cabin fever

It’s been a few month since I last expressed my wintery thoughts on a sheet of white, but if you know anything about the snowmobiling season in Maine, you know that February, March and part of April (if it’s a good snow season) is as good as it gets and an avid snow lover is out the door and there’s no time to be putting thoughts on paper when there is a canvas of white out there waiting to be colored bright.

And was I out there… every moment of every day, enjoying one of the best snow seasons in the northeast. Wow, what a season! No rest for the addicted.
It is funny that I chose to title this blog post ‘cabin fever’, for the girl who was out of the cabin every single weekend, off on a snowmobiling adventure, be it local or to unknown territories, but as the season winds down, and the adventures cease, I wanted to share my cabin ‘fevers’ of the season with you.
I am coming off multiple epic days of snowmobiling adventures, and experiencing severe withdrawals and the need to ‘escape’ the daily mundane tasks of life!
There is still snowmobiling to be had, but our days are now numbered as most parts of the country are in full Spring mode, snow lingers for some of us northerners.

le camp des Bosse is always accommodating and a great place to gather with friends.

The Bosse camp is just one of the many camps up in Moose Valley that we frequent on our north of the border excursions. This winter, I was fortunate to trek across much of northern Maine and western New Brunswick

you can get there from here…

We traveled through the connecting trail systems of the Moose Valley toward a region known as la Roustigouche.  The rugged beauty of the region surrounded by the Appalachians on one side and the worldwide salmon river (by the same name) on the other, is fast becoming a must ride spot for snowmobiling enthusiasts.

les Chalets Restigouche in Kedgwick, NB

Our first stop for lunch was at Les Chalets Restigouche, right on the pass-thru trail into Kedgwick, NB. Nestled in the heart of the Appalachians and alongside the infamous Restigouche River, this great authentic outdoor experience is truly an outdoor facility for nature lovers. It boosts a campground, family style restaurant, 9 log cottages near the river and a wide range of outdoor services and activities. Paradise with astonishing scenery, fishing and wildlife sure to impress you. I might just have to haul my RV to this rustic spot.

We enjoyed a good meal and laughter and set out for a short ride into town to fuel (right off trail) before continuing on our journey to discover the ‘warming huts’ of Campbellton’s snowmobiling trails that go through some of the most scenic gorges and mountain passes of trail to get to our first cabin rest stop, Camp des Anglais (The English Camp). Shelter 17-1 on NBFSC Trail Map.

club des anglais

This little warming hut had a mix of French and English speaking snowmobilers, but the language barrier didn’t matter, because it was all about our tall snowmobiling tails, finding out where we all originated from and plenty of laughter and comradery…not to mention plenty of ‘warming’ going on. What’s interesting about these warming huts (and there are some like every 10 miles it feels like) is that they are sponsored by businesses and organizations and very well maintained. Those who use them care to leave it in good order for the next visitors, and fill the wood stove. We continued on to our destination, at a friend’s home in Tide Head outside of Campbellton to meet up with new and not-so-new friends and rest up for our ‘cabin fever’ ride the following day.

We started with a great breakfast on Saturday by our hosts Melanie and Mathieu and then headed out to see how many miles and cabins we could hit in one tour.

We hit up several ‘cabins’ on our 150+ mile day. With sunny skies and busy trails, stopping by these warming huts were great opportunities to meet new people and form new friendships. Here are a few ‘cabins’ that we had the pleasure of experiencing.

 

Club 9.5

Camp mon 5 cent

Island Lake

and some of the few amenities…commonly found in these camps such as this one not far from Saint-Arthur snowmobile Club area.

 

handmade glove/mitt warmer

Warm and cozy wood stoves

Make yourself comfortable…notice all of the cabin sponsors…

and after many other spot and stops at these amazing cabins throughout the NB 17 trail system we headed back southwest toward our own cabin in the woods, but not without a few more ‘closer to home’ cabin stops to partake in ‘good cheer’.

 

 

Denise Duperre

About Denise Duperre

Denise is an avid snowmobiling enthusiast and her passion for riding both on and off trail allows her to meet snowmobilers from far and near; share adventures and point them to well keep secrets tucked away up in snow country. An Aroostook County native, and a dual citizen, Denise rides both sides of the river that separates the US and Canada way up north in Aroostook called the St. John River Valley…where ITS 81 and ITS 83 connect to over 2,300+ miles of pristine snowmobiling . Ride along with this Valley Diva as she shares her adventures on… IS IT SNOWING YET?