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The Skedaddle Ridge Trail system is one of the most spectacular trail systems that I have ever traveled. Awesome scenery abounded everywhere with natural wonders and breath-taking beauty stretching before me for miles. Unique glacial formations carved out of the earth by North America's retreating glaciers during the ice age were awesome to see. The day was a perfect 25C as we climbed out of the van looking for someone to greet us. Several large well-kept cottages looked inviting, then I spied the shower facilities that offered flush toilet and lots of hot water. On the way to the building I noticed a huge solar device that provided all the energy needed to run the establishment. That's unique, what else do they have? With preliminaries out of the way we decided to take a run to see Ayers Lake from a mountain lookout and see Sow Back Mountain. The lake lay before us nestled within several small hills that held it as a jewel shimmering in the later afternoon sun. A perfect picture with Sow Back Mountain rising up to dominate the landscape just beyond the lake. It was worth the ride to the perfect trail to the top of the hill. On the way back we stopped to look at a huge beaver pond that had killed maybe 100 mature trees and this pond was full of trout. We saw two moose and a deer on the trail not to mention the rabbits as wildlife abounds in this area. We visited Long Falls and took a picture of the gurgling water rushing over the rocks in a cascade of roaring water pummeling to the bottom of the gorge. We were sure enjoying ourselves. We toured late into the evening when everything living in the forest begins to stir because most animals are nocturnal. Darkness drew on as we bent over to fill our water bottles form a mineral stream when suddenly only feet away from us a pack of coyotes began to howl the most blood curdling, hair raising, ungodly sound I have ever heard. The bushes rustled beside me, what was that? Bob had seen a baby coyote moments before the chorus had begun, and for certain the lyrics were about us. They were so close you could hear them pant; the howling and yipping was all around us. We were alone, sensible people had gone home by this time of night. Suddenly I wasn't thirsty anymore and I think my heart was in my throat as I remember a story told to me by a hunter last winter. Three coyotes began circling him as he walked back to his hunting camp in the woods at night. He had to shoot at them to drive them away. He figured they must have been hungry to bother him. Dave quickly piped up "oh they won't hurt you." I wasn't so positive though and neither was Bob as he made me drive in the middle between him and Dave. Our guide picked up the pace a bit as we headed for home. It was on this run that we saw a bear and a moose as well. Sitting on Dave's veranda back at the lodge, I was starving and just couldn't wait for the chicken on the barbecue, but while I was enjoying that experience I learned that it's safe to eat raw porcupine. Well, maybe so. but I prefer to wait for my chicken. Dave passed another peanut to his tame squirrel while the cat just watched, as she was too fat to bother the little thing. Later the tame chipmunk arrived for his share of the food. Our cottage was like new, lots of wood inside for the wood stove and gas for the propane stove. It was late and I was getting pretty sleepy. I fell asleep before I got into bed. We were up early on Saturday morning and by 8:30 we were back in the saddle again heading to Becaguimec Lake. The only cabin on the lake was built in 1938, which we could just barely see from our perspective, high on the trail. We were really on our way to balancing rock. I'm telling you people, that rock is certainly reflective of its name that's for sure. Apparently, the glaciers that also carved the nearby Nashwaak River left behind this rock. Our run today would take us on a 20-mile trail that follows the course of this beautiful river. The sign read "Skedaddle Ridge Trail Inc. "your northern Carleton County ATV Club"". This trails system is among the most beautiful in the province and it's dotted with many picnic areas to stop and enjoy. These folks have done an exceptional job at developing this trail and travelling to this system is certainly worth the effort. We visited Dr Williams' Walking Bridge, although it was made of metal, I discovered half way out over the river that one of the cross supports was missing. The bridge was moving a lot so I turned back for safety's sake. I felt pretty good about this because the men turned back long before me. All along the river trail we found wire clothes line type crossings were constructed in the early 20th century that contained motorized baskets that people would get into to be transported across the river. It didn't look like a good idea to me but in their day it was the cutting edge of technology. Suddenly a thunderstorm blew in and we took shelter on a camp veranda and waited out the storm. In about ten minutes the storm ceased and the sun came out but we discovered that we were in the eye of the storm so we returned to the veranda to await the second half of the downpour which was tremendous. Finally returning to our bikes we begun wiping the seats off. Dave picked up his helmet and poured out a quart of water; no, he never put it on, at least for a while! On the trail we met people, chatted, ate lunch and decided that the trail was a must see again. What a beautiful place. Next we headed to Chimney Rock which is a 35-foot deep crevice containing a rock that looks like a chimney rising from the bottom of the hole. The winter build-up of ice in the gully does not melt until the last of June. This was an incredible sight to see. The 35 foot walls were sliced as smooth as bread on both sides of the crevice buttered with a deep green moss growing on the walls. The chimney rock rose 25 feet straight up in the middle between the walls. The crevice was perhaps twenty feet across from wall to wall. We visited Gorby Gulch and Barker Dam on the Nashwaak River. Apparently John Gibson's dam was a huge undertaking. (he was a lumber baron in the early 1900's) This dam reveals that the Nashwaak River was a mighty waterway because the rocks for the dam go back some 1000 feet into the forest. Trees hide most of it now, but if you look, you can still see large rocks and huge ridges they created when horses dragged thousands of tons of rock into the area to form the dam. This dam allowed logs to be floated down the river an extra 3 weeks in the spring log drive. This site is a must see for everyone as it is a part of New Brunswick history. I just want to insert the Skedaddle Ridge story here. Americans who fled the civil war settled this ridge and so the name Skedaddle Ridge. The last permanent family on the ridge was in 1932. On this trip we found a trail that took us past Adam's Camp famous for cold water that boils up from the ground. The water is extremely cold, so cold that I couldn't believe it on such a hot day. The last stretch of the day took us through the Long Lake area (Irving Woodlands) and it was here that I noticed the acres and acres of wild raspberries. These bushes grow when trees are harvested; they produce a lot of food for wildlife in the area, especially bear. The scent of raspberries was astounding so I stopped my bike and hopped off to enjoy a large handful of the plump red treat. This was a 105 km run and it was fabulous. Because of our thunderstorm we had no dust to contend with, the day was perfect. What would tomorrow bring? Sunday was awesome, early in the trip, we watched a moose struggling a bit to get out of a swamp; we have some great shots of him. Apparently, we startled him because the wind was blowing towards us and our scent and the noise of our bikes was not apparent to him. He finally got free and trotted away stopping at a safe distance to take a good look at us. Another moose we encountered on the trail just stood and listened to Dave use his moose calling skills. I think he was trying to talk to him, one thing's for sure, he didn't run away and was not afraid of us. We have seen several moose in Irving's Select Cuts as they create good habitat for the moose. We traveled though Howard Brook Portage, which contains a beautiful mature hardwood forest, lush ferns and vegetation under the trees in a carpet of colorful shades of green. We enjoyed a gorgeous canopy of maple and beech leaves over head to shade us from the hot sun. It was much cooler in the shade and we enjoyed this enchanted wonderland for several hours. The height of the mountain we were on was at least 1600 feet, according to our GPS. Our decent to the bridge in the bottom of the ravine was fairly challenging in places but under the canopy of shade was absolutely beautiful. We were headed for the headwaters of the Pokiok Stream when we crossed the bridge with caution because it was high above the ravine and in my opinion needed replacing. The scenery was gorgeous; it was so quiet, no one around on this wonderful day to share this beauty with us. July is a nice month for ATVing, it's never too hot if you pick your trail properly and stay in canopy covered trails where it is so much cooler. I never got a bug bite on this trip, I just wear my bug jacket and bugs are no problem. Dust was no problem either, just stay 500 feet behind the next driver. We rode on Smith's old hauling road and wound up taking the wrong trail in the "Y" that lead us to a rocky road only experienced bikers could traverse. As we proceeded the trail got worse and worse; we barely crawled over the boulders. We were already one hour into this mess and had passed the point of no return, going back was not an option, as it would take us too long instead we chose to continue hoping for the best. Suddenly we came face to face with a huge tree two feet across and forty feet long, it had blown across the trail and there was no going around it. Dave got the chain saw fired up and cut a pathway through. What greeted us on the other side of that tree was devastation for perhaps 500 feet, nothing but trees blown down. Bob decided that we could get around them and hopped on his bike and unbelievably made it around the windfalls. It took skill and good driving to navigate through the forest, but we managed to get back on the trail. We ended up at a cabin someone had built that was out in the lake. I mean in the water lying on three large logs. I never have seen anything like this before and never will again. The lake was beautiful and this was the only cabin on the lake, what a spot. I will never go down this road again, what an experience! We came on the edge of a new road and once on this highway we were home free and back to Dave's in an hour. It was time for a steak dinner and then pack up to return home. What a trip! DAVE WINCHESTER'S OUTDOOR EXCURSIONS Home | Sitemap | Outdoor Excursions | Customer Feedback
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