Most have heard of the AT

46er

Piney
Mar 24, 2004
8,837
2,143
Coastal NJ
but this old news is new news to me. I have walked a few stretches of the AT, and with this news, wonder if those that have done it all must now do another 550 miles.

http://www.aldha.org/iat99.htm

http://www.gorp.com/parks-guide/tra...ian-trail-quebec-hiking-sidwcmdev_057362.html

iatmap.gif
 

Spung-Man

Explorer
Jan 5, 2009
976
656
64
Richland, NJ
loki.stockton.edu
The Gaspésie is probably the most scenic and rugged terrain along the entire Appalachian Trail. The higher summits contain numerous cold, nonglacial (periglacial) features related to both past and current permafrost conditions. I was lucky enough to be be included in an investigation to observe and study its alpine periglacial environment. Lobster hoagies sold along the road are outstanding, especially when washed down with one of the Unibroue Belgian-style ales. Poutine (fries topped with grease gravy and cheese curds) and sugar pie are a must. Bob, the locals speak an old French dialect, so communication can be rough – at least for me.

Although the McGerrigle and Chic-Choc Mountains abut each other, their geologies are strikingly different. The mean annual air temperature at Mont Jacque-Cartier’s summit (4,160 ft a.s.l.) is estimated at 23.9ºF so higher elevations are still underlain with the thickest and most extensive permafrost bodies in the Appalachian region. The last remnants of southernmost caribou herds are found here. Their range once extended south to New York, Vermont, and New Hampshire, and even here the numbers are declining quickly.

PICT1215.jpg

(Above) Islands of stunted Krummholz (Black Spruce on this mountain) hundreds of years old dot the timberline of Mont Jacque-Cartier. Parklike tundra was present in South Jersey during the Pleistocene, although we were likely even more sparsely vegetated during the most rigorous periods. I was lucky to catch a caribou in the background of this photo!

PICT1211.jpg
(Above) Atop Mont Jacques-Cartier are stone stripes, a type of patterned ground attributed to frost-induced movements within the active layer above permafrost. You can see similar features along higher elevations of the northern Appalachians, even in NJ – just not as well developed.

PICT1260.jpg
(Above) Mont Albert’s peak is slightly lower in elevation than Jacque-Cartier’s. It is a wetter environment. Mt. Albert is covered by a damp, organic-rich layer that supported lush serpentine alpine tundra.

PICT1265.jpg

(Above) It is a rugged climb through the sub-alpine zones. Serpentine barrens like this are scattered through the Appalachian. Their soils are sterile and unproductive so possess unusual flora. Northern serpentines are particularly distinctive, as they have only recently been exposed from glacial cover.

It is well worth the extra effort it takes to get to the Parc de la Gaspésie!

S-M
 
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kayak karl

Explorer
Sep 18, 2008
495
79
68
Swedesboro, NJ
the AT will probably stay the AT. there are many additional trails you can continue on to. Many have hiked south to Florida using the Pinhoti Trail and Flordia trail.
 

bobpbx

Piney
Staff member
Oct 25, 2002
14,153
4,258
Pines; Bamber area
Mark, thanks much for the photos. That geographic type is a favorite of mine. I don't get to see it much. Reminds me of the White Mountain range I visited.
 

Spung-Man

Explorer
Jan 5, 2009
976
656
64
Richland, NJ
loki.stockton.edu
Reminds me of the White Mountain range I visited.
Good analogy, Bob. Mt. Washington and other isolated patches in the Presidential Range of the White Mountains are believed to still have Pleistocene permafrost (perennial frozen ground) remaining deep beneath their surface. Much of the frozen ground we see in mid to southern Alaska today is relict. Even land beneath parts of flat NE Poland still has remnants of Pleistocene permafrost at depth:


PICT0401.jpg
Despite many difficulties faced over the last century (WWI, WWII),​
we remain in contact with my grandmother's folks now living in NE Poland.​
It can take a long time time, thousands of years, for permafrost to thaw at depth. Poland is the birthplace of my discipline, periglacial geomorphology (Lozinski, 1907, 1908).​
S-M​
 

johnnyb

Explorer
Feb 22, 2013
474
200
96
In 2007 Ro and I were in Newfoundland when "they" announced that the Appalachian Mountains chain ended in the eastern end of "TheRock" - Newfie for Newfoundland. We ran across a young guy who was gonna hike it's considerable length across Newfoundland, bushwhacking all the way. We were doing some of the same - wildflower hunting - and it seemed an impossible project as the thicket tangles and hidden rock holes under the greenery were impassable at times. We never heard how he made out..., if he did. That's real wilderness over great areas, no place to break an ankle. Perspective: local publications bragged that there are 4 moose to every person in Newfoundland. Incredible wildflower area......
 

46er

Piney
Mar 24, 2004
8,837
2,143
Coastal NJ
Once we get a newer truck, we're headed up that way, to the tip of Newfoundland along the Viking Trail to Gros Morne NP and beyond to L'Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site. Iceberg's, salmon, caribou, fjords, oh my! It's high on my bucket list :D

800px-NLW_GrosMorne6_tango7174.jpg
 

Gibby

Piney
Apr 4, 2011
1,640
442
Trenton
To all - what has been the longest distance you have hiked the AP? I hiked from Bear Mountain, NY to the Wind Gap, Pa in the summer of '88. My friends and I did it in a very leisurely ten days (I understand it can be done in six days if everything goes right). The distance hiked was around a hundred and eleven miles.

I recall that there is a radio tower on the trail, some where near the Wind Gap, and there was an odd structure on it that looked like a flying saucer from a Fifty's sci-fi movie when photographed in the right conditions.
 

johnnyb

Explorer
Feb 22, 2013
474
200
96
To 46er.
When we went to Newfoundland in '07 they had just opened the road in Labrador from Labrador City to Baie Comeau on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River, from which there are paved roads to the U.S. Back then it was an overnight ferry in Labrador from Cartwright to Goose Bay. That leg became open to overland travel a couple of years ago. We did the then 600 miles of gravel Trans Labrador Highway - wonderful scenery and no traffic lights. Plan on spending at least a month up in Newfoundland, more if you include Labrador. We did it all in a brand spanking new Ford Escape V6. Loved it, went back in '08 to Newfieland and are still thinking of trip #3. For years Canadian friends kept telling us we had to go to Newfoundland: beautiful country, beautiful people. We said yeah, yeah - we'd heard that about other places. We found out for Newfoundland they were understatements. Have lots of suggestions when you go.
 

46er

Piney
Mar 24, 2004
8,837
2,143
Coastal NJ
To 46er.
When we went to Newfoundland in '07 they had just opened the road in Labrador from Labrador City to Baie Comeau on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River, from which there are paved roads to the U.S. Back then it was an overnight ferry in Labrador from Cartwright to Goose Bay. That leg became open to overland travel a couple of years ago. We did the then 600 miles of gravel Trans Labrador Highway - wonderful scenery and no traffic lights. Plan on spending at least a month up in Newfoundland, more if you include Labrador. We did it all in a brand spanking new Ford Escape V6. Loved it, went back in '08 to Newfieland and are still thinking of trip #3. For years Canadian friends kept telling us we had to go to Newfoundland: beautiful country, beautiful people. We said yeah, yeah - we'd heard that about other places. We found out for Newfoundland they were understatements. Have lots of suggestions when you go.

We'll be staying a bit further east, heading up thru Maine. Have not decided yet if we'll use the ferry from Bar Harbor to Yarmouth or drive up to Sydney for the ferry to Newfoundland. We have a V6 Escape now with way two many miles on it for a trip of this length. We have friends with a lobster fishing business we would like to visit, but they are a bit off our route.
 

manumuskin

Piney
Jul 20, 2003
8,552
2,465
59
millville nj
www.youtube.com
Newfoundland has been on our to do list for several years but now Momma is pissed we need passports. Last time we went to Canada it was easy getting in but they ran us through the mill getting back into the states.easier to get in if your mexican.
 
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