4 more days on the trail:fundy trail year 2

savagesicslayer · Jul 20, 2006

well I did it again.I hiked the fundy trail for the second time.we had a party of five this year as opposed to the three we had last year.myself,my brother-in-law,two of his friends and my best friend.
the knives that made the trip with us were:tom Brown Tracker(second year),Ka-bar D2 extreme,wenger backpacker,buck119,Buck diamondback(full sized),Camillus pilot survival knife,folding straight razor and a few "made in god knows where" knives that I couldn't identify.
we had a damp first day becuse of the fog so we were all soaked by the time we reached camp.The tracker earned it's weaties that night as it was the only tool capable of chopping and splitting our fire wood.
The trail is rugged.It ranks 4 out of 4 for level of difficulty.It is also the most strenuous trail in the maritimes.We climbed one hill tha was 700+feet first thing in the morning and a few that were pretty damn close to that by lunch of the second day.My pack was about 50-60 lbs so those hills didn't come easy.It's a 4 day hike from beginning to end with some of the most breathtaking views anywhere.I highly recomend it to anyone who loves a challanging hike and isn't afraid of a little hard work.
I'll post some pics in the gallery when I get them developed.

x39 · Jul 20, 2006

Any links for info on this trail? I live in eastern Maine, right in my neighborhood.

savagesicslayer · Jul 21, 2006

Shure.
www.fundytrail.com will get you some good info.or just google it.

kel_aa · Jul 21, 2006

How was the mesquiteo/fly population? I've camped on the NB side of the Bay and it was pretty bad in the summer.

savagesicslayer · Jul 21, 2006

kel_aa said:
How was the mesquiteo/fly population? I've camped on the NB side of the Bay and it was pretty bad in the summer.

30 deet fly repellant and a sawn-off shotgun keep em at bay.I stabbed one with my ka-bar D2 extreme and i had to track it till it died to get my knife back.(the skeeters are big here)

flipe8 · Jul 21, 2006

x39 said:
Any links for info on this trail? I live in eastern Maine, right in my neighborhood.

Google the Fundy foot path. I've done it as well and it's pretty amazing and very hard.I've done some climbing out west and this was harder,IMO. There are more switch-backs than I care to remember and some of the climbs are brutal, but it's worth it. Being that it's along the coast, there are portions you can do on the beach a low tide, but you have to watch the incoming tides as they are pretty quick rising and the tides are the highest in the world there. I've done with a full 40+lb. pack and with a lightweight adventure racing kit. If given the choice, I'd go light.

WeaselBites · Jul 21, 2006

Speaking of light, has anyone had any success doing ultralight backpacking? I mean running shoes, a nylon tarp, and so on. Anyone tried it? It sounds good on paper, but oh my feet.

flipe8 · Jul 21, 2006

I've done some fairly long(3 days/350km) adventure races with light gear and have done alright. I figure the blisters and chaffing would be lessened if I was to stop and make an effort to stay as dry as possible, but that isn't always possible in races. If I were to pack as lightly as possible, I think it wouldn't be too bad, but I also think a lot of ultra-light packers give up some creature comforts that I'm not prepared to do without.

x39 · Jul 22, 2006

Thanks for the info guys, I'll check it out.

hollowdweller · Jul 22, 2006

WeaselBites said:
Speaking of light, has anyone had any success doing ultralight backpacking? I mean running shoes, a nylon tarp, and so on. Anyone tried it? It sounds good on paper, but oh my feet.

Well I wouldn't consider myself a lightweight backpacker, but I do try to go light.

I have used a tarp before, and would again if the weather is predicted to be good, but even a 12' Kelty Noah pitched pretty sweetly didn't keep 2 of us dry in a downpour.

I'm sold on the lightweight shoes though. As long as I can keep my pack at 30 lbs or less my feet are fine. First trips this year I had switched to some really sweet, but 1 lb heavier Cabelas leather boots. Blisters. Sore hips. On the same trip I hiked like 2 miles, uphill, over very rocky terrain wearing Teva sandals and my feet felt better than with the heavy shoes.

So I got a pair of Merrel Gore Tex Stretch Chameleons hiking shoes. I haven't used them with a load yet but they feel great so far and I'm gonna test them out next weekend. They are super light:thumbup: