Sunny Sunday Sojourn

OK, I’m into alliteration at the moment – it’ll pass. The #FocusCameraClub of Moncton had an outing planned for this morning – a trip to #DicksonFalls inside #FundyNationalPark, New Brunswick. Since that location is about half way between where I live and where the club is situated, I decided to meet everyone there.

When you first enter the park, from the Sussex end, you have to stop at either the kiosk (closed early in the morning) or at the Wolfe Lake location (opens at 8:a.m.) to purchase a pass. It’s good for a full 24 hours – or you can buy a season-long pass if you plan to visit often. As I was leaving I spied this little family getting ready for a dip in the lake.

I drove through the park and arrived (much too) early at the designated meeting place at the start of the trail down, down, down to Dickson Falls.

The view eastward over the Bay of Fundy, past Alma and over to the hills of Caledonia was spectacular. As the sun was getting higher in the sky, the fog encapsulating the lowlands was slowly burning off.

I decided to forgo waiting for the Club members to arrive, so I set off down the trail following a young couple and another lady who were exploring the area. It’s deceiving at first, and then you realize just how steep the path is. At a bend in the trail I stopped to capture a photo of the lower end of the falls.

This was just a small cascade before the flow slows as the water approaches its outlet at the Bay.

Most of the trail had a wooden walkway with railings to keep visitors from a)falling into either the rocks or the water, and b) from stepping off the trail and crushing endangered species of plant life.

Naturally, I had my little travel buddy with me – and he had to get into at least a couple of shots, right?

As I continued to descend into the woods I felt an amazing calm as the sounds of the water, the light breeze and the overall quiet surrounded me. No chatter. No loud sounds of civilization. Just peace and quiet. Part of the trail was closed as it’s being rebuilt following damage from Hurricane Fiona. Evidence of Mother Nature’s wrath can be found throughout the park with swaths of downed trees, some quite huge, and demolished areas. But, park staff are working diligently to clean it up, fix it up and keep it true to its origins.

As I began the arduous climb up toward the top of the trail I came to the actual “Dickson Falls”. It’s not a huge waterfall, but it’s lovely. Thanks to recent (and incessant) rains, there was lots of water falling through the gorge.

Water intrigues me. Not only is it essential to life, but it’s incredibly strong. It can carve fissures in solid rock and, in the wrong circumstances, destroy everything in its path.

In the time that I was (slowly and carefully) exploring the trail, the sun came out and filtered through the trees, lighting water, moss, lichen and ferns with a golden glow.

As I reached the top of the trail leading back to the parking area, I found the rest of the club members who had just arrived and were getting ready to descend into the gorge. As they set off, I peeled off the heavy sweater I’d been wearing calling out to them that they wouldn’t need their jackets!

If you haven’t visited the park, or at least not lately, or haven’t been to the falls, it’s definitely worth the walk. Just give yourself lots of time so you’re not rushing up the back side of the trail – it’s quite steep, even with numerous stairways to help you out.

Just one more treasure here in New Brunswick. The province USED to have the slogan “Canada’s Picture Province”. I think it still is.