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A gentleman by the name of Nicholas Guitard has recently published a picture book on the waterfalls in New Brunswick, and coincidently a recent hike of ours led by the ageless Bill Mayo took us to a series of waterfalls on the Quiddy River that were mentioned in an interview I heard on the radio. I believe Mr. Guitard mentioned that this series of seven waterfalls comprised some of his favorites.

We set out from Moncton and went on down to Sussex Corner and drove out towards and past Poley Mountain and on to Adair's Wilderness Lodge, where we of course stopped to visit Larry and Ida and their fine staff to have a tea and a muffin. It is a must stop for anyone going further on past the lodge, especially if you are the least bit unsure of where you are heading. Larry knows the area well and can help you avoid any trouble along your way. Even if you think you know the way it is still wise to stop in, because Larry will know about any recent washouts or beaver dams built, or trees down and other such impediments to safely arriving at your desired destination.

Once you do leave Adair's you turn to the right and go out and past the well-marked Crawford Lake until you get to a 'y' in the road. To the left is the Shepody road, but to the right is where you want to go. Keep going by the Dustan Brook Road which is marked, then go by the Telegraph Brook road which is also marked. A short distance past the Telegraph Brook road you will come to a bridge that has seen better days. It is only suitable for passage if you are on foot or on an ATV. The bridge crosses our destination, the Quiddy River and the series of waterfalls cascading their way down and down, ultimately to exit into the Bay of Fundy. Park there and you will see the trail into the woods. This trail is marked in blue and is a side trail to the Fundy Footpath about eight kilometres (five miles) further on.

The first waterfall is in a short way with a rather steep descent, so be careful. It, as well as the one just above it, are visited more often than the other waterfalls on the trail, because of the relatively easy access. It is nice primarily because of a deep pool at the foot of the falls, suitable for swimming. The bad thing is its close proximity to the road, so one can often find unwanted debris lying around, making it my least favorite of the falls along this river.

As you hike further down above and beside the river you come to another smaller falls that is more peaceful and relaxing where you could have lunch. Hiking down to this falls is not too difficult and quite pleasant.

Up, up and away to higher ground and on to the next waterfall, which is a little more difficult to get to as you must descend a steep embankment. It is worth it because these falls are higher and there are two levels with two separate pools. There is a rope to haul your self up to the second pool, but I would not advise it because it is very steep and slippery.

The fifth water fall is also difficult to get to, but it somehow looks more beautiful because of the energy you must expend in order to see it. If that last statement is true this falls is a corker. Getting out of the gorge was not exactly easy, but it is manageable if you take your time and watch where you are going.

Time was running out on us so we had to leave the last two falls for another time. We went back to Adair's and had beans, ham and scalloped potatoes for supper, looked at maps, chatted and drove through the back roads to Moncton. A great day.

Now on another note, I feel compelled to bring up the recent 50th anniversary of the Dobson Trail which I attended recently. It will have no doubt been reported on quite extensively by the time you read this piece, but I must put in my two cents worth.

The celebrations took place at the trailhead on Pine Glen road in Riverview, on a beautiful October Saturday morning. Some of the many attendees were representatives from the three municipalities, the province of N.B. as well as the three guests of honour, Dr. Art Dobson, Edwin Melanson and the irrepressible Mary Majka. A beautiful plaque was unveiled celebrating the vision of Dr. Dobson and the great work done by Mary and Edwin as well as the hundreds of trail masters and volunteers over the years.

There was a hike involved after the dedication ceremony led by Alonzo Leger who led a large convoy of vehicles (we did not win any environmental awards on this day) to various side trails and entrance points to the Dobson Trail. We ended up at Prosser Ridge and hiked for 20 minutes or so down to a lookout and then returned and went to the Hayward road and up the 40 minute or so climb to Hayward Pinnacle. The weather was sunny and quite warm and the foliage was spectacular. I like the foliage best before the colour peaks, when there are some green deciduous leaves mixed in with the reds, wines and oranges.

As a bit of a side trip Kathy and I took a detour and went off the trail on to a logging road which took us up to a few of the Kent Hill wind turbines. When we started towards them they were not moving, but as we got closer the wind picked up slightly and some of them began to slowly spin. I had been up there before, but it was before they were fully operational. Hearing the hum and the gentle whooshing sounds and seeing them up close and personal is quite impressive, not to mention eerie. There is an otherworldly feel to them as the mammoth blades spin almost silently in the forest. They are an interesting novelty at this point, but I wonder if, as they become more prevalent, I will begin to think of them as blight on the landscape.

We had to bush-whack a bit to join up with the trail, but ultimately we rejoined our companions who were now returning to Hayward Pinnacle to begin the descent to our cars.

By the way, the Pinnacle could use a bit of tree trimming to enable hikers and others to have a 360 degree view of the area. As it is now the view is quite restricted, but you can certainly see downtown Moncton from up there. The Assumption building and the Aliant Tower are clearly visible, not to mention many of the wind turbines. And oh! The colours, did I mention the colours?

I will change the subject to end the column by mentioning the good time had by all at the Stan Carew and the Magpies concert at the beautifully refurbished courthouse in Hopewell Cape. It really is a classic old (rebuilt in the forties) courthouse. I think central casting should be alerted because it would be a perfect location for a film needing a small town courthouse in some period piece that has yet to be filmed. Perhaps a remake of Inherit the Wind, the movie about the Scopes Monkey Trial with Rod Allen playing the part of William Jennings Brian, Brent Mazerolle as Clarence Darrow and Norbert Cunningham as the shy young school teacher John Scopes. Seriously though, the courthouse is a classic and is available for rental for weddings and things. Check it out sometime. I rationalize including a plug for the hall because by golly I walked there and it was a lovely stroll. See you next time.

n Paul Gaudet is the manager of interpretive services at the Hopewell Rocks Tidal Exploration Site at Hopewell Cape. He can be reached at pgaudet_abc@hotmail.com. His column appears every other week.