidbits

I have some outdoors related information to pass on. There's a rumour going around about plans for a dirt bike track in the area. None of this has been confirmed but the location is thought to be somewhere out back of highway 7 near the exit that brings you to the flashing light. If it is true and depending on what form it takes, I know it's going to cause concern for some people. We all know about the controversy created by the motocross track in West Saint John.

I also have a little news about the Loch Alva Protected Area. A committee is busy looking at access and land use issues. I know a chunk of what was initially included as protected has been cut loose from the designation because of mining interests in the area. Once that happens forestry companies are allowed to cut in the area. There is fear on the part of some people that this wedge of formerly protected area may soon be clear cut. It's unfortunate because this is one of the more accessible areas for people living in Grand Bay-Westfield. It's also home to many camps and recreational trails. It would be a shame to see this area cut. I'll keep you posted.

And finally a comment from someone who used to live in the area concerning a column I wrote recently about the disappearing access to woods trails. This email came from Karen Gorham. She writes, "I just read about your disappearing trails. That is so sad. I grew up near Crystal Beach. I do like the outdoors. I have never been to Spencer’s camp. I now live in Ontario, but come home often. I enjoy going bird watching in NB. I hope something can be done about the disappearing trails and about the garbage that is left around."

Thanks for the feedback. If you have any comments, community news or events, photos or anything of interest to people in this area that you want to pass along, email them to rivervalleyrambler@inbox.com.

Disappearing Trails

(This is a column recently published in the River Valley News. It should concern everyone who enjoys the outdoors in this area. Contact me at rivervalleyrambler@inbox.com)


I was skiing along one of the local trails recently when I met another trail user going for a walk. We chatted about the weather and soon the conversation turned to the changing face of the backcountry this winter. We both commented how logging operations and the plowing of some roads have cut off access to some of our favorite trails. On parting the walker suggested that if this continues we may soon have to drive to Rockwood Park in the city to get access to the outdoors. Those comments have remained with me as I've explored more of our informal trail network in the Grand Bay-Westfield area. Given what I've seen so far this winter, I fear there may be some truth to those comments.

The clear cutting is everywhere. Trees are being downed right to the edge of long time back county trails and roads that have been used by people for generations. The logging equipment and trucks are tearing up the roads, making it impossible to ski on and difficult and even dangerous in places to walk. I haven't heard complaints from ATVers and snowmobilers but I'm sure the cutting is having an impact on their enjoyment of the outdoors as well.

A major cutting operation is underway over at the four corners by the ball fields at the end of the Britain Road. The forest on both sides of the trail is leveled for a considerable way. By the old Grand Bay dump and off the Mitchell Road a new logging road extends far into the forest. The old ski trails behind the Westfield Golf Course are long gone, swallowed up in clear cuts that now extend toward the highway. This isn't a new cut but I was skiing there the other day and lamenting over the loss of that trail system. It was the only wooded trail actually made for non-motorized use in this area. One of the most popular trails around here is what some call the Backland Road beside the Golf Course. It has also seen a lot of cutting this fall and the loggers have kept the road plowed through the early part of the winter. Plowing of course makes it almost impossible to ski. Further along the trail just past the Spencer's Camp property, a new road has been cut through the woods. It doesn't look like your typical logging road because it's considerably wide. The most troubling aspect of this road is that it cuts right across the existing trail to Loch Alva. Hikers, skiers and snowmobiles have used this trail for many years. The new road chops it in half and blocks it entirely with an eight-foot ditch across the trail. ATVs and snowmobiles now have to detour to Spencer's camp to get back on the trail. Skiers and hikers can still take the old trail but must negotiate this huge ditch to get through. It doesn't seem right that a road can be built right across an existing trail like that. My skiing companions and I have explored that new road. It continues for some way and actually has two branches. I don't know who built it or why but I don't think it's a logging road. My guess is it's for a new subdivision sometime in the future. Either way, someone went to a lot of trouble and expense to build a road that right now goes nowhere.

During our explorations of the area we discovered evidence of some peoples total disrespect for other peoples property and for the environment. I hadn't visited Spencer's camp for years but the place is in ruin. Some thoughtless people went through the property and broke every window in every building. Windows and doors were forced open and ripped off the hinges. Nothing escaped the vandalism. Whoever is responsible for this had to work hard to inflict that kind of destruction. What a wasted effort.

It's also sad seeing all the garbage left around in the outdoors. Out by Belvedere Lake we came upon a spot littered with empty beer cans and bottles. They had just been tossed and left there. This was at a trail intersection and the evidence points to thoughtless snowmobilers or four-wheelers. I can't understand why people would do that. I know most hikers or skiers would never even consider leaving their garbage strewn about like that.

So even though the skiing was great, these incidents took away a little from the enjoyment of the outdoors. Given what I've seen so far this winter, especially in relation to clear cutting and trail access, perhaps it's time to consider some kind of trail plan for the Grand Bay-Westfield area. We're blessed here with a backyard full of some of the most beautiful country you'll find anywhere. But that access and the woods themselves are disappearing quickly. Maybe we need a designated trail system and some kind of protected area. We should at least start thinking about it because more and more, access to outdoor recreation plays a significant part in attracting and keeping people in a community. It really would be a shame if we had to travel to the city to enjoy the outdoors.

Doing Stuff Outdoors-06 Podcast

In this weeks show we go to Scotland for a feature interview with Cameron McNeish. He’s a wilderness hiker, backpacker, author and broadcaster. With 16 books to his credit and appearances on many outdoor radio and television programs for the BBC, Cameron is one of the UK’s best known mountain walkers and commentators. In this edition of ‘Doing Stuff Outdoors’ Cameron talks about his life in the Scottish Highlands, his love of wild places, his work as an environmentalist, his many adventures in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California and his joy of being able to walk in the footsteps of his role model, John Muir. Check out his website and podcast at The Wilderness World of Cameron McNeish.

Also on the program Lorne Blagdon shares some more Trail Magic with us. This time he takes us to Springer Mountain in Georgia for the start of his through-hike on the Appalachian Trail. He’ll tell us how to survive encounters with poison ivy, heavy rain and big bears.

Also outdoor news about the sale of two major ski areas in Maine, Sunday River and Sugarloaf USA. And we’ll tell you how you can be a part of the show. We want to hear your stories of adventure in the great outdoors. Tell us about that mountain you climbed, that beautiful trail you hiked, your last kayak trip or the crazy thing that happened to you when you went for a walk in the park. Just email us and tell us how to get in touch with you and we’ll give you a call. We want you to be on ‘Doing Stuff Outdoors’. It’s your show about your outdoor adventures.

Email us at doingstuffoutdoors@yahoo.ca

And don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Odeo, Podcast Alley or other podcast directories.

Doing Stuff Outdoors-04

This week on the podcast Gary talks to someone near and dear to him who has just returned from an extraordinary outdoors adventure. Rory Mittelholtz is Garys 20-year-old son. He spent the winter working and snowboarding in British Columbia at Panorama Mountain. For part of that time he was working at a heliskiing operation and got to go out on a few trips. Listen as Rory makes his father jealous by describing all that untracked powder he discovered in the mountains of BC.

We begin a new segment on Doing Stuff Outdoors about running. Alex Coffin is our guide. He is a competitive runner and marathoner, a coach and trainer. Alex owns two running stores in Saint John, New Brunswick called Alex Coffins Fitness Shop. Today Alex talks about his love of running.

Lorne Blagdon and his daughter hiked the Appalachian Trail. Every week he comes by to tell us more about the adventure in a series called Trail Magic. Today they get ready to begin the trek in Georgia and they come up with their own trail names.

In Outdoor News learn more about a new exhibit detailing the history of the National Ski Patrol. And meet a 75 year old who is one of the oldest and the first black woman to visit the North Pole.

Next week on Doing Stuff Outdoors we have a feature interview with mountaineer, writer and photographer Lou Dawson.

Podsafe Music Links

Charlie Crowe
Bob Hughes

doingstuffoutdoors@yahoo.com

Doing Stuff Outdoors-03

We begin a new series in this edition of DSO called 'Trail Magic'. In 2003 Lorne Blagdon and his daughter Naomi hiked the entire length of the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine. Lorne wrote a series of newspaper columns on their adventure and every week we'll talk about a segment of the trip beginning today with a definition of trail magic.

Gary gets frustrated with the lousy spring weather in his part of the world so he searches for summer by calling to Florida where the sailing is great. We also get a detailed account of why the May long weekend in Canada used to known for firecrackers.

Looking through the outdoor files we'll tell you about a see-through boat, grass skiing in Britain, the first woman to hike the AT and a reality TV show about the outdoors that's now a podcast.

Podsafe Music

Christopher Wright
2006 Pl@stic Soul

doingstuffoutdoors@yahoo.ca

Walking and Running

With the snow and ice almost gone it's time to get back outside on the roads and trails for those regular runs and walks. I know most serious walkers don't let the winter stop them but it's always more enticing when the weather improves. I went for a run yesterday on the trail along River Valley Drive. It was in surprisingly good condition for this early in the season. There were a few muddy patches in low lying areas to watch for but on the whole the trail was dry and in pretty good shape. The town usually does some maintenance on it every spring including adding new gravel in spots so once that is completed the trail should be great. It sure is a well used and appreciated addition to the community.

However I did notice some ATV tracks on the trail. I hope motorized vehicles don't become a problem. They aren't allowed and either are bicycles but kids ride them along there all the time. I can't blame them for wanting to but really it's a safety issue as more and more people walk along that path.

I've posted some pictures of the trail. I shot them on a tiny digital camera I picked up at Guardian Drugs for under $20. It looked interesting so I had to give it a try and to my surprise it actually worked, not very well but it does take pictures.

The local runners group is getting into high gear with regular runs on Saturday mornings. More about that later. In the meantime, the River Valley Drive Trail awaits. Enjoy!

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.

Super Ski Trails

These days I’m working the early morning shift at CBC Radio. That means being in the office around 4:30 AM. It’s really the middle of the night but the upside is I’m finished work around 12:30. That makes it possible to indulge in some midweek skiing, something I haven’t been able to do very often. And it’s great.

I’ve skied for eight days straight. One day was spent at Poley Mountain doing some telemark and downhill turns but most of the time I did some cross country sliding on the local trails around Grand Bay-Westfield. With the recent snow they are all in great shape.

My favorite is the Backland Road behind the Westfield golf course. I’ve followed that twice in the last few days all the way to Loch Alva. ATV’s use the trail all the time as well as snowmobiles and they flatten the middle of it nicely and chop up the snow. It’s like skiing on a groomed trail and it’s the place you want to be especially with the heavy crust on the snow. That trail is always fast. It’s being well used too this winter by walkers and the occasional horseback rider. I never saw the horse but it left behind some road apples.

The trails across the highway on Highland Road to Round Lake and beyond are also in great shape. Snowmobile traffic has groomed them up nicely. The day I skied the Caribou Lake trail toward Welsford the snow was hard packed and icy but by the time I reached the lake the snowmobile groomer had gone through and loosened everything up. Heading back to the highway is mostly downhill and was very fast. Almost too fast.

The temperatures are getting warmer but snow is in the long range forecast so conditions should remain good for x-c skiers. The local backcountry trails are in better shape now than they were at any time last winter so get out the boards or snowshoes out and enjoy them while you can.

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.