Arriving at Fundy National Park - Kinnie Brook Trail

Stuck on the ferry, stuck in the truck driving to New Brunswick...I was itching to get a hike in when we pulled in to Fundy's campground last week.  Wayne was obsessing about all the dead bugs on the front of the fifth wheel so we split up to do what we had to do to relieve some traveling stress.

Site 99 was just three sites away from an entrance to the mile long Kinnie Brook trail so it wasn't hard to pick a trail.

The trail started angling downward right away through a forest of maple, birch, spruce and fir.

It wasn't long before I encountered the first long set of stairs.  I counted 200 on my way back up.

The trail has seen a lot of erosion, rocks and roots slowed me down a bit but that only gave me time to look around for flora and fauna.

I didn't spot any wildlife, but I did see some fun fruticose lichen.

Some teenagers had gone off trail and climbed up a rocky outcrop so when I came upon one I followed a small path up for a view of Kinnie Brook Valley.

Kinnie Brook is a "disappearing stream" that sinks under the rocks during drier times of the year.  I explored a bit to the right at the end of the stairs, picking over rocks.

Some of the rocks were so big that I had to go around on the hillside and duck under tree limbs.  My hat got filled with spruce needles and a few times pulled off my head.  Just my kind of hike!

Things got so thick I turned back and ran into a couple of ladies who said they've never seen the streambed wet.  I asked if they had ever gone the direction and they said they had not.  Why?  Brush up to the neck can be a bit of a deterrent for most folk.  But I was determined to find that stream.

Shrubs mixed with ferns, Jewelweed, Goldenrod and Asters lined the streambed.  It was only really thick for about a hundred paces.

Still no sign of wildlife, though I wasn't surprised since I was crashing through the brush.  I did see a small snake off to the side who barely moved when I prodded it with my hiking stick.

My determination was rewarded eventually!

I splashed back and forth across the streambed for awhile and then turned back to face those 200 stairs going up.  By the time I got back to the campsite I was pleasantly exhausted and eager to see what else Fundy had to offer.