The Blog

It was an awe-inspiring evening for participants of Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador’s (HNL’s) Fun Night at Marble Mountain on Wednesday, February 26! In addition to the torchlight parade, many of those in attendance got to try out Cabox VR, the Cabox Aspiring Geopark component of the Drifting Apart project’s GeoVR program. Geopark Vice Chair Rob Thomas walked people through several iconic viewpoints of the Humber Valley and Bay of Islands Ophiolites in virtual reality.

City of Corner Brook staff are stressing the importance of a collaborative tourism approach with the completion of the STAR (Strategic Tourism for Areas and Regions) Report. The report, a tourism plan developed for the Corner Brook/Bay of Islands/Lower Humber Valley region, was released publicly Nov. 18. Darren Charters, director of community, engineering, development and planning for the city, said they will continue to collaborate with partners, including the public, tourism industry, provincial and federal governments and other communities around the Bay of Islands. The report lists 31 strategic recommendations and tactics, including Cabox Geopark, but Charters identified five broader areas of focus for the city and its partners.

On September 5, 2020, nearly 200 trail runners will descend on the Humber Valley to participate in Newfoundland’s first 100-kilometer ultramarathon trail race or shorter 50km race, both including the entire length of the IATNL Humber Valley Trail from Ballam Bridge to Humber Village. The region’s first ultramarathon, STEEP ULTRA, will enable runners to “experience breathtaking ocean views, majestic rolling mountains and vast, remote landscape.”

In 2019, Memorial University of Newfoundland Adjunct Professor and Lecturer Dr. Andy Kerr set his sights on the Bay of Islands Ophiolite Complex, beginning with a July trek of the Blow Me Down Mountains with Cabox Geopark Chairperson Paul Wylezol, followed by an October article entitled ‘Exploring a Famous Ophiolite: A Guide to the Bay of Islands Igneous Complex in Gros Morne National Park, Western Newfoundland’ for Geoscience Canada, of which he is scientific editor. Andy, who is also a geological advisor for Cabox Geopark and the International Appalachian Trail, also accompanied Paul and fellow Cabox/IATNL director Arne Helgeland on a May 2019 geological tour of the IAT and Lochaber Geopark in Scotland.

Cabox Geopark is one step closer to coming to fruition. After a Corner Brook council meeting on Nov 18, the project now has the support of every community in the Bay of Islands region. The city council approved and accepted the Strategic Tourism Areas and Regions Plan (STAR) report, a strategic tourism development plan for the Bay of Islands, Corner Brook and lower Humber Valley Area. The plan included support of the development of the Cabox Geopark. The Geopark will educate visitors on the unique plate tectonics and geological history of the Bay of Islands ophiolites.

On November 13, 2019, IAT Co-Chairs Paul Wylezol of Newfoundland and Don Hudson of Maine joined Ulster Ireland mayors Michaela Boyle (Derry City and Strabane) and Nicholas Crossan (Donegal County) at a meeting with Appalachian Mountain Club President John Judge and Conservation and Recreation Director Heather Clish at their new headquarters in Boston, Massachusetts. The meeting was a follow-up to IAT Ulster Ireland’s Outdoor Economy Forum held in June with the participation of the IAT, AMC and ATC.

During 2019, the IATNL made significant strides in completing its Cabox Geopark basecamp at Stone Brook (aka Stowbridges) in North Arm, Bay of Islands. The two-storey former fisherman’s house will serve as a start/end point for 2-3 day treks across the North Arm Hills to/from Trout River. This year’s work included the installation of bunk beds, new vinyl flooring, indoor plumbing, and the reconstruction of the damaged seawall.

In 2019 the IATNL added new signage to the Humber Valley Trail, including directional signage and memorial interpretive panels at both Scott’s Lookout on the west side of Wild Cove Valley and Barry’s Lookout above Humber Village. The latter two were designed in the James Cook inspired style of the new trailhead sign at Ballam Bridge, which was installed in 2017. Scott’s Lookout provides a spectacular view of the Humber Valley from Wild Cove to Deer Lake. It was named after IATNL volunteer Scott Datwyler who passed away suddenly in 2018 due to a brief illness. Barry’s Lookout also provides a fantastic view of the valley and is named after local naturalist and conservationist Dr. Barry May.

For many years now, Vermont maple syrup farmer and Appalachian hiker Lew Coty has travelled to Western Newfoundland in August to spend a month exploring the Long Range Mountains, the most northerly of the Appalachian Mountain range. In 2019, in addition to making a Gregory Mountain trek with IATNL/CABOX director Paul Wylezol and a number of other shorter hikes, Lew set his sights on another hike of the West Hills between Trout River and Chimney Cove.

During the summer of 2019, the IATNL made several exploratory treks into the Blow Me Down Mountains east of Blow Me Down Brook in search of new trail routes to connect the mountains to Benoit’s Cove and the new Cabox Geopark Information Center at Saltbox restaurant. Plan calls for routes to link to the IATNL Blow Me Down Mountain Trail and Cabox Geopark’s UltramaTrex. One route that requires little work begins at the Clarks Brook future bridge site below Benoit’s water supply and follows an existing ATV/snowmobile trail for approximately 1km before turning off to the left and following a 2km track across a beautiful and pristine wetland with a view of the mountains as far as the Sands above Blow Me Down Brook.