Contents:

CLIFFSIDE AND TRANS-ISLAND TRAILS
TRAIL REVIEW BY JANE AND ERIC HADLEY
WE NEED TRAIL ADOPTERS!!!
FUTURE TRAILS GUIDES REVISIONS
TRAILS MAINTENANCE GUIDELINES REVISED
NEW ADDITIONS TO OUR SIGNAGE
GRAND MANAN WEIRS
WINTER WORK ON GRAND MANAN TRAILS
TRAIL MAINTENANCE
SECOND ANNUAL TRAILS DINNER 
TRAIL PINS - ONE SOURCE OF REVENUE
WE ARE VERY GRATEFUL TO OUR DONORS
BENCH TO BE DEDICATED ON SEVEN DAYS WORK
PLEASE CONSIDER MAKING A DONATION
TRAILS COMMITTEE

   The comments which follow are based upon my personal experience. The average hiker would be able to cover twice the distance that I am limited to because of my age and other physical limitations. The trails of Grand Manan can be divided into two main groups: cliffside and trans-island.

 All cliffside trails are well-marked and offer many spectacular views. There is little or no danger of becoming lost. Because these trails often run close to the cliff edge, it is important to avoid going too close to the edges which can be undercut or unstable for other reasons.
 My favorite cliffside trails include the western side of Whale Cove to the Whistle and from thence south to Dark Harbour via Money Cove. These trails are well-marked and include many spectacular “lookoffs.”

 If you get personal satisfaction from finding your way through an unmarked maze, then I recommend you try some of the trans-island trails! The north and south crossings from Tatton’s Corner to Money Cove (blue via Sydney Hill or yellow via Quigley Hill) used to be well-marked (and badly need an adopter) but more recently a maze of ATV and lumber trails have been superimposed, and getting lost is very easy. Another woods road (usually shown on maps as tracks (see Legend on p.6 of the Trails Guide) located a few yards past the road to Ohio Pond will also lead you to Money Cove after you have passed two cabins. The final section is a primitive trail and may be difficult to locate. There are no markings anywhere on this trans-island crossing as it is not part of the trails system.

 Another challenging option starts about 1/3 km south of the Beech Hill trail. There are very few markings and many intersections with lumber and ATV trails. This trail, actually just a woods road, joins the coastal trail about half-way between Little Dark Harbour and Herring Cove.

 Bring a compass, plenty of water, a whistle, and flashlight if you are late starting. My first attempt on this trail took ten hours to reach Dark Harbour. A younger hiker could do it in half the time.

 The first attempt was a trip to remember. It was late in September and the woods are quite dark as the sun goes down. A nervous wife alerted the RCMP and I was “found” by the RCMP and Park Ranger between Little Dark Harbour and Dark Harbour. I was not lost, just dehydrated and exhausted. My rescuers deemed it wise to have an ATV carry me the rest of the way and, believe me, roaring down that hill was the scariest part of the entire day.

 I really enjoy the challenge of finding my way on unmarked trails. I use a compass and keep in touch with my wife via cell phone.

 If you like this kind of a challenge then these trails are for you.

Editor’s Note:  We do not recommend getting off the marked trails and do our best to maintain them.

TRAIL REVIEW BY JANE AND ERIC HADLEY

 Eric Hadley was one of the founders of Friends of Grand Manan Trails at the inaugural meeting at the Water’s Edge restaurant in Seal Cove in 1990. He is a trails planner with the New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources and designed one section of the Fundy Footpath as well as New Brunswick sections of the Trans Canada Trail.

 Eric and his wife Jane, also somewhat of an expert through years of hiking with Eric and their two sons, spent four days in mid-September thoroughly reviewing trails: from Swallowtail to the Eddy Light the first day, Eddy Light to Dark Harbour, and Dark Harbour to Sloop Cove and Seal Cove subsequently. On the fourth day, they reviewed a possible rerouting of a section of the trail in the Dark Harbour area. They also did much maintenance work along the way.

 Eric and Jane prepared and mapped detailed suggestions regarding signage, cliff barriers, bridging, selective cutting to open vistas and ways to promote use of the trails. Many of these can and will be implemented, some by Jessie James and Anne Mitchell in time for the 2002 hiking season.

 Eric commented that we have probably the most beautiful trails he has encountered anywhere. Our footpaths are exactly right to give hikers a chance to see the splendid scenery.

 The Trails Executive is most grateful to the Hadleys for their considered and most useful suggestions. We look forward to their next visit. top

WE NEED TRAIL ADOPTERS!!!

Please consider whether you might adopt a trail. This involves doing light maintenance several times during the summer season. (The heavy work of removing blow-downs or building bridges is usually done by a “trail blazer”.)

Starting, say in April before the bugs come out and the hikers arrive, you walk your adopted trail, preferably with a partner. One of you, with hand clippers, can cut away at the intrusive alders, hard-hack and brambles. Your partner, meanwhile, repaints the tin-lid markers or nails up new lids or signs - all supplied by Gene Gillies. Friends of Grand Manan trails can help by saving tin can lids which will be painted by Gene and used as trail markers. Cecilia Bowden also provides Trails Maintenance Guidelines and lots of encouragement.

During the summer-fall season, you will need to check on your trail to ensure that the way is clear, and the markers are visible in both directions. Summer growth may obscure them or storms may necessitate remedial work. And any litter should be carried out, perhaps in plastic garbage bags. When you see that a trail sign is missing/required/faded etc., make a sketch indicating in which direction the arrow should point. Then call Gene with the details. Danger and Caution signs are now available  to mark “impromptu trails” and undercuts. 

So you see the trail adopter’s job is not onerous - mainly brushing out and painting. And you would be contributing to the safety and pleasure of innumerable hikers. Our trail adopters are our single biggest asset. Please contact Cecilia or Gene at 662-3868 to report trail conditions, or if you would like to adopt a trail. top

FUTURE TRAILS GUIDES REVISIONS

 Just as soon as a revision is published, we begin making more changes.

 It would be very helpful if each of our adopters would critically re-read his / her trail description and examine its map.

 If the text can be improved upon, it should be re-written and forwarded to Bob Stone. If extensive changes are deemed necessary, we may publish the changes in this newsletter ahead of a new Trails Guide revision.

 Questions the adopters might answer include:

• Are the distances and times given realistic?
• Are any of our new civic signs useful in helping visitors find the trail head?
• Are there fish farms or weirs overlooked by your trail which can be named?
• Any other points of interest?
• Is the first-time hiker adequately warned of the level of difficulty he / she will encounter, having in mind the range of ages and abilities our hikers represent? top

 First issued in April 1995, this eight page guide was given to each of our trails adopters. It purpose was to suggest appropriate maintenance procedures and to ensure a standardized approach island-wide.

 The Second Edition was produced in August 1998 and is the version most present volunteers have in hand.

 The Third Edition is now available and can be acquired from Cecilia Bowden. It outlines our policy of placing warning signs on potentially hazardous positions on the trails.

NEW ADDITIONS TO OUR SIGNAGE

 In recent times we have been increasing the number of signs drawing attention to potentially difficult or dangerous spots.

 Hikers who read the trails brochure see our discussion of potential hazards in the Introduction but a number of hikers do not use the guide as a reference.

 To address this problem the New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources and Energy is donating a quantity of bilingual small metal signs which will be placed conspicuously near either end of the trails by our volunteers. 

 The signs will read:

GRAND MANAN WEIRS

 As many Grand Manan herring weirs are visible from the trails, we thought it would be interesting to learn their names. With the help of Burton Small and Junior Ingalls, two long-time Island fishermen, John Belyea, our artist, prepared the map of active weirs.

 Burton was able to recall the names of 84 weirs on the east side of Grand Manan but today only 24 remain, including three of the newer floating type.

 Junior could name 73 weirs on the west and south-east sides but only four remain today. Where have all the weirs gone?

 Albion Leslie, a North Head weir fisherman, attributes the decrease to several factors including the lack of demand for smoked herring, increased government (sanitary) regulations, lack of market and the growth of salmon acquaculture. It seems that herring avoid salmon, one of their predators and may steer clear of weirs in the area of salmon cages. Salmon acquaculture may thus be having  a negative impact on the herring fishery.

 The moral of this account is that we need to EAT MORE SARDINES, they are tasty, good for you, and easy for hikers to carry.

 One of the most photographed of all weirs is the Cora Belle in Pettes Cove, built in 
the thirties by Perley Lambert, John Johnson and Gerald McLaughlin (the McLaughlin family helped to finance, and therefore had a share in, most of the weirs around the Island). It was named after Perley Lambert’s daughter, and has always been a good producer. In the old days, there were even strong runs of pollock into the weir; there was one year when a million pounds had to be seined out. Burton Small and his son, Bradley have owned it since 1975, and this year they put the net up on the first of July and will probably take it down in the second week of October. This has been its best year in a decade, seining twice a week at 35 to 40 hogsheads a time, and by the end of the season it may have caught up to seven hundred hogsheads.

 Whale Cove was once a thriving fishing community with storage sheds, boat sheds and smokehouses strung along the beach. The average smokehouse could hold up to sixty thousand herring, smoking them for six weeks. Still standing in the Cove are the Jubilee, built in the 50th year of Queen Victoria’s reign, Star, Winner and Mystery. Mystery was built in 1938 by Lowell Brown, and according to his son, Floyd, got its name because “they said it was some mystery how we could build it where we did, and another how we’d pay for it.” After being fished by several generations of the Brown family, it is now owned by Neil Morse.

 Connors Bros. owns two weirs along the back of the Island, the Gully and Bradford’s Cove; both have been making good catches this year.

 Down at the southern end is Pat’s Cove, named for Pat McDonald who used to live there. The weir was built in 1919 by Fred Ellingwood, the McLaughlin brothers, Maybury Russell, Andrew Nelson (who was later lost at sea), and Edgar Russell. In 1953, Junior Ingalls started working on it, scaling and pumping herring, and fifteen years later was able to get a share in it. He says that it used to be good, but hasn’t been paying for about twenty years. Two years ago he did not seine it once all season. But still he builds it up every year, sometimes twice a year because it is very vulnerable to southerly storms. Last year a big one took down half of it, and the Ground Hog Gale in 1976 tore it all to pieces. About twenty years ago there were so many herring in the weir that the gulls were picking the back of them, and they got seven hundred hogsheads in one seining. And he remembers when there were so many herring and silver hake in the breakers at Deep Cove that you could pick them up in your hands.

 Now people ask him why he keeps building up the weir when it does so poorly. He says it’s because it is something to do, he has done it for fifty years, it is a way of life.

Thanks for information from Burton Small and Junior Ingalls, and Brown’s Weir by 
Gwendolyn and Wayland Drew, Oberon Press, 1983. top

WINTER WORK ON GRAND MANAN TRAILS
 
 Last fall, a group of Friends of Grand Manan Trails met with Charles Jensen, Executive Director of the Boys’ and Girls’ Club, Helen Johnson, Career Assistance Officer, and Rick Van Horne, Town Manager for the Village of Grand Manan, to work out details for a grant application to Youth Services Canada, in order to fund a crew of young people who would improve the existing trails and construct a cross-country trail behind the community school. The application was successful, and a sum of $70,000 was granted to us to hire a crew foreman, and 10 young people for the period of December to May.

 Tim Sears was hired as foreman, and 10 youth were subsequently signed on. The crew has completed its work, and has been very helpful in clearing and improving trails, and placing more signs. Unfortunately, almost as soon as they started, the snows came, and remained with us until the middle of March. There was even a large snowstorm mid-April. Consequently, they were not able to spend as much time on the back trails as they would have liked, because the snow was too deep for them to work.

 We had hoped to replace some old, and build some new bridges, but that proved to be impossible because of the heavy snow. All of the trails were cleared of deadfall by the beginning of the new year, but very strong winds brought down many more trees, so that deadfall clearing took place again toward the end of the project. After the difficult winter and wild windstorms, we would have been hard-pressed to have the trails in good condition this spring without the continued work done during the winter. 

 An added feature, as far as the youth were concerned, was that several were able to find permanent employment because of their involvement in the project, one of the purposes of the joint venture. In addition, our trails budget did not have the usual $1500 expense for trails maintenance.

 If you are hiking and find some deadfall which needs to be removed, or find places where you feel the signs are inadequate, please let us know by contacting Don Baldwin (662-8801), Ce Bowden (662-3868) or Bob Stone (662-8987). top

TRAIL MAINTENANCE

 Three newcomers to Grand Manan volunteered their time to tidying up some trails last spring. Pete Sesplankis of Shorecrest Lodge took some time from his various other duties to take a chainsaw and clear the Hole in the Wall trail and parts of Seven Days Work. Anne Mitchell and her husband, Jessie James, tackled the southern end of the Island clearing the Flock of Sheep Trail and they worked along with Gene Gillies and Cecilia Bowden to clear and mark the Bradford Cove/Hay Point Trail. After that they were hired to clear and mark from the Whistle to Dark Harbour - a hard day’s work.

 Anne and Jessie will be working on trails when they arrive next April to spend the summer at their home which is a work in progress.

 Ginny and George Riseborough, late of Pennsylvania, now year-round residents of Seal Cove, are new Friends of the Trails and eager to get out and work next year. top

SECOND ANNUAL TRAILS DINNER 

 The dinner was held at The Inn at Whale Cove on October 15, 2000. Don Baldwin reported briefly as follows: 

•  For 2001, we need a new coordinator, a new treasurer and a person to head up a revision of the Trails Guide. We are also looking for more trails adopters. The present state of our finances is healthy for Spring 2001 trails work.
•  A larger-than-ever-before-number of people shared the work load this year. This is a very desirable state of affairs. In particular, we would like to thank:
• Sue Lambert for handling correspondence from the Business Centre, the production of a proper mailing list and the newsletter production and mailing labels.
• Cecilia Bowden and Gene Gillies for work with our volunteer adopters and the sale of our new pins which topped $400.
• Sheldon Cook for his supervision of our paid workers in the Spring.
• Ann Chudleigh and Frances Hodge for this year’s newsletter.
• Ann again with Bob and Judy Stone for promoting this evening’s dinner.
• Laurie Murison for her work in securing the $600 grant awarded us by the Fundy Community Foundation this spring.
• John Belyea for raising the visual level of our newsletter with his illustrations for the second year in a row.
• Tom Wetzel for monitoring the activities of the New Brunswick Trails Council on our behalf.
• John Cunningham for maintaining our power tool free of charge.
• Grand Manan Tourism Association members who sold our pins without profit.
• And last, but so very much appreciated, Laura Buckley for providing our dinner on a cost only basis. Our thanks also to Richard Rice for providing the bread, to Diane Jaillet for donating the hamburger for the lasagna, and to Dale Russell for other ingredients.

TRAIL PINS - ONE SOURCE OF REVENUE

 Grand Mananers and visitors to the Island continue to help maintain the trails by purchasing the Grand Manan Trail pin. The pins again sold well. Island Arts, Harrington Cove Cottages, The Grand Manan Museum and Whale Cove Inn led the way in sales. The total amount raised was over $700.00 as of September 15, 2001.

WE ARE VERY GRATEFUL TO OUR DONORS, WHO INCLUDE:

Heather Trim, Gene Brewer, Peter and Marilyn Cronk, Nancy Erskine, Kirk Graham   Dutchman Construction, Beulah Griffin, Maureen Hall, Sydney and Barbara Guptill
Frances Hodge, Maude Hunter, Edith and Dick Liebowitz, Robin Kenny, Cathy Mabie   Donna and Allan McMillen, Mary Majka, Nancy Sears, Mary Anne and Clyde Flaherty
Peter McParland, Patricia Tripp, Bob and Judy Stone, Ralph Smith, Malcolm Bull
John and Sue Stevens, Joel Frantzman, Anne and Steve Green, Helen and George Logan
Jane Zocchi and Murray Lebowitz, Henry Biedrzycki and Valerie Evans
     
Total Donations received: $2669.75 top
   
BENCH TO BE DEDICATED ON SEVEN DAYS WORK

 Recently a generous donation was received from Marilyn and Peter Cronk, for the purpose of placing a bench “somewhere on the hiking trail near North Head,” a memorial to their two sons, Ryan and Haydn. We are pleased to say that the bench is under construction, and will be placed at one of the scenic lookouts on top of Seven Days Work. We extend much appreciation to the Cronk family for their kind donation, and to Steven Harvey and Junior Green at the Anchorage Park for their assistance in the design, construction and placement of the bench.

PLEASE CONSIDER MAKING A DONATION

 The trails are maintained by adopters who volunteer their labour because they love hiking. But heavy work clearing blowdowns, dealing with wet areas and undercuts and rerouting trails etc. is best done by paid help. For this, we need donations; in fact, we rely on  you the trail users and Friends of Grand Manan trails.  

 Jessie James, who hails from the island of Nevis, is a whiz with a cutlass and he and Anne Mitchell, who carries the chainsaw and does the brushing, have agreed to whip the trails into shape next spring.

 Please support their hard work and lend a vote of confidence to all the adopters with a financial donation. Your cheque made out to Grand Manan Trails should be mailed to the address on the back cover. top