Yesterday afternoon Anna and I hiked to the top of Bald Hill, near Wirral, NB. This is one of my all-time favourite places to visit and camp, because of its remoteness and excellent scenery. We covered the 2.6 km hike in about an hour and a half. The section of the hike where the altitude was lowest (around Three Bridge Brook) was the most challenging, as it was extremely dense with alders, which continuously got caught on our backpacks. It is easier to traverse in the winter on snowshoes.
Once we reached the top of the mountain, we took a few minutes to take in the view and take some pictures, then got to work cutting up dead trees for our campfire.
After the sun went down, we played cards and listened to music by the fire for a while before going to sleep. (I brought along a small radio which got great reception at the high elevation.) I was originally planning to sleep under a tarp, and Anna in a bivy sack, but since I forgot the pole for her bivy sack, we both decided to forego any overhead shelter.
We spent the night in our sleeping bags under a star-filled sky in near-ideal conditions. The campsite had a nice breeze blowing across it and there were no bugs. With clear skies and lows near 5 C at night, we were both actually a bit too warm in our winter sleeping bags. The sky was full of constellations and the moon was so bright I could have read a book by its light. Overall, it was a great trip. Maybe a bit too short! .... The next time I return I would like to explore the well-worn trail that leads down off the southern side of the hill. (We hiked up the northern side.)
Some highlights: - the spongy moss at the campsite (soft for sleeping on!)
- wild blueberries at campsite (even in mid-September!)
- view of early-morning mist in the valley
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