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.
New Trail Routes for Blow Me Down Mountains
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.