Camping and Irene

Last week, while Hurricane Irene was coming up the coast straight for us, I was planning a camping trip. The weathermen said it would not hit until late Sunday night, so we figured we were safe going out Saturday. Thankfully, we were right. It rained a bit during the night, but stopped in time to pack up camp and cook breakfast.

Saturday started out bright and early. We wanted to leave at 8 am so we could stop for breakfast and gas on the two hour drive and still have time to set up camp and enjoy the day. We arrived and were ready for adventure by 11 AM; and so decided to check out one of the many walking trails Fundy National Park had to offer. We picked one that looked easy and set out, only to discover it had a closed sign at the head of the trail. There was another path nearby, it went down to the beach and the map said it was a ‘moderate’ trail, so away we went. It was mostly downhill, but the trail was all boardwalk and stairs. When we got to the beach all we could see was fog. But as we explored a lot of it burned off.



Dickson Falls, Fundy National Park.



After taking a bunch of pictures, collecting a few shells and skipping some rocks, we headed back up the steps to camp. On the way, we decided to drive into the little town of Alma that borders the park for lunch. After lunch, we found another trail to hike; it was a winding downstairs hike into a canyon to Dickson Falls. I got a lot of beautiful pictures of the falls and brook, one of the cleanest and clearest I have seen in a long time. After Dickson Falls, we decided to check out the beach we had hiked to the last time we were at Fundy. That time it had been raining, so we did not stay long on the beach. This time we were there a good hour. The tide was out so we were able to explore some large rocks and caves. Then, I stepped in the mud. It was black and slimy. I tried washing my feet off in a pool, then just went with it until we got back to the beach. There, I took a walk in the ocean. Still, the mud stuck (and by now my jeans were soaked half way to my knees). There was a small river from the tide going out, so I waded in that a bit and finally enough came off to be able to hike back to the truck. When I got home, I ended up running my sandals under water in the bathtub to completely clean them; it was very sticky mud! I was glad I had decided to throw my sneakers in the truck at the last minute before we left the house, just in case.

After hiking to the beach, we went back to camp got changed and decided to relax. It was cool in the shade, and the fog had not really burned off there yet, so we went for another walk. This time down a trail that ran along the road to the covered bridge. I got a lot of nice pictures (and a few bug bites since by now I was wearing my shorts and sneakers with no socks), and when we got to the end we scaled a fence to a rocky beach that is covered at high tide and took some more. Finally we hiked back to camp and ate dinner, then sat around a campfire killing time and listening to someone play guitar from a few lots over,  until it was late enough to go to bed.

Early waves caused by Hurricane Irene. Saint's Rest Beach, Saint John, New Brunswick.

Sunday morning we got up, while I cooked 2 Lbs of bacon for breakfast and ate a bagel, camp was packed up. The drive home was uneventful, and when we got there we got cleaned up and changed then went out to the beach to watch the waves come in ahead of Irene. At that time,  the waves were still fairly small, so we went for a Sunday drive then home to watch a movie and went back late in the evening. Unfortunately, it was too dark to take any pictures at that time, but I will always remember the high waves of Irene.