Dungarvon River (May 2 & 3) w/ Pics and NOW Videos

[sammysolo]

This trip was made possible by a rare alignment of the stars... ;D The roads were just dry enough and there was not too much snow on that last hill (for a Land Cruiser and Jeep ), yet the River was still in serious, serious, spring freshett.

The Skinny

Now with Videos Too..

Scouting snowy roads Thursday Night:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcYQqfsmCWE

Starting on Little Dungrvon River: 3+km
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIWn73zE8Kw
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRa3TI_3Szc
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_u2cZk4IZVA

Running the Dungarvon River: 15+km
www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSe3V7ndGgk
www.youtube.com/watch?v=pByijGk1tjA
www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbZNSYmv6t4
www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9cbfkxzj40
www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiLQAs3IVgM

Camp Fire
www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnBvSTnT_ZI



--The Rivers:
Saturday 3+ Km on Little Dungarvon at bridge on Holtville Rd to Main SWEEPER WARNING and then 18+ Km on the Main Dungarvon to Ledgy Landing on Dungarvon River Rd / Hazelton Rd.

Sunday 30 Km on the Main Dungarvon from Ledy Landing to bridge on Breadlabine Rd coming out of Blackville. *(only Paul& Beth, and J9 solo)

Sweeper: There was a sweeper blocking the entire Little Dunngarvon River about 1 km down and sitting 1-2 feet above the water with 4 inch thick branches going into the water ever foot or so. My GPS, which I can't tell you the data set used, indicates a location of
N46.69085 W66.49083

– The Water Levels:
Little Dungarvon: Over the footing on North side of bridge by a few inches (4?)
Main Dungarvon: Over the first timber down river on the North side of the bridge at Ledgy Landing

--The Suspects:
Paul M & Beth J in a Swift Demoine
Dan B in an Esquif Vertige
Janine B & I in the Old Town Appalation
Special Guests Scouting Thursday Night:
Ken MacD... Thanks Ken
Special Guests during the darkeness of the scouting and shuttled drives were three frig'en moose on the roads. one got within 20 feet of Dan's jeep.

– Special Guests on Rivers:
Little Dungarvon- MOTHER OF ALL SWEEPERS – A TRUE STRAINER fround on the first km of Little Dungarvon
Main Dungarvon - The Jaws and Boar’s Head Narrows ( Great Names, eh?)

–Scouting
Thanks to local road construction contractor, and my friend from Cow College (NSAC), Everett T. for advice on roads.

Ken MacD, Paul M, and I, scouted the roads and the River on Thursday night, we checked out the Little Dungarvon and Big Dungarvon using the Hazelton Road and Dungarvon River Rd which took us to the TakeOut at the baily bridge @ Ledge Landing (it was okay fro a Land Cruiser), and we crossed on the South side of the River to the Up-River PutIn using the King Brook Rd to the Holtville Rd where we find the Little and Big Dungarvon.


The Trip:
We met at Paul and Beths then headed for a nights camping at Ledgy Landing... being a Friday night it was hard to get out of town early but arrived to a very nice camping area sometime after 9pm. Very nice camping area... thanks DNR.

Saturday we took the Jeep to the Holtville Rd and jumped on the Little Dungarvon.

The Little Dungarvon is a tricky bastard... you can’t see any further than you can spit a rat, twists and turns like a snake, and is as narrow as steel rail. Plus there is the MOTHER OF ALL SWEEPERS in there. But we loved it.

Main Dungarvon... the River was flowing at levels higher than Dan and Paul had ever seen, or heard of . The River was deep and it was a different River when it has this level of water. We scouted every drop, and narrows, but had clean runs on them all, even if a little bailing was needed. When it narrowed for longer distances the standing waves ran in a confused pattern and made for interesting paddling. All in all, very exciting.

I want to thank my partner Janine P who is one of the three best paddlers to ever let me get in a canoe with them. (The other 2 are Paul Mason and Moon J. NOTE Beth J. has never let me paddler with her!!) J9 has a depth of experience and a lifetime of knowledge that allowed us to ferry in serious rapids to find the finest and the cleanest lines giving us some of the sweetes rides I've ever had.

This summer, J9 and Beth are doing a paddling course on the St Croix throuh UNB's "No Limits Program" at the College of Extended Learning. "Canoeing the St. Croix: River Skills, Stories and Music (CCOM9535)", I even hear that Moon J. made me a special guest on that trip. See info under Courses on this bulleten board, or

extend.unb.ca/nolimits/canoeing-stcroix.php

Day Two:
After having supper at Ledgy Landing, Dan and I did the second day shuttle, and came home late Saturday night, or is 12:30 am really Sunday morning . Paul and Beth, plus J9 going solo, did that last 30 km and reported a great “float” down to the bridge on the Breadaline Rd.They tell us it was a waonderfull and Sunny high speed float. Maybe they will post a thread on that trip?

Peace Out to all, and watch those sweepers,


Dino K.
www.MaliseetTrail.com

[Ken Corbett]

Sammy,

Thanks fpr the report. You should post this on maliseettrail.com. Stuff like this needs to be recorded for posterity!

Ken

[ryanward10]

While I couldn't get into the water this weekend, I did take my 9 year old son for a little drive to the Dungarvon valley on Saturday, taking many of the same roads described above. I'm sorry I missed seeing you guys out there, didn't get to Ledgy Landing (Big Hole Brook/Hazleton Rd. connector) until around 2pm. The road up from Holtville was brutal, so roughed up by frost you'd need something with some ground clearance and 4WD. The King Brook Rd. (running south of the Dungarvon) was great, The Big Hole Brook/Hazleton Rd. connector is in terrific shape.

[sammysolo]

Ryanward10:

Our technical road adviser, Everett T., told us to stay off the Holtville Rd when possible and to use the Hazelton Rd from Doaktown to go in. We did and crossed West on the King Brook Rd to go up to the last few kms of the Holtville Rd and those were bad indeed.

Everett says the Holtville Rd. is an older road and lacks the base you find on what I called the Dungarvon & Hazelton roads and you call the "Big Hole Brook/Hazleton Rd. connector".

I hope to add some YouTube video later and will include the one of use going up 500 M of a snowy Holtville Rd on Thursday night.

What were you driving? Any bets on my 1984 Oldsmobile Omega Brougham (AKA Pimp Daddy Paddle Mobile) making it in?

[sammysolo]

Nanook:

Thanks for the encouragement, but your site is the great place for this stuff.

For now... www.MaliseetTrail.com will stay with that one route of "canotage et portage"

Again, thanks

[ryanward10]

I had my 03 Dodge 1/2 ton 4x4 plow truck with jacks, tow truck in a box, 10,000lbs ratchet strap, and 20,000lbs towing harness just to be safe... I'm not a big fan of taking chances and getting stuck. I wouldn't believe someone climbing those still partially snow covered hills in a sedan unless they were far more dedicated to paddling, and a much more skillful driver than me. I've gotten into enough trouble with a 1/2 ton. I must say I do love the country up there and am grateful that we have any roads that give us some way of visiting the place. I hope to make that run someday, and will continue to train on easier stretches. Colorful reports like yours certainly entice us all to try it, maybe I should bring along a chain saw too eh?

[tgneal]

Did you run into the Whooper?

[sammysolo]

Ryanward10:

You make house calls? I want your cell number to write in my NB Back Road Map Book!!!

Sammy

[sammysolo]

TGNeal:

Never ran into the Whooper... but I did sleep with my flashligh on all night.

Sammy

[tgneal]

May 4, 2009 21:11:54 GMT -5 sammysolo said:

TGNeal:

Never ran into the Whooper... but I did sleep with my flashligh on all night.

Sammy

Excellent