What amazes me are some of the hidden gems that we come across while out on bumbles.
On July 6 of this year, a group of 23 met and unloaded our buggies at the trailhead in Perth-Andover. We were headed on an adventure.
It was overcast, but we bumbled on anyway, expecting we would get rain. Our first stop was the largest pine tree in New Brunswick. It is over 400 years old. I have seen it before, but we had some with us who had not.
Leaving there, we bumbled down through Perth-Andover to meet the trail that takes us up along the St. John River. What a beautiful river! We travel on the ATV Bridge, which crosses the St. John River and joins the Aroostook River.
Our next stop is the Aroostook Lookout, also known as Ted’s Mountain. Miles and miles of farmland can be seen, as well as the St. John River on one side and the Aroostook River on the other. We see the Tinker Dam in the distance. It is the most beautiful scenery.
We blow the horn, and everyone heads back to their buggy to continue back down the mountain, across the other side of the highway and up along the Aroostook River, which takes us by the Tinker Dam. I love this trail in the woods! It’s pouring rain when we reach our destination for lunch. Tomlison Lake is a beautiful little body of water with a new log shelter. We all scrambled inside with our food for the potluck. Oh my, we have so much food and quite a selection.
Tomlison Lake is the northernmost route on the Underground Railroad. Between 1850 and 1865, slaves used it to migrate to New Brunswick.
The trail they used to get to freedom was three kilometres long.
No one in our group seemed to mind the rain as they read the interpretive boards. Every year, on the first weekend of October, the Tomlison Lake Hike to Freedom is held to remember the history of this historic stretch of land.
It was a pleasure to stand back and watch everyone mingle while chatting and eating. It was such a relaxing way to spend time on the trail.
After cleaning up and the horn blown again, we settled back into our buggies and headed back to the trailhead. Needless to say, some of us were pretty wet, and a nice hot shower waiting at home was looking pretty good.
Thank you, Norm, Golda, Anthony, and Grace, for being our hosts. It is a very enjoyable bumble. Until next time, happy trails, and stay safe!
