International Appalachian Trail
We would publish a schedule of our trip on the International Appalachian Trail, however, we don’t know for sure ourselves what it will be. Chuck(Swamp Eagle) finished the Appalachian Trail with the hike to Baxter Peak on Katahdin in Maine. We knew the mountains in Quebec would be snowed in and the Parks closed before Chuck could hike to them, so he hiked out of Baxter State Park (which closes on October 15) and then we drove to Quebec. He hiked the highest of the mountains in Quebec, and also the areas that are closing because of caribou rutting season (mating season) and moose hunting season which coincides with their rutting season. With these areas, which may close, now finished we are back in Maine. He is hiking north from Baxter State Park to Cap Gaspe’, Quebec, jumping over the areas that he has already completed. We hope that this will allow him to complete the entire hike by the end of this year. Actually, we hope to finish about mid November or a few days sooner.
Quebec was/is great. It’s beautiful and the people are warm and friendly. The road along the northern coast of the Gaspe’ peninsula reminds me a lot of Norway. Mountains that jut right out to the St. Lawrence seaway. Many of the houses are very colorful, bright blues, purples, greens, reds, etc. Most of the homes along the coast have large glassed in front solariums. They are wonderful to sit on and enjoy the view of the St. Lawrence. The Gite (lodge) associated with the campground we were in has a front solarium and that is also where the computer modem hookup was – what a great place. The Quebecquois do speak French, however many people also speak English. We have had many opportunities to practice our French and it is coming back little by little. I think if we stayed in Quebec about a year, we’d be able to communicate much better.
Chuck also hiked many of the miles in New Brunswick, first in snow and sleet but then with some moderate temperatures. We found a wonderful campground in Kedgwick. It was closed, but they were kind and allowed us to stay there with electrical hookups. We’d like to return when the weather is warmer and to do some canoeing in the area. Beautiful rivers and countryside.
We figure Chuck has about 5 days of hiking left in Maine, 5 days in New Brunswick and about 7 days to complete his hike in Quebec. (I’m writing this on the 16th of October), so that would mean a finish during the first week of November.) We want to keep it open so if there are some really bad weather days we can avoid them. I think it’s safe to say we should finish before mid November.
Beginning the International Appalachian Trail.
Sunday 9/24/00 16 miles/3957 Total. 246 Trail Days. Katahdin Stream Campground, Baxter State Park to Roaring Brook Campground.
We took a zero day yesterday in order to rest. I thought it wise since any other decision would have resulted in the mutiny of the support crew. We got lots of chores accomplished. Betty and Mae drove to Bangor to get some items that are not available locally. It was an enjoyable day.
Today was a road hike within Baxter State park to connect the Appalachian Trail with the International Appalachian Trail( IAT). The entire 16 miles was on remote gravel roads. The trees are turning to their fall colors each day and it was a colorful hike. The cool weather and scenic beauty with high mountains in the background made it a very enjoyable day. Betty and Mae met me at Roaring Brook Campground at the end of the road.
“Mississippi Hiker” joined us for dinner, it was a pleasant ending to a good day.
Monday 9/25/00 19 miles/3976 Total. 247 Trail Days. Roaring Brook Campground (Baxter State Park) to Trout Brook Crossing Picnic Area, (Baxter State Park).
Due to the long drive from our campsite to the starting point for the day, it was another 4AM rising. The route today connects two trails which cross a remote northern area of Baxter State Park. From Roaring Brook trailhead, the Russell Pond Trail is seven miles to an isolated, “hike in only” campground, then the Pogy Notch Trail is 9 miles on north to South Branch Pond trailhead. Park officials advised us to plan two days for this 16.4 mile stretch. Betty and Mae had me on the trail at 6:30AM to insure that I could make it in one day. We did not need another night exercise. Plus, we planned to celebrate our completion of the Appalachian Trail this evening with the Howells.
The Russell Pond Trail was not as easy to follow as the AT because it gets little use. It is marked with blue blazes which seemed odd at first after hiking over 2000 miles following the familiar white blazes of the AT. It was an easy hike, the most time consuming aspect was the repeated stops to photograph the morning sun on colorful trees, reflecting lakes and steep mountainsides. At Wassataqueik Stream, I had to remove my boots to ford the icy water. It was a little over knee deep and, fortunately, only about 30 feet wide. Like most of the streams in this area, the bottom is covered with a jumble of smooth, slick rocks. Crossing with bare feet is tedious and takes time, enough time to more than “cool your heels”.
At Russell Pond Campground I talked with a couple of campers, the only people I saw on the trail today. One of the campers had a “Trail Crew” AT hat. I asked which section of the AT was his responsibility. He said it was the Hunt Trail up Katahdin Mountain to Baxter Peak. I told him he should do something about all those boulders. He laughed and said that they were planning several reroutes around the more difficult parts of the boulder climb. Evidently, numerous accidents and the prolonged time to negotiate these areas has been a major concern for them.
The Pogy Notch Trail had more rocks and roots, plus more ups and downs. I had lunch on the shore of Upper South Branch Pond; it was spectacular. It was 2:30PM when I reached the trailhead. I was early, so I started hiking out the gravel road that Betty would use to get into this area. After a couple of miles I reached a road junction at Trout Brook and waited there for Betty since it would be possible for her to arrive from either direction. She drove up without Mae on board. Mae had brought her little Boston Terrier pup, Susannah, and could not enter the state park. They hiked a couple of miles, taking lots of pictures of the autumn foliage. We picked them up then hustled back to our RV site, about 70 miles, so we could clean up for our celebration dinner.
We met the Howells at the Terrace Hotel restaurant in Millinocket. As we walked to our table, I was totally surprised to find a “hiker doll” that looked so much like me in my hiking gear that it was scary. Betty had arranged to have Mae make this weeks, maybe months, ago. It stands about 14 inches tall, has a walking stick and is complete, even to include a whistle around the neck and a map in the right shirt pocket. The likeness must have been good because when Betty and I walked in the door, a waitress immediately said, “Your table is over this way” and led us to it. She explained that she recognized me because she had seen the hiker doll.
Mae had also made a diarama depicting the hike. Starting with Key West as the lowest point it traced the highlights of the route through Florida, the Appalachian Trail and on to Cape Gaspe’, Quebec. It was three dimensional and had lots of partially hidden surprises: a bear in the woods, a moose, a Canadian maple leaf, rock walls, etc. She included something from each state we passed through and the route that we still have in front of us.
We had a wonderful evening with great friends and good food!!
Tuesday 9/26/00 7 miles/3983 Total. 248 Trail Days. Trout Brook Crossing Picnic Area (BSP) to Matagamon Gate of Baxter State Park.
Directly after breakfast Mae packed the last few things in her car and started the long journey south to Naples, FL. She has been a viable part of our trip and we would have liked for her to stay for the Canadian portion.
Betty and I moved the RV north about 50 miles and parked it temporarily. Then Betty took me to Trout Brook Crossing so I could finish hiking out of Baxter State Park. Those last seven miles were a breeze.
We then returned to get the RV and drive north. We intend to hike the mountainous portions in Canada first before winter storms and snow preclude hiking in those areas. We will then return to hike the lower elevations from Maine north to Cape Gaspe’. We drove until about 8PM and dry camped behind a gas station in Van Buren, Maine which is right on the Canadian border.
Betty: There are a lot of things that we have to consider now, if we are going to complete the trail this year. Baxter State Park closes on October 15th and sometimes earlier if the weather turns bad, which meant that we had to make sure “Swamp Eagle” had hiked out of Baxter State Park. The Canadian Appalachian mountains will soon receive their first bad snowstorms, plus the Canadians close the trails not only for snow, but for moose hunting season and for Caribou breeding season, all of which occur in the October timeframe. They have been known to make some exceptions for hikers, but not always. The Caribou breeding regions seem to be the areas with least exception, so we need to head up to complete those sections before the trails are closed. Once we complete all of these “areas of concern” we can return to Maine and proceed north with the hope of finishing sometime around mid November.
Wednesday 9/27/00 0 miles/3983 Total. 249 Trail Days. Travel Day to Canada.
On the road before 6AM, in the heavy fog we missed the turn to the border crossing. We had to unhitch the Honda to turn around. The agent at Canadian customs quizzed Betty about items we might have on board: alcohol, firearms, mace, pepper spray, etc. He then said he wanted a closer look and proceeded to go through closets and drawers in the RV. Betty said she knew it was because she broke eye contact with him when he said, “firearms”. Fortunately, we had sent our complete arsenal back with Mae to avoid just such complications. We did declare a canister of pepper spray. They confiscated it, then, after some debate with a supervisor, returned it. Finally, we are heading north through New Brunswick on a little used, but paved road. Miles and miles of timber and hills went by before we reached Matapedia, Quebec.
We parked in front of the Restigouche Motel and called Paul LaBlanc, our point of contact for this part of the IAT (International Appalachian Trail). Soon he stopped by with some beautiful trail photos and a xeroxed map. He said his son, David, had lots more info and better maps. Paul had just left when David came home for lunch; he lives adjacent to the motel parking lot. I recognized him from the trail pictures Paul had shown us. David went to get his maps and then we had a long planning session as he deluged us with good, pertinent information. B & B had left maps and information for us with David. With all this information we should be in good shape.
Before leaving Matapedia, we went to see Pete Dube, who owns the Restigouche Motel and was a member of the first Board of Directors for the IAT. Nimblewill Nomad had asked that I contact Pete. It was time well spent.
Our plan was starting to take shape. We would go first to the Parc de la Gasp*sie and hike the mountainous portion that will close in a few days due to the annual caribou migration. Then we will hike the other portions of the IAT within the park. Next, we will hike through two game reserves. Moose hunting season starts this coming Saturday, so there may be some restrictions on our movement in the area.
It was late in the afternoon before we reached the mountain road to the park office. Betty had information about an RV park and soon we were there talking with the owner Georges Beniot. He recommended a little restaurant that had the best home cooked meals in the area. It was also the only place to eat in the area. Nonetheless, Chez Polo was an excellent “choice”. We had onion soup, fish and chips and fresh raspberry pie with ice cream and coffee – did I mention a couple of LaBatts to get everything started. It was all good, but the onion soup and raspberry pie were extra special. Whether by design or neglect, the service was much like the French technique. Keep them waiting for each item and they will love it when it finally arrives.
It started raining about dark; hope this is not an indication of the weather we will have for the next few days.
Thursday 9/28/00 6 miles/3989 Total. 250 Trail Days. Quebec Road 299, Parc de la Gaspesie Interpretation Center to Lac aux Americans Parking area.
This morning we drove north into the mountains to the Canadian National Park “Gaspesie”. At the park’s Interpretive Centre (Visitor’s Center) we met Madeleine Soucy. Fortunately, she spoke English and helped us work out a schedule to hike through the park and through Matane Reserve. If we had been just one day later, we would not have had enough time to hike through the caribou areas before they are closed on 1 October at sunset. In the Matane Reserve, we will be restricted by moose hunting season which starts on 11 October. Madeleine called a colleague, Jean Pierre, who secured an agreement from the Matane Reserve to allow me to hike from 9AM to 4PM each day. I must wear an orange vest and cannot remain overnight in the Reserve. We think we can make this work. Others have told us that they were not allowed in the Park nor in the Reserve and had to hike on roads to bypass these beautiful areas.
It was noon by the time we worked out the details. We left the RV in the Interpretation Centre parking area and Betty put me on the SIA/IAT (Sentier International des Appalaches/International Appalachian Trail) at Quebec Road 299. It was a steady climb, but only six miles to Lake to the Americans (Lac aux Americains) parking lot where Betty met me. The SIA/IAT is marked using metal rectangles 2 inches wide and 5 inches tall. This marker is painted white with a blue border and blue lettering. It reads “SIA” across the top and “IAT” down the center. Both letter groups use the same “I”.
The weather here is noticeably cooler. It snowed at some of the higher elevations last night and the dusting was brilliant in the morning sun. Even when I was hiking at mid-afternoon, snow still covered areas not in direct sunlight.
There were several recent moose tracks on and near the trail. Earlier today we saw a porcupine that had been killed last night. Tomorrow, I hope to see caribou. I’ll be passing through an area that is home to the only caribou herd south of the Saint Lawrence Seaway.
Betty found a campsite right on the Seaway just outside the coastal town of Sainte-Anne-des-Monts (Saint Anne of the Mountains). Because it is late in the year, we are the only ones in the campsite. Our front bumper is about 20 feet from the shore. We can sit inside the RV and look out through the windshield onto the seaway. It’s a “cool” place. The owners, Normand and Diane Lafreniere, invited us into their home for tea after dinner this evening. A couple from France is staying in the Lafreniere’s Bed and Breakfast and also were there for tea. We had an enjoyable, but somewhat strained evening with us trying to understand French. Normand and Diane speak English and Normand translated for us when our meager French and gestures were inadequate. It was a fun evening.
Friday 9/29/00 14 miles/4003 Total. (54 on the IAT) 251 Trail Days. Lac aux Americains parking area to La Galene, Quebec Rd 2.
Another early start, it was an hours drive to the trailhead and Betty had me there a few minutes after 6AM. The ground was still frosted and crunched with every step. Normally, I hike in shorts, but after about 15 minutes I pulled on some insulated pants. It was clear and beautiful as the sun peeped over the mountains. Soon I was on top of Mont Xalibu (Mount Caribou) then down along a saddle to Te’tras Refuge. This is a building with eight bunks, a table and most importantly, a wood burning stove. I’m sure these refuges are a welcome sight at the end of a long cold day.
As the long ascent of Mont Jacques-Cartier began, the trail entered a long area of broken rocks about the size of basketballs and breadbaskets. Most of the rocks had sharp corners and edges not yet smoothed by the elements over time. This made footing precarious since most of the trail was covered with snow. As I went up hill the weather went downhill. That clear sky was soon a full cloud cover which made it colder almost immediately. The wind steadily increased as the trail emerged from treeline. Soon I was wearing a knit hat, gloves and a wind parka over an insulated jacket. The wind was now blowing even harder and it was starting to snow, not snow flakes, but rather snow pellets. Visibility was reduced to only a couple of hundred feet. Fortunately, the trail was well marked with cairns as it switched its way up to the summit. Now I have my hood drawn tightly over my knit cap, my gloved hands have found the warming pockets in the parka. Snow bullets are blowing sideways and the cold wind is cutting through multiple layers of clothing. The summit house is in site. It is two stories with a stove on the first floor in an enclosed area and the second floor is an enclosed observation area. Their indoor/outdoor thermometer shows the outside air temperature at minus 7 degrees centigrade (about 19 degrees Fahrenheit). The wind was shown as 55 kilometers per hour (33 mph), no wonder it seemed chilly out there. Mont Jacques-Cartier, the highest mountain in Quebec, was named after the famous explorer and cartographer. Do you suppose Cartier is where the word cartographer originated? Mont Jacques-Cartier stands 1268 meters high, which is about 4,298 feet. I had lunch and made my way down the other side of the mountain toward the point that Betty would be meeting me. Once below treeline the wind subsided, the temperature was warmer and clothes started coming off again.
Betty arrived at nearly the same time I did, she said we would stop to see Raymond as we went through the coastal village of Mont Sainte Pierre. Even though not a hiker, Raymond has a bar, restaurant and motel at a strategic point on the IAT. He keeps track of most IAT thru-hikers and we compared notes on those hikers we had seen recently. I had read in the summit register that “Class 5”, Jon Leuschel, passed here on 18 September 2000, eleven days ago. Of course, Raymond had talked with him.
Back at the RV, we had new neighbors in the campground. Tom and Karen Ried, from Palo Alto, California, came over for a short visit. They have been touring the Northwest and Canada for about three months.
We had a great dinner of poached salmon at Restaurant du Quai, a local restaurant.
Betty: For those of you who may drive up here in your RV’s. We are parked at “Camping du Rivage” in Sainte-Anne-des-Monts. The sites are right on the St. Lawrence seaway. They have electric (15amps). There is a restroom facility, no showers. They have a dump station and fresh water. It is a beautiful area. Email: roseriva@globetrotter.net I am on my way over to see if I can use their phone line to post this. If it is posted, it will be with thanks to Normand and Diane.
Later – They do have a modem hookup. In talking with Normand and Diane, they told me they will have the 15 amp power upgraded next year to 30 amps and also will have water installed at each site. They are also planning to add a number of new sites. In addition to the RV sites they have lodging in their house, “Gite La Villa des Roses”.
Saturday 9/30/00 17 miles/4020 Total. 252 Trail Days. Lac Cascape’dia on Quebec Rd 11 to Le Gite du Mont Albert on Quebec 299.
“O-dark-thirty” and we are out on the backroads of the Gasp* peninsula in the rain. Betty finds the trail crossing near Lac Cascape’dia (Lake Cascapedia) and leaves me there in the rain, the sun wasn’t even up. It is to be a 17 mile day over Mount Albert (Mont Albert), a mountain with an altitude. And, most importantly, if we don’t complete the hike back to Le Gite du Mont Albert, we will have to wait until next summer.
As of sunset today, park officials close the areas we have hiked the last two days and that which we plan for today. This large mountainous area is home to a small herd of wood caribou, the only herd remaining south of the St. Lawrence Seaway. At one time, this herd was huge and, with other herds, ranged much of Southern Canada and northern United States. It is estimated that only 200 caribou remain. Consequently, there is a major effort to protect them. The rut season starts in October, so those “in the know” have selected the first of October to close the area.
It rained early this morning and the trail is wet and muddy. After a few minutes of slipping and sliding, I am wet and muddy. About 8:30AM, I met Harry Feldman, a native of New York, now living in Australia and hiking here in Quebec to practice his French. We exchanged information about the parts of the trail we had each hiked. He corrected an error on my way which proved to be very helpful later in the day.
After several hours of wandering up and down through Fir and Yellow Birch, the trail climbed through a Fir and White Birch zone then on up through a Fir and Black Spruce area and finally onto the alpine tundra. The massif that includes Mont Albert (Mount Albert) has a large relatively level alpine top. This impressive area is above the tree line and the views across it are great. It is an alpine tundra, much of it soaking with water just below the surface grasses. Rocks are scattered everywhere and the wind is relentless. Fortunately, it is much warmer today, so the wind is not as biting as yesterday.
On a slope about a half-mile across this barren mountain plateau, I spotted at least two, probably three and possibly five or six caribou. For sure, two were moving about grazing, a third one looked to be in motion also, then there were some that looked like caribou, but with no apparent movement, I could not be sure. I did get a picture, but the distance was so far that they will probably only be dots.
The trail is marked with sticks and poles and cairns, as it winds up, down and around with the contours of the land form. This goes on for a wonderful couple of miles then the trail descends steeply down a massive rock valley. Vertical rock walls line either side of this canyon. Water from the tundra is pouring down a stream over rocks and high waterfalls. Dripping water has created hundreds of huge icicles, some about two feet in diameter and maybe 20 feet long. There are dozens of ice formations containing interconnected icicles. The warm day is causing the ice to melt. Several times I heard a loud crack that echoed through the canyon as large pieces of ice broke and fell. One time the falling ice, broke off more ice as it fell, then caused some rocks to break away. Even though it was a very small avalanche, the sound was awesome.
In and near the rocky stream bed are tall poles marking the winter cross-country ski trail. These poles are about 15 feet tall and have reflectors on the top.
About five kilometers from the end of today’s hike, I came across Tom and Karen, our RV neighbors that we met last night. They were out for a day hike in the vicinity of Mont Albert. It had started to rain again and the trail was slick and muddy.
Betty extracted me at Quebec Road 299 and whisked me back to a cold beer and hot shower.
Sunday 10/1/00 16 miles/4036 Total. 253 Trail Days. Quebec Rd 11 (near Le Huard Refuge) to Lac Cascape’dia.
It was a long drive on mountainous back roads to get to my starting point. Along the way, a large bull moose was blocking the road. What a huge, regal animal. He climbed into the underbrush and stopped just inside the woodline. He had joined a cow moose. They sniffed and paced and did a little do-si-do dance with little concern that we were watching. After a few minutes, they ambled deeper into the forest. A great show to start the day. “Good Morning, Canada”!
Almost immediately the trail climbed to Mont Arthur-Allen. It was a clear day, and the visibility from the summit was very good.
Due to the rain during the past couple of days, it was easy to spot fresh tracks. No people, lots of moose, a fox, and a bear had all left their mark. Also, I saw what looked like large dog tracks, but no one was walking with it and dogs are not allowed in the park. I’ll have to check to see if wolves frequent this remote part of the park. Several times everyday, I have seen Spruce Grouse and today was no exception. They are so unafraid of people it is a wonder any are left.
It was lunch on Mont Blizzard and a stop at Pic de l’Aube for the view, then on in to Lac Cascape’dia where Betty was waiting.
Betty: This morning we enjoyed seeing the bull and cow moose, then this afternoon as I drove out to pick up Chuck, I was confronted with the fact that moose season has really begun. I met two vehicles with dead moose heading back into town. It made me sick to see them strapped to the vehicles knowing that only hours before they had been beautiful, live creatures, searching for their mates and falling prey to a hunter.
Monday 10/2/00 11 miles/4047 Total. 98 Total for IAT. 254 Trail Days. Cap-Chat (Road #1) in Matane Reserve to Mount Logan. We packed my large “Gregory” pack with items needed to overnight in the mountains. Winter clothing, sleeping bag, etc. are more bulky and heavier so the small lightweight “Lowe Alpine” pack I have been using was retired for the moment. Since we were not certain that I could stay in a refuge (shelter), I needed to carry a tent and mattress so I did not have to spend the night above treeline without any type of shelter.
We entered the Matane Reserve on a gravel road, Cap-Chat Road. It was about 30 miles to the point where the IAT crosses Cap-Chat Road. We had to purchase a six dollar entry permit and since it is now moose hunting season I needed to wear red or orange.
Immediately after Betty dropped me at the trail, it started climbing. First it was past a beautiful and high waterfall, Chute Helene, then up more and more. Next the trail descended several hundred feet to cross a stream, then back up over a ridge, up and down till mid-afternoon when it was up a very steep mountainside of mostly grass and mud. This workout ended at the summit of Mont Collins, 1022 meters. This does not appear to be very high, about 3,342 feet. However, the base of most of the mountains is within a hundred feet or so of sea level and due to the northern latitude, timber line is about 2700 feet. Anyway, it was a tough, time consuming climb. Then down onto a saddle to go up Mont Matawees, down a ridge, across a stream and up Mont Fortin. Down a long exposed ridgeline and finally up a long ridge that led to Mont Logan, 1128 meters. The views from Mont Collins and afterward were awesome. Much of the time it was nearly straight down, often on both sides of the trail. It was an exhilarating hike.
Just prior to the summit of Mont Logan, I saw a small sign reading: “Point d’eau”. It was later afternoon and I needed to get water before camping. It was good to see this sign indicating a water source a few hundred meters away. It was a little spring and I pumped three quarts through my filter.
Mont Logan is very isolated, there is an unmanned antennae site and an old shelter with a few bunks and a wood burning stove. It was not the Hilton, but any shelter on a mountain will do. I was wet from perspiration, tired and getting chilled in the howling wind. It was after five and the door did not have a lock, it was home for the night. The woodshed outback was filled with cut and split birch. With a little birch bark for a starter and some splinters for kindling, I soon had a roaring fire. The stove had a flat top and my cooking pot was ready for business. The shelter, even though old, is well built and insulated. It has lots of windows for good light, but all have storm windows covering the outside.
After a great meal of pasta and sundried tomatoes, I was on one of their bunks before it was totally dark. It was soon obvious that I had over done the fire. The wind was blowing at about 30 mph, but the temperature was probably only in the forties. The door was on the lee side, so I propped it open to get some cool air and went to sleep. About eleven PM, it cooled and I closed the door but did not restoke the fire. It was a good starlit night.
Tuesday 10/3/00 13 miles/4060 Total. 111 on the IAT. 255 Trail Days. Mont Logan, Quebec to LeHuard Refuge on Parc Road 11. Up at first light and the wind is still blowing hard. They have cables at each corner of this refuge to guy it down. That is a sure sign that the wind can get really strong. Still, now as the building shakes and quivers against the wind it’s comforting to know that we are anchored to the mountain.
After putting a little more wood on the coals that remained in the stove, I soon had heat to cook some ramen for breakfast. With everything stuffed back in the pack, I was descending off Mont Logan. Only a quarter of a mile from the refuge, I saw fresh bear tracks on the trail. This possibility did not cross my mind as I propped the door open last night.
A few minutes later there were caribou tracks. The primary locations for caribou are on Monts Jacques Cartier, Xalibu, and Albert. Caribou tracks are cloven, but much more rounded than moose tracks, there was no doubt that it was caribou. It was exciting to see tracks of an animal in an area other than its known range. Later in the day, I spotted the tracks of a small cat, maybe a lynx, I thought. But, back in the RV I read that lynx are larger. It might have been a bobcat.
By midmorning I was laboring up a slope when I heard something in front of me. Then I saw caribou tracks that were coming toward me, but had skidded to a stop. Realizing that the animal had sensed my approach and bolted from the trail, I stopped and looked closely. Wow, about one hundred feet to my right was a male caribou with its large distinctive rack. Slowly, I reached for my camera but as I lifted the cover, the sound of velcro separating was more than this guy would stand for, he disappeared into the undergrowth.
It was early when I arrived at LeHuard Refuge, but Betty was already there. She was chatting with a photographer that was trying to call moose close enough to get good pictures. He told us that an angry bull moose had been on the trail, just minutes before I arrived. He was really concerned about one being that close because last night an angry bull moose had tried to ram his car.
Betty: Well, he got my attention. He told me when I’m driving at night and see a moose to turn out my lights because the lights really make them crazy and they will run right for the lights. I really didn’t want to know that, well, maybe I did. Anyway, now I don’t want to see any moose.
Wednesday 10/4/00 14 miles/4071 Total. 255 Trail Days. Lac Matane Trailhead to Mont Blanc Refuge. It was a 60 mile drive, one way, for Betty to get me to the trailhead at Lac Matane. The trail ascended to a ridge overlooking the lake and followed the ridgeline north for a couple of miles. Then, some ups and downs until the steep climb up Mount Pointu. Down off this pinnacle and back up Mont Craggy, it was like a roller coaster.
While descending down to a saddle, I heard some grunting and saw a large bull moose walking slowly just inside the treeline about one hundred feet below me. Then I saw a cow in front of him. They had not sensed me and were moving slowly to a point that would cross the trail in front of me. I really did not want to meet them when we all reached that point. Carefully, I continued, but never saw them again.
Now, for the long, somewhat steep ascent up Mont Blanc. All day, I had been watching the time. Since I had not brought a tent, I really wanted to reach the refuge on Mont Blanc before nightfall. The climb seemed to take more time than it should and the sun was low in the west.
With about 30 minutes of daylight remaining, I reached the summit and the old shelter. The building was about 10 feet by 15 feet and contained two sets of bunkbeds, a table, two chairs and a wood cook stove. Unlike other shelters that had a square wood burning stove, this one had a true wood burning cook stove, complete with an oven and places for five large pots on the top.
It was cold and windy and there was not a large supply of firewood. A few branches and dead fall had been placed behind the stove. To conserve firewood, I built a fire in the small firebox and soon was cooking noodles followed by grits. I put too much water in the grits and had the best grit soup I have ever tasted.
It was a cold night, probably in the mid-twenties. With so little firewood I did not try to keep a fire going through the night. Too bad, because it would have felt good. As it was, I used all the tricks in my bag to keep warm: wear a knit cap, eat high fat snacks during the night, wear wool socks, etc.
Thursday 10/5/00 13 miles/4084 Total. 256 Trail Days. Mont Blanc Refuge to Cap Chat Road at Mont Nicole-Albert. Another little fire in the morning heated some ramen for breakfast. It had snowed about an inch during the night so I dressed appropriately: long pants, gaiters, water repellant parka and gloves. Before leaving the refuge I signed their register. A lot of hikers had logged in during the summer but no one recently. Jon Leuschel, “Class V”, had made the last entry on 12 September 2000, nearly three weeks prior to my visit. Betty and I first met Jon in White Springs, Florida much earlier in our respective trips.
As the trail started up Mont Nicole-Albert, I saw a cow moose standing on the trail 200 feet ahead of me, then I saw a large bull with a huge rack, near her. Both were watching me. They grunted and after a couple of minutes, wandered off to my left. Only seconds later, a young bull enters from my right. He snorts and grunts and walks toward me. My yelling and hat waving has no effect of him. He stops at about 25 feet, then walks off to the left. After a pause he circles and approaches again to within about 25 feet, then wanders off in the woods.
The miles seemed to go by fast and at 2:30 PM I was on the summit of Mont Nicole-Albert, about 3000 feet. The west side of this mountain is a sheer cliff dropping nearly 2800 feet to a remote road below. Betty was meeting me there. On the off chance that she might be early, I tried calling her on the little walkie-talkies that Harold Howell, “Mississippi Hiker” had loaned us. Betty was there. I told her I would be down in a little over 30 minutes. Not so, two hours later I was still descending very steep trail alongside high, but beautiful, waterfalls. This went on and on, a treacherous, but awesome trail. At many places the trail had drop-offs of several hundred feet. The roar of the waterfall blocked other sounds at times.
Finally, I linked up with Betty and hiked the one mile road walk to the point on Cap Chat Road that I had departed three days ago.
Betty: It occurred to me as I was typing this, it might be a little confusing as to why Chuck is hiking into places he’s already hiked out of. So, here’s the explanation. Chuck wants to hike the whole trail going north, but he had to get certain areas hiked before they closed and it seems the areas that were the highest and closing the first were the furthest along the trail. There were two ways he could take care of these. He could start at that furthest point and hike south, or if he wants to always hike north – then we figure out what section he is going to hike, I drive him to its southern point and he hikes north. That is the way we are doing it, and it’s working very well.
Friday 10/6/00 17 miles/4101 Total. 156 miles on the IAT. 257 Trail Days. John Entrance to the Matane Reserve to Lac Matane Trailhead. We said goodbye to our new friends, Diane and Normand Lafreniere, who own the campground and a bed and breakfast. We have been here six days, over twice as long as our normal stay. The plan is to move the RV back to the west and south then look for a place to park it while I hike the western end of the Matane Reserve.
This Matane Reserve entrance checkpoint is staffed by Georgette LeVeque, a very pleasant and helpful lady, who speaks no English. Nimblewill Nomad spoke of her willingness to help when he passed through here last July. Because the campground portion of their operation is officially closed, she called her supervisor, Robin Plante, for an exception. Robin said it would be fine and that he would drive to our location to help get us set up. The water has been shut off and drained for the winter, but we do have electricity. Power for the small ceramic heater provides more even and comfortable heat than having our propane furnace kick on and off during both day and night.
I hiked directly from the RV along a gravel road that leads deep into the Reserve. It was an easy roadwalk and I made the 17 miles in just over four hours. Mountain trails have taken over three times that long to go the same distance. Betty met me at Lac Matane Trailhead. This is the same point that I departed from two days ago on my way to Mont Blanc.
It was starting to rain as we made our way back to the campsite. Along the way we saw a bull moose and a cow beside the road. It was nearly dark as we watched them watch us. Then they drifted into the shadows.
Betty: We are really enjoying Quebec. Diane and Normand at Camping du Rivage, were just wonderful to us and now here at the Reserve we have been treated very kindly. We are looking forward to returning on a leisurely visit sometime in the future.
Saturday 10/7/00 25 miles/4126 Total. 258 Trail Days. Amqui to John Entrance to Matane Reserve. It rained most of the night, but by morning was only misting. Betty drove me south to the town of Amqui so I could hike back north to our campsite at the entrance to the Matane Reserve. Much of the route that I would hike through was covered with one or two inches of snow. After putting me on
my way in Amqui, Betty found a place to have the oil changed in the Honda CRV. Also, she had the antifreeze checked (-37 degrees) and had new windshield wipers installed. Before leaving Amqui she stocked up on groceries. The small towns we pass through have only had depanneur (convenience stores).
My hike was a 25 mile roadwalk, the kilometers clicked by and soon I was at a depanneur buying some sandwiches for lunch. Betty knew this was about where I would be for lunch and she stopped on her way back. We had a snack in the car; it was warm.
After arriving at the campground, I talked with the agent at the game check point to see if the water here was potable. He said no, but he would allow us to run a hose into their kitchen to get drinkable water to fill our tank. We’re the only ones in the campground and since the campground water has been shut off, we probably got special consideration.
The agent, Rejean Desgens, told me that hunters here have a 95% success rate and that they will take 200 moose this season. They are permitted to take bulls, cows and young adults, but not calves. He said they estimate that there are five thousand moose on this huge Reserve. The IAT has been almost solid with moose tracks. This land and 17 other reserves were set aside in the 1960s. At that time there were only about 500 moose, but with proper management the population has steadily increased. During the few days that we have been in the Reserve we have seen over a dozen moose. Monsieur Desgens said the timber harvesting, so prevalent in the Reserve, helps the moose population. Moose feed on the grasses, weeds and young tree sprouts that flourish in the sun after an area has been cut. Also, moose like the tender seedlings used in reforestation. I told Betty all of this, but it did little to help her accept the killing of these special animals.
Betty: If they can now shoot cows, what happens to that cow’s calf? I do understand that there has always been hunting and probably always will be. I even intellectually will concede that overpopulation makes for weaker animals and that well managed hunting areas seem to have healthier animals. There is just something so sad and sickening about seeing these large, regal animals “spread eagled” on top of some trailer going down the road. Their dignity is gone, not to mention their life. I have to say there are some hunters who cover the animal up and treat them with some dignity, but most want to show them off. Anyway, it’s not something we’re going to change, so enough said.
Sunday 10/8/00 22 miles/4148 Total. 203 miles on the IAT. 259 Trail Days. St Marguerite to Amqui. We topped off our fresh water tank and said good-bye to Rejean as we prepared to move the RV to Amqui. Rejean gave us a copy of the weather dispatch they had just received; rain. Our stay, here in the middle of no-place, has been very comfortable and informative. Robin and his “band of agents” have made us feel very welcome.
After positioning the RV, in the parking lot of an old motel that had nearly burned to the ground years ago, Betty drove me the 22 miles to St. Marguerite so I could hike back to the RV in Amqui. Our procedure seems a bit complicated ever since we leaped forward to hike the portions of the IAT that are in the Canadian Mountains. Having completed the highest parts of the trail in Quebec, we are working our way south but I am always hiking north. We want to do as much of the trail in this northern area as we can before the weather gets so cold that the tanks and pipes in the RV will freeze. The plan is to keep moving south, but hiking north, toward New Brunswick and Maine. When it gets too cold for the RV, we will drain the tanks and park it, then drive the Honda back to hike the remaining portions of trail and finally to hike the 10 day stretch from La Galene (the most northerly point I have hiked thus far) to Cape (Cap) Gaspe’.
Today the route skirts the southern boundary of the Duniere Reserve and the Matane Reserve. We pass through the center of Causapscal, a quaint old village with large beautiful churches. Betty read, in Nomad’s journal, about the Auberge La Coulee Douce (an inn to pass sweet hours). While I was hiking in the snow and later rain, she located this Inn and made reservations for dinner.
Upon reaching the RV, I was cold and wet. After a hot shower and a short drive we were enjoying a wonderful evening at La Coulee Douce. It was much like the meals we have had at little restaurants and inns in France. A mostly set menu with multi courses was served in a very relaxed atmosphere. Enjoying great food, made even better with good wine, it was hard to believe that just two hours ago I was on the trail and soaking wet. “La Coulee Douce”.
Monday 10/9/00 11 miles/4159 Total. 260 Trail Days. Matapedia to St. Andre de Restigouche.
We moved the RV about 60 miles south to the town of Matapedia. From Matapedia, I will hike north today to St. Andre de Restigouche and then will have a two day stretch from St. Andre de Restigouche to St. Marguerite.
The trail goes through the middle of Matapedia then climbs a steep hill overlooking the town. The colorful leaves are falling now and in some places the trail is covered with a new blanket. At times it is more difficult to follow the trail than it is without the leaves. The trail twists and turns over hills and through valleys finally arriving at the little village of St. Andre de Restigouche. It then follows a road north for 2 miles to a trailhead. From the trailhead it is a two day hike to St. Marguerite. Betty met me at St. Andre and Levi (our Schnauzer) joined me on the hike.
We returned to the Restigouche Hotel parking lot next to the home of David LaBlanc, Sally and their daughter, India. They all joined us in the RV for some snacks. Later, their friend, Bruno, arrived and we had many good stories about: the trail, moose, bear, the mountains and winters in Quebec. Both David and Bruno are guides in this wild land. Bruno also works as a skidder with a timber company during the winter. David has a canoe livery business and is expanding it to include sled dogs. In the winter he works as a biologist. He and Bruno are now training the dogs to pull cross country skiers. These guys also are responsible for building and maintaining one of the most rugged sections of the IAT. David is planning to build a hostel adjacent to his canoe operation. These guys love this great remote country and manage to spend as much time as possible outside in it. Sally and David are passing this outdoor spirit along to India. One cold morning we met Sally taking India for a two mile walk.
Tuesday 10/10/00 20 miles/4179 Total. 261 Trail Days. 5 miles North of Glenwood, New Brunswick on Rd. 17 to Matapedia , Quebec. It rained all night and was cold and raining as we drove out this morning. We decided to delay the overnight hike to St. Marguerite until better weather, so Betty took me 20 miles south and dropped me. Sometimes I wonder if she really wants me to find my way home. Today might have been one of those times. After putting me on my way she drove on to look for a campsite. As she gained elevation the rain turned to snow and soon she was in a heavy snowfall that would last all day and into the night. She located Kedgewick Forestry Museum and Campsite, all of which closed sometime in September. After checking for other places that might be open, she came back and convinced the caretaker to allow us to stay for a few nights. He told her that the water had been cut off to prevent pipes from freezing but we could have electricity.
Meanwhile, I am hiking north to Matapedia. Soon I was hiking along the Restigouche River, This wide, shallow stream is known throughout the angling world for its great salmon fishing. A local resident told me that many of the USA’s rich and famous have come here on a regular basis: Bing Crosby, Norman Schwartzkoph, and many corporate executives. It is a picturesque river.
Once we were all back in Matapedia, we moved the RV almost 50 miles south to Kedgwick. Betty was back in the same mountainous snowfall for the third time today. It was dark when we arrived and it was still snowing. Unfortunately, they had left the dump station padlocked and the parking site the caretaker suggested had an electrical breaker box, but no electricity. We picked another site that did have power and by 8:30PM we were finally “home”. During the day, Betty had purchased two “trouble-light” cord sets. We placed one in each basement compartment that had a wastewater storage tank and underfloor plumbing. Initial readings show the temperature to be almost ten degrees warmer with the lights.
After a great meal of steaming hot pasta, a garden salad, fresh French bread, and wonderful French wine, life again looks somewhat bearable. Just like AA; “one day at a time”.
Betty: I admit I have a low tolerance for problems and I usually error on the side of caution, so I have wanted to take the RV back to Maine to get it winterized before the tanks freeze. Once I had dropped Chuck off and was headed south to try to find a campsite, already knowing that New Brunswick campsites have shut down for the season, I was not happy to see the snow. I thought about crying, but didn’t think it would serve any purpose, so I forged ahead, talked a lot to God about the weather, tanks, places to stay, etc. We are in a precarious predicament. At some point we will have to spend a day to take the RV to Maine. The roads here are narrow and steep, so I am not driving it. We already know of a place that will do the winterizing for us and we know of a place we can store it, but of course, this means a day or two off the trail for Chuck and he is also in a race with the weather. So, right now we are trying to work our way south and with every couple days we are closer to Maine. We also need to keep up with the weather forecast (which seems to be a problem) so he can do the high areas and the overnights when the weather is at its best. So life goes on and we do our best.
Wednesday 10/11/00 27 miles/4206 Total/261 on the IAT. 262 Trail Days. Kedgwick, NB to 5 miles north of Glenwood, NB.
At first light, an inch or two of snow covered the ground, trees and our vehicles, plus it was still snowing. After we had breakfast, I departed north on NB Road 17. It continued snowing until late morning.
Somewhere along this road, the IAT should depart to the northwest. The New Brunswick Trail has two trailheads, but I must have missed the IAT intersection. Yesterday I missed it also, but was pleasantly surprised with a beautiful hike along the Restigouche River. Today the terrain consists of high rolling forests. The predominate deciduous trees are maple and birch. Evergreens here are fir and spruce.
We have heard that many, if not most, hikers have difficulty following the trail in this area. Some have had to bushwack their way cross country to a road. This is a very strenuous and time consuming way to hike. For now, I am content to be making good mileage on a road rather than beating the bush.
Betty met me at our planned location and we returned to the Forestry Campground where we are the only campers.
Betty: This campground, Kedgwick Forestry Museum and Campground, is beautiful. They have wonderful sites. In season, the sites have electricity. They have very clean bathhouses, which they went ahead and shut down when I said we would just use our RV. Jerry Perreault is the manager and has been very kind to let us stay even though they are closed. We are the only site in the campground that has electricity and he has left the dump station unlocked for us to use, plus we can fill our water tanks at the office building. We are very fortunate and thank him for his generous and kind support.
Thursday – We will be staying at the campground until Saturday when we will leave for Maine. This campground is right on the IAT, for those of you interested in hiking the IAT. There are also lots of other trails in the area and canoeing possibilities. Their email: museforest@hotmail.com The weather has given us a little break and Chuck left this morning to do the only overnighter he had left. I drove him to St. Andre de Restigouche where he started his hike to St. Marguerite. I will pick him up in St. Marguerite tomorrow. After dropping him at his starting point, I drove into Campbellton, New Brunswick to do laundry and buy groceries. Campbellton is one of the larger towns in the area and has a good supply of services. It’s about 56 km north of Kedgwick. When I got back to the campground I talked to Jerry about using the phone line and I believe tomorrow I will have a chance to update the website. Hope so. He and Raymond are busy closing everything up in the park. They have picked up all the trash containers and picnic tables from all the sites and have stored them away for the winter.
If you get to read this, it will be with our Thanks to Jerry and Raymond.
Well, Jerry did let me use the phone line and I was able to check messages, but for some reason my update wouldn’t go through. So I will try again at another time. It was great to have the opportunity to check messages.
Thursday 10/12/00 13 miles/4219 Total. 263 Trail Days. St. Andre de Restigouche to Assemetquagan River. The weather for the next few days is forecast to be warmer and dry. We will take advantage of the better weather to hike the two day stretch from St. Andre to St. Marguerite. We had put this overnight portion in Quebec on hold until the snow and freezing weather moderated.
It was early when we departed the RV in Kedgwick, NB. Betty drove me the 60 miles back to St. Andre de Restigouche, Quebec.
At 8:55AM, I was on the trail for a two day hike through some beautiful Canadian wilderness to St. Marguerite, Quebec. The morning was cold, but without precipitation. About two inches of crusted snow crunched with each step. The snow and a thick blanket of recently fallen leaves made it a challenge to stay on the trail. The IAT in this area has only sparse markings and they take many forms. Sometimes the standard 2″ by 5″ blue and white SIA/IAT plaques are used; at times blue and white plastic strips are tacked on trees; orange, pink or blue tape is occasionally tied to bushes and other times white, blue or orange spray paint is on tree trunks. Often there are no visible marks of any sort for nearly a mile. After over 4000 miles of following all sorts of trails, it is generally easy to follow a trail, even unmarked. However, the IAT is a relatively new trail and gets only infrequent use. Anyway, it must have been adequately marked because in spite of the snow and leaves, I was able to follow it. Progress was a little slower than usual and there was a lot of uncertainty.
Fresh moose tracks were common, also some deer tracks, plus there was a lot of older bear scat, but no fresh bear tracks. Grouse are seen every mile or so in the mountains. The steep hills and valleys of this rugged country are better suited to these hearty wild creatures than to humans.
Late in the afternoon I reached the Assemetquagan River. Previously, I had been told that there were at least two and possibly four rivers to ford. The Assemetquagan at this point is shallow, about 18″, but wide, maybe 200 feet. I carry Teva, strap on sandals, to wear when fording. The recent cold weather and now melting snow made for a cool crossing.
It was 5:30PM and I made camp on the far shore. Rice with broccoli was hot and good.
Friday 10/13/00 11 miles/4230 Total. 285 on IAT. 264 Trail Days. Assemetquagan River to St. Marguerite, Quebec. Last night I slipped into a sleeping bag at 7PM and did not crawl out of it until 6AM this morning. It was a good night’s sleep. A cold breakfast of fruit bars and water, a quick pack job and I was on my way. It was a steep climb to a ridge with a good view of this expansive, rolling wilderness. At higher elevations nearly all the leaves that are going to fall are now on the ground. An exception is the European Larch. This cone bearing tree with long soft needles looks like an evergreen but is actually deciduous. Its normally light green needles have now turned to a bright yellow and stand out brightly in the midst of the aspen, black ash, maple and birch standing bare like skeletons, and the very green fir and spruce. Venetian turpentine, a folk medicine that we often used to “doctor” horses, is made from European Larch.
Another ford, short but cold, and two “rock hops” across streams then past a shelter that was about 60% complete and up a steep long hill that led to a ridge and the final stretch for the day.
Betty was two hours early and had just arrived to drive us the 91 miles back to the RV campsite in Kedgwick, NB.
Saturday 10/14/00 0 miles/4230 Total. 285 IAT. 265 Trail Days. Zero mile day – Traveled back to Maine.
Betty: Saturday 10/14/00. Today was a zero day for Chuck. We moved the RV to Maine and Chuck will start hiking tomorrow in Maine and hike the sections of the trail that he hasn’t already completed. After breakfast this morning, we dumped our tanks and proceeded south from Kedgwick, NB to Maine. We arrived in Houlton, ME in the early afternoon. The IAT comes through Houlton and is about a three day hike from the Matagamon Gate at Baxter State Park, where Chuck left off on the 26th of September. We arrived here to find beautifully moderate temperatures and a wonderful campground. We are currently camped in “My Brother’s Place” with full hookups and nice level grassy sites. The office has a modem hookup and I will go over tomorrow to try it out.
This is one of those rare days when we have some spare time. Once settled in, we decided to go out to dinner and to a movie. We drove around town, found a movie theater that had a movie we could easily pass up and decided to rent a movie and eat at home. Well, we rented two movies and ate at home and it was wonderful. What a great relaxing time.
We believe the weather is to remain above freezing for the next few days. We are hoping to stay in the RV until Chuck has hiked to Houlton, then I will drive the RV south to Medway where it will be winterized and stored, while Chuck continues his hike north. Say a prayer for us.