What is your water footprint?

I was browsing through some outdoor hiking blogs the other day and came across this cool site.

http://www.waterfootprint.org/?page=files/home

Now, working in the water resource industry, the site was very cool to me. I was surprised to find out how much water I consume in a year. I will now make an effort to monitor my water consumption. Since I live in a part of the world that, as of yet, has little, to no water supply problems I think I tend to take it for granted. Every now and then it takes a website such as this to open my eyes again to the global impact my water consumption has. The shirt I wear could have been made in China, with cotton from the US and wool from Ireland, and therefore it has a global impact.

I hope you take the time to view the site and then consider your own impact.

Hitting it just right.

It was one of those evenings when everything just seemed to be going right. The calendar on my GPS (https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=145&pID=8701) showed that the fishing was going to be excellent and boy was it right. I had spent the day with family and was unable to go fishing until close to 8:00pm but I had the urge and so away I went. From the first cast it was nothing but action packed. I was fishing a stretch of brook that I had fished many times before but this spring everything seemed different. Almost a decade ago the Kennebecasis Watershed Restoration Committee (http://www.kennebecasisriver.ca/) had completed a riparian zone restoration project along this system and it was starting to really have a positive impact. Where once there was little in the way of shoreline trees there are now 25foot willows, maturing maple, and 10foot spruce. The water now runs deeper and the deep pools are full of fish.

Every cast was promising and the small 3rd order stream was producing some of the best fish I had seen from it in years. The majority of the trout were 8-9”, but I am sure I missed at least 2 trout that were well above 12”. Laugh if you want or say it is a “fish story” but I believe it is true. It was a wonderful experience to fish a system that has turned around, and the KWRC is to be commended on their efforts to restore the wonderful Kennebecasis watershed.

As I reached the main stem of the Trout Creek my expectations were low as I had little success on this same river the night before. As I reached the confluence though a large, deep, pool greeted me. I gently let out a cast slightly upstream from where the two systems met and before I could lock the reel I had a large bite. Wow! The Trout Creek too was full of fish. What a night. As I release the fish back into the Creek some geese flew overhead and I had that “Made for TV” feeling. I got giddy with awe and appreciation of where I was at that moment.

I didn’t want to leave the water that evening. As I fished three more deep holes with success the sun had started to set and dark was falling so I had no choice but to return to my car. I tagged the spot where I ended my evening on my GPS and made some notes so that I could return and fish further down. It was a wonderful evening and I made plans to return to the Trout Creek again soon. I walked out with a smile and watched as more geese and a couple of ducks flew overhead. What an evening, it was well worth the effort to get out. Well worth the effort.

Sorry I have no pics but come on...I was just to busy fishing :)

The weekend before this my Dad and I went out for a fish and drive. We wanted to explore some brooks that we hadn't fished before. We tend to do this often. We drove around the dirt roads and stopped at any crossing and for the first while had very little luch finding a modest stream. We usually fish a few holes in each and if the fishing is good we carry on. We fished two streams with no luck this day. Our third brook looked promising as it ran narrow and deep. Before long we were catching brookies but they were mainly on the small side. We kept at it though and as we fished downstream the fish seemed to be getting bigger.

Dad was on one side of the brook and I was on the other. As I made my way downstream in hipwaders the bank was getting very swampy and braided. It was becoming harder for me to cross each braid as they were getting deeper. It came to a place where I had no choice but to cross the brook and join Dad, especially if I wanted to fish the deadwater we could now see ahead of us. Dad thought he could make me a bridge out of alders but I wasn't so sure I wanted to risk that. Dad insisted and bounced up and down on the alders he had forced down from his side of the stream. You know what happened next. One snapped and Dad went for a cold swim. We both laughed our asses off as he climbed safely out of the brook. He was cold and wet and a bit emabarrassed I think.

I went back upstream and found a place to cross that just about topped my waders. By the time I reached Dad again he was finished emptying the water out of his boots and ringing out his coat and shirt. We decided that we would try a couple of casts into the deadwater and then head for home. It was a cold day, and Dad didn't need to catch a cold. My first cast into the deadwater came out empty as did Dad's. On my second I missed a fish but my third brought in an 11" brookie and as I tended to that fish Dad brought in another big fish. We worked the deadwater a bit more and I decided I would mark the spot using my GPS. As I finished the task of marking our location Dad let out an excited laugh from just upstream. I turned to see his pole bent heavily and a large shadow moving towards the alder clump just above him. It was a huge brookie and I let out a yell to him. He worked the fish like a pro (which neither of us are) even as it tried to tangle itself in the alders Dad patiently worked the line around to the backside and then manipulated the fish back out into open water. The steep banks meant we were going to have to pull the fish out into open air so Dad wanted him tired before attempting that or he would surely lose him. With lots of excitement from me, Dad maintained his patients and lifted the tired fish out of the water and secured it next to his body.

The trout Dad caught was only 13" but it had a height from adipose fin to pectoral fin of 3". For those waters it was a big fish and it ended a great day for us. We each kept some trout to eat but the cold day had a sweet taste to it no matter if we had kept fish or not.

See you on the water.

Seth's Picture Gallery :P

It is a great thing that my 3 (almost 4) year old is easily entertained. Recently he got his hands on my digital camera while in the backseat of the car. My wife and I heard this giggling going on and turned around to find him snapping pictures of everything and anything. He would laugh everytime he took a picture and holler with glee "I took a picture of a truck!" or "I took a picture of Sully's!"http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=80862421781 It was entertaining for my wife and I as well as we laughed with him. Now I know that usually my blog is about being out and walking or hiking but this was interesting to me so I thought it would be to you as well. I have posted some of the pics he took here and I think they are really good. He continued to take pictures all afternoon and repeatedly filled the memory card in my little Sony Cybershot. Have a look and laugh if you want :)

I think this is a great picture of a tractor considering he was strapped into his car seat and I don't even remember seeing a tractor on the way home that day.

He really laughed at this one of his own feet and there were about 6 of these pics :)

This one of the tulips was actually pretty normal so he was getting used to pointing and shooting the pics.

He actually lined up all his monter trucks for this shot and then snapped the picture. He did this with a multitude of toys while I sat and continued to giggle.

Have a great long weekend everyone.

Grandma's Are Great!!

Mother's day is coming up this weekend and I just want to thank my Mom for being such a cool Grandmother. But I also want to extend my thanks out to all mothers who make the time to play with their kids doing things that they don't necessarily enjoy, or who fake excitement over a worm, or who put on a brave face while watching a child go through surgery. Grandmothers are cool and my son has a great grandmother. My Mom, his Grammy, will get down and dirty with him in the cold brook. She will throw stones until she skips it at least once, so he can see how it is done.

While all those fun things are great the biggest thing she does is support my wife and I when we need it. Free meals if we are hungry and happen to be there at supper time, a hug when we need it, and even a critique when needed. So Mom, or Grammy, for all you do I hope you have a Happy Mother's Day.

My beautiful wife is only "Mom" right now, and I am sure she would like it to stay that way for atleast 18years yet. This doesn't mean she is not as appreciated by my son and I however. We truly love the way she keeps us in line and shows us patience even when we tear the living room apart. She provides us with laughter by acting goofy when there is nothing else to do and she loves us even when we make it hard for her. So to you my wonderful wife I wish you too a wonderful Mother's Day :)

To the rest of you Mother's I hope you are all appreciated and feel very loved this weekend. You all hold a place in my heart. Happy Mother's Day.

I have a strong environment conscience and I encourage others to consider the environment around them whenever I can. Next weekend, May 9th I will be manning a booth at the Gateway Mall's EcoPromotions (http://www.gatewaymall.ca/) day. Now this is no big deal really but I thought I should discuss it a bit. You see I love talking to people, probably why I enjoy blogging, and this will give me a chance to do just that. I especially love talking to people about things I am passionate about and luckily for me I am passionate about my job.



I will be representing the Kennebecasis Watershed Restoration Committee (http://www.kennebecasisriver.ca/) at the EcoPromotions day but there will be various other groups that have valuable messages to on how you can do your part to help the environment. I wanted to do my part by letting you know about this educational opportunity. If you want to get involved in helping the local environment you might find something your interested in here. Stop in and see me from 10am-2pm on May 9th. Hope to see you there.

The one that got away.

I left the brook feeling a bit dissappointed in myself the other day. I haven't yet prepped a stock of barbless hooks for this fishing season and so I have been fishing with a barbed hook on the end of my line. That, in itself is bad enough but it gets worse. I was fishing along a small brook and was having very little luck. It was an overcast day and rains the days before had the brook running fast and murky so I was not expecting to catch anything. I threw a half hearted cast into a pool that had a back eddy that would likely provide reprieve for a trout tired of swimming against the current. I felt a slight tug and at first thought I was just feeling the current pulling on my line. I pulled the line tight and then I felt what I knew now was a trout biting. I kept the line tight and waited a few more seconds before setting the hook. The fish fought and got itself under the undercut bank but I managed to keep the line taut and out of danger. Shortly I had the trout, a chunky 10", in my hand and worked the barbed hook out with relative ease. Then it happened. The trout flopped and I dropped it. I'm sure this has happened to every angler at some point or another and I know you can relate. I was standing on the bank and the trout lay flopping at my feet and as I moved to pick it up so I could release it I stepped on it. Now I didn't kill it when I stepped on it and I didn't step on it hard but next it flopped itself into the brook. I couldn't stop it and it had no time to revive and it started floating more than swimming downstream. My heart sank as I likely killed the trout. It was an accident but nonetheless I felt I should have been more careful. I hope that the fish survived and now I will have to release a trout I may have otherwise kept in that system.

Passing down lessons

I finally got to go fishing earlier on the weekend. I actually took my son to my parents place and we fished the small brook that I learned how to cast on. It was a thrill for me to be able to pass down to my son the lessons my father taught me while fishing almost the exact same holes I did when I was a kid. The water was still high so I was not expecting a lot of luck but I was hoping to catch at least. My biggest fear was that Seth would quickly lose interest if we weren't catching anything. As it turned out I had nothing to worry about. On the second cast I hooked a small trout and handed the pole to Seth and helped him reel in his first catch. We actually managed to hook 5 brookies in a little under an hour. We didn't actually keep any, although, atleast one of them was worth keeping for a meal. I told my son though the only way we could keep it was if he could hold it. Being only three though he was a bit apprehensive and needless to say we threw the fish back. It was fun to watch him light up though everytime we hooked a fish. He caught on to reeling the fish in real quick, but was not quite ready to hold the pole and set the hook yet. I am sure that will come in no time. After almost an hour it was time for him to go in and get ready for bed. I had to laugh when he started fussing saying "I want to catch another one. I'll hold him so we can keep him and show Grammy." I snickered as I thought to myself "Seth you're your fathers son for sure." I never wanted to go home when fishing either and I always wanted to show my mom the catch, despite the fact that she doesn't like fish. My fears ended up being unfounded and I found a new way to enjoy fishing and my fishing trips have started to take on a whole new angling.

On another note, today is earthday, so I hope everyone is able to pamper the earth a bit today. I know we all like to be pampered on our birthday so why not treat the earth the same way. Maybe you can bike to work today or walk to the corner store for milk tonight. Maybe you can sit with the lights off at work today or maybe buy some locally grown products for your lunch. If everyone makes an effort maybe the only earth we have will last a bit longer. Happy Earthday everyone.

The photo by the way is courtesy of my wife Michelle. Thanks honey. Before long I'll have you casting a line and baiting a hook too :)

First Day of Fishing Season

WOOOOHOOOO!!!!

It's here. Fishing season is upon us. Okay so maybe that was a bit of false excitement. I'm happy the season is open but right now I look out my window and still see snow sitting in the fields and the waters are still quite high. My species of choice is Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) and I have found they tend to be sparse in these conditions and I usually have to wait until the first weeks of May before I have any solid outings. I can remember as a kid, not having any responsibilities such as work, getting home from school and dashing to the brook behind my parents place and casting that first line on the first day. It seemed back then I could always catch one or two trout on opening day.

Most local research will tell you fewer and fewer people are fishing and I struggle with this. Why would anyone not want to fish? Fishing can be a sport, a profession, or a past time. It can be exciting, relaxing, frustrating, and calming. Like life, fishing is what you make it so how can you not like it. You don't have to adhere to any strict schedule, you don't have a time limit, you don't have to worry about team mates or opponents. How can an activity get any simpler? I can't wait to cast my first line out into deep pool and feel that telling tug. I'll hopefully set the hook and reel in my prize, not knowing what it is until it breaks the waters surface.

Hope to see you on the water.

A Warm Feeling in an Icy Valley

The weather looked promising, the plan was in place, and I was packed and ready to go. Ken and I started our adventure off at the St. John's United Church men's group breakfast in Sussex Corner (http://www.sussexcorner.com/). We needed some good fuel for the challenge we had laid out before ourselves and thought their breakfast would suit our needs. After a big feast of bacon, eggs, hash browns, toast, donuts, and of course all the tea or coffee we could drink we were set. We loaded the gear into the car and headed for Millbrook. We had no trails to follow for the first leg of this trip, instead we were going to bushwhack our way along the west ridge of the Mill Brook valley to a small cirque. This proved to be more difficult than anticipated as we struggled on our snow shoes due to the hard, slippery, crust on the side hill. Even our crampons couldn't keep us from sliding down the slope from time to time. Eventually we made the cirque and from here enjoyed the view and watched as a large deer browsed in a logged clearing just above us. From here we dropped down into the valley and crossed a bridge before heading up the east ridge toward Misty Mountain.

The walk up the east ridge took us along the Cotter Holler Stream. I always enjoy this walk as this is a picturesque area. The walk up this ravine is steep and tiring and we are rewarded when we reach the top with the sight of approximately a dozen deer. As they scattered we stop and catch our breath and take in the view back across and down the valley, before heading towards Misty Mountain. This is a frustrating portion of the trek as we can see into Hidden Valley but the steepness of the valley walls here prevent us from just going over the side. We were forced to continue our walk along the ridge until we reached a logging road that now provides easy access into Arnold's Hollow.

After a short walk on this road we jumped off into the woods again and I was able to find the old trail that used to serve the old settlement in the area. We walked along this small stream further into the valley. As we neared our destination we became excited as the sun was shining bright and the weather was clear and warm for a March day. We went through the two upper meadows with a plan of going into the "amphitheater" to view the ice walls. Neither Ken or I had seen them before and were eager to view this wonderous, natural, locale. The ravine was somethimes treachorous to negotiate as you were always walking on the ice. We were not climbers and therefore had no crampons to provide good footing with. Really it was quiet humorous as we laughed at each others mis-steps. Once at the ice walls though it was silent as we gazed at the immensity of it all. I'm sure there was enough ice there to fill the Montreal Forum at least 50 times. There were climbers on the wall as well as a couple resting. We chatted briefly and I decide that I need to look into climbing a bit more seriously. One of the climbers provides me with a group to look into. (http://www.unbf.ca/clubs/climb) I think I will try to at least attempt to wall climb a bit more in the future. I have done so in the past and enjoyed it but other priorities have meant that I don't have the time to put towards it. After seeing this place I may need to change my priorities.

The walk down this little ravine was also very entertaining as we do our best to ski or skate down. Ken proved to be much better at this than I as I slipped and fell a couple of times, once gliding awkwardly down the ravine with my feet pointing up while on my back.

Once back into the main valley we stopped and found "the bubbletree" geocache we planned to find. (http://www.geocaching.com/) This is another great way to provide yourself with an incentive to get out there and explore. I signed my trail name to the small register and restashed the cache along with something a little extra. Geocaching has become a way for me to give back to nature in an odd manner of looking at it. Everytime I leave something with a cache I always feel like I'm paying homage to Mother Nature herself. I'm weird like that I guess.

We decided to head back towards the middle meadow in the valley to make camp as it offered good open water, lots of sunshine, and flat, though snow covered, ground. We quickly set up our tents and had supper cooking. Ken had actually made chili on Thursday night. He bottled up about 3lbs of it and now was reheating it on his "Apex" stove. I went off to find some dry wood for our fire, and take some pictures and video with my camera. We finally sat down and ate around 6:00 with the sun still shining brightly into the valley. We were humbled by the honest consideration the good Lord gave us on this day, it was a truly sensational feeling to be in such a beautiful valley under such wonderful weather conditions. I should state that this is not the only time I have felt like this. I get this humble feeling alot when I'm wandering.

That night just before sun down a fox strolled past our campsite to check out our small fire. We sat and chatted idly about the days events, about life, about the joys of being a parent, and how lucky we were to be able to still get out and enjoy the wild areas in the Atlantic Provinces. The fire burned quietly and eventually we ran out of wood and decided it was time to crawl into our tents. Now some people may think "Tenting in the winter time is nuts" but I disagree. In winter time there are no bugs, you don't have to worry about bringing dirt into your tent, and your sleeping bag is ten times more inviting. I lit and hung my candle lantern, changed into my sleeping clothes, and then quietly wrote in my journal. I have really come to enjoy this aspect of hiking. The quiet solitude just before going to sleep is peaceful and even on a cold night in March it is warm.

The next day we decided that we weren't going to have enough time to tackle Friar's Nose and so left it for another day. We had both been there before but never in winter time, so we were a bit dissappointed not to have the time to go but Ken had an engagement in Fredericton that evening so what were we to do. That just means we have to go back next winter and tackle it. The walk out of the valley was smooth and we made good time as we pushed ourselves up the steep hillside. We then crossed the ridge between Misty Mountain and Aiton Hill as we had done the day before. Today though it was quieter as we both felt a regret about having to leave the wilderness behind. We sat along a groomed skidoo trail, below the top of Aiton Hill, to have lunch. As we ate a light snow started falling and we snickered at how quickly the Maritime weather can change. We tagged Aiton Hill and looked down into the Trout Creek Valley, the landscape a sullen gray tone that matched my mood. It was a beautiful scene with the Piccadilly Mountain in the distance, the bluff, and the vast farmland, all making it look like a painting. It almost seemed "old" like the old foundation that was in Hidden Valley, and I wondered to myself "How long will this all stay like this?"

The rest of the walk was along a wooded trail I know well. I have been using it since I was a little kid. Many of the trees here have been the same since I can remember while others have toppled and fallen over. We watch as two deer jump off to our left, the white tails blending with the snow that is now falling quite heavily. This is the last leg of the trip and now our thoughts are shifting to our families and we once again are excited to see them.

For me this trip spoke of time and the changing of seasons, life, and history. It also reaffirmed my belief that in this portion of New Brunswick we have some amazing scenery and natural landscapes that we need to look out for. Places such as Hidden Valley are rare and it is currently being threatened by logging impacts which are segregating the valley ecosystem. We can only hope that it can survive on its own. I am confident that it can, as I know in the past it was home to farming, and that the plateaus of this valley have been logged before, so with some good management I will be able to get there again.

See you in the woods or on the water.

Planning a trip into a Hollow

I got the itch real bad. Now that I am supposed to be a professional, and by that I mean I have a full time job, I do not have as much opportunity to get out and explore anymore. Don't get me wrong I love my life, but I'm missing my good friend mother nature right now. Luckily I have set aside a date to get out and hone my cold weather (hopefully winter like) camping skills. I will be heading into Hidden Valley and the Parlee Brook watershed to explore nature and myself. I hope to find something I have never found in there before. I have spent a great deal of time in the area in summer and fall, but this will be my first foray into the Valley overnight in winter time.

Cold weather camping is difficult, especially in March, due to the temperature fluctuations. You never want to be sweating, but you don't want to be shivering either so packing the right clothes and knowing when to wear what is important. I can't give you any advice here really because it is different for everyone. I go with what works for me which is likely the reason why all my winter camping clothes are worn and tattered. I can't part with what works so I wear it till it falls off me. I have a good friend of mine joining me for this hike and it was he who suggested we head into Hidden Valley (or Arnold's Hollow). I had led him in there once before in the fall and he loved it. We may take some ice climbing gear and try our hand at that, although I am very much a novice when it comes to climbing on anything let alone ice.

I have looked over my topo maps, even though I have that area pretty much memorized, just to look at where I have been and where I can go. I am going to try a hike around the Valley's south east ridge as I am confident there are some rock faces and ravines in there that I haven't yet explored. Being winter I likely will only find hardships and snow, but the scenery from that side of the hill will likely be amazing too as I will be able to look up the Parlee Brook and Purtill Brook valleys to the Trout Creek Watershed divide. I now on the north side of Parlee Brook the ravines are steep and full of some great bouldering locations so I bet I find more of the same here on the south side.

The picture with this entry is from the trip my buddy and I took in the fall of 04. Trust me it shows nothing of what we really saw that day, but I always save my best pics for me ;)