Little Salmon River (Walton Glen) this weekend

[theriault]

Dom, Luc and myself are heading down to Little Salmon River (Walton Glen) on Friday after work. The plan is to ski in and camp for the weekend. Tomorrow (Tuesday) we will take a recon drive up there to see what has been plowed and make sure there is some snowmobile tracks to help the approach. If there's other party's out there willing to join us it would be a great time! and a lot safer!

[Shawn B]

Was talking with some snowmobilers two weeks ago and they said no plowing out to LSR. So expect full walk from Crawford Lake. They said they haven't been grooming the snowmobile trails out there either. I would expect a snowmobile track broken through to Macumber Brook Road and not past that. Approaches down into the rivers should be rather plugged with snow too. I've been away so not sure about how cold its been here but its a real pain to get around down on the rivers if they are not frozen well and it takes a long cold snap to freeze them up. They wouldn't have been frozen two weeks ago. That said...going there is most of the adventure anyways...not the climbing...and it is absolutely spectacular in there in winter.

[theriault]

Last week, the Fundy Snowmobile club updated their web site, http://www.fundytrailriders.ca/trails.html , and according to this it should be groomed, and for the road, we are going up there tomorrow to confirm how far we can go because accurate info on the subject is hard to find.

[Dom]

Hey Marty. I just realized the 813 to LSR is not groomed. At least it doesn't talk about it in the fundy trail riders web site. I guess we'll find out hehe. An adventure will be had this weekend for sure.

[gwa]

I'm stoked for you guys! WGC is one of my favourite places.

Just wanted to pipe in to say that even if the LSR isn't safe to travel on, there should be lots to climb in Walton Glen Canyon. The brook in WG canyon will likely be partly frozen with some open spots. Cold air from the highlands sinks into the canyon and with the deep snowpack I'd wager that you'll find snowbridges across walton glen brook. There's only a couple spots that you need to cross anyway and you can do without ice.

Have a great trip!!

[Joe]

Did anybody climb in LSR this weekend? Any trip reports? Curious minds need to know!

[theriault]

Luc, Dom, Greg and I ended up on the roster. What an amazing place! It was a perfect winter mini-expedition in WGC! We skied in from Crawford Lake, there where snowmobile tracks up until the Y junction going to Arnold Lake. We camped close to WG brook but not in the canyon. The brook is not frozen, but there's enough snow to navigate on it (felt like naving on a glacier LOL). As far as routes goes, Paid Vacation was not touching down and Deliverance was partly In (WI 6/6+) or mix on the right. WG Falls where in, but with closer inspection, it was snice (snow and ice), as deep as we dug it was never stable and a screw anchor/pro is not going to hold a fall (great condition for a solo but deep in the bushes like this.....nah) this is probably caused by the constant sunbake and refreeze cycle, it felt like sugar. We then hit One Green Line, its in very Fat condition, a great climb, 2 lines where lead. This was the only line In till the Eye of the Needle, and here the brook was wide open and there was no way across, too bad because we could see The Blue Wall and it looked In and Amazing! That's all we had time to do, the deep snow in the canyon and long approach in and out (4h15m in 3h30 out) really took its toll. All in all a great weekend! and we are looking to go back this winter.........with a SNOWMOBILE! LOL

I am putting together a little package with maps(good ones) and all the coordinates from our trip. I should post it shortly

[theriault]

Here's a little details about our trip, if anyone need more info or better maps, feel free to PM me

[Shawn B]

Glad you guys had an enjoyable trip (a little suffering on the approach is enjoyable right?). Coupla questions...haven't been in for a few years...since they started the development of phase 2 of the parkway (really hope they don't destroy the area with their "eco-tourism"). From the intersection of Big Salmon River Rd and Macumber Brook Road...you guys went south on MBRd for a few hundred meters and then went east into the upper part of WG brook then looks like followed the brook to some stairs. Is there a newly developed hiking trail that follows the brook? I've never encountered any stairs out there before. Where you guys went east to the brook and set up your basecamp is that cut out for a road there? When we went in before we continued south on MBRd for a few k and depending on our intended climbs either (a) went in the NB Trail and followed an unofficial hiking trail down to Macumber Brook and then followed the brook down to WG Falls or (b) kept going south on MBRd for about 500m past the NB Trail and crossed the bog to enter a gully which led to a rappel down a grade 2 climb which is right next to Blue Wall (we cleared out this approach across the bog well enough for a snomobile about 4 or 5 years ago). Option B is the best approach for all climbs below the eye of the needle and lower LSR. Very curious what "improvements" have been done in the name of eco-tourism in the area. Hopefully won't lead to the destruction it has had on the Fundy Footpath.

[GKelly]

Shawn,

Graham, Steve K, and I did quite a bit of exploring in the area last summer. I wouldn't say there have been any "improvements" to the area. Thankfully, for now, it is still a wild place.

[Dom]

Hey shawn,

First time I made it to WGC was in April of 2005 by mountain bike and we stumbled upon the wooden stairs. If you've only been there in the winter though, they might've been buried like they were last weekend. They are exactly the same type of stairs you encounter on the Fundy footpath and I figure they were put there at the same time the ones on the Footpath were put up. They are right next to where Mcleod brook dumps into WGC. As far as our base camp, we followed an old fireroad and stumbled upon a stream.
So basically I'm reirating what Greg Kelly said, I don't think any improvements have been done around there to accomodate Joe bloe on the soon to open phase 2 parkway...

[GKelly]

There are stairs on the fundy Footpath now? WTF?

[Dom]

There are stairs on the fundy Footpath now? WTF?

Don't know when is the last time you hiked it, but 8 years ago there were some. There's about 5 sets more or less and they are all on the west side of the Lil salmon river.

[GKelly]

Holy Heck.

It's been about 12 years since I was there. Hoping to get out this summer. Freaking stairs. There is a certain point where this stuff becoms necessary do to traffic and erosion etc but I'm guessing the Fundy footpath has not reached a point where there are traffic jams.

[gwa]

The Stairs are upstream from Walton Glen Canyon and take you to Macleod Falls. I have never actually been able to find them because I take a different approach to WGC. I don't know who put them in but they've been there a long time. May have had something to do with the inactive Transcanada Trail that runs along the western side of the LSR.

The stairs descent to Macleod Falls...
http://waterfallsnewbrunswick.ca/?p=91