Lamanche Villiage to Brigus South (12 Kms)

On Saturday, Sept. 27^th, our group of six (Brian, Tanya, Allyson, Todd, myself and dog Summer) hiked from Lamanche Villiage to Brigus South – a 12 km strenuous hike. The group met in Bidgood’s parking lot in the Goulds at 10 a.m. with the intention of beginning the hike at 11 a.m. But by the time we got water, coffee and fruit, and drove up the shore, it was 11:30 or so before we began the hike.

Although moderate in terms of distance, the Lamanche-Brigus South hike is a strenuous hike with lots of ups and downs (so ensure proper footwear with ankle support). Approximately an hour into the hike, we reached Cape Nettick where we stopped for a break and snack (as some of us did not have a hearty breakfast).

Feeling refreshed and semi full, we continued our trek with the plan of stopping at the Key (the 5.6 km almost halfway mark). From Cape Nettick to Freshwater Bay, there were tons and tons of hills, mostly in the woods, with only sneak peaks of the coastline. What a workout though! This is not the hike for pants and sweatshirt. Shorts and tank work better.

We reached the Key (Freshwater Bay) around 1:15 p.m. and settled down for a hearty lunch and a couple of glasses of wine. No driving today. Todd and Summer went off exploring the small pond over the Falls while Allyson and I freshened up. Brian and Tanya arrived a little while later and were generous enough to share their homemade chili with us. Yummy!

After lunch, I decided that I wanted more of a workout and so I took out my MP3 player, which everyone knows means I’m going to boot it –

which I did, with Todd and Allyson following closely behind. We meandered in and out of the woods for pretty much the remainder of the hike and the hills were brutal in some places. Absolutely brutal! Loved it though! This is definitely not the trail for the beginning hiker.

Once we emerged from the woods onto the coastline about a kilometer from Brigus South, Todd, Allyson and I decided to sit on the rocks overlooking the coastline to wait for Brian and Tanya to catch up. Once all were accounted for, we finished the final kilometer together and after hiking up a few hills in Brigus South, were picked up by Tanya’s dad who took us to retrieve our cars and then off to his beautiful cabin. Our hosts were lovely individuals, who

treated us to a hearty meal and refreshments - an excellent way to end off an excellent day! Thank you.

We are aiming to tackle the spout again in October. Stay tuned!

Spout Hike - Goulds to Bay Bulls (22 Kms)

(Sorry for the delay in getting this up - I have been away for most of the summer)

After about a month of trying to plan, we finally took off for the Spout at 9:15 a.m. on Sunday, July 6^th. Hiking group included Janice, Ed, Cathy, Sherry, myself and of course, Summer, our trail dog. The first part of our hike – the walk down rocky Shoal Bay Road for 6 kilometers – was not the most pleasing. I took this opportunity to catch up with old friends as I knew that once I hit the woods, I would be off with my MP3 player and puppy.

We reached the start of the trail by 10:45, 1.5 hours in, exactly as predicted. At this time, I began to feel the onset of blisters, which were the result of such a long trek on rocky road. I will remind anyone thinking of attempting this trek to wear good hiking footwear and to take extra socks plus plenty of water and food.

Once we began the trail, we immediately came upon the coastline, which was absolutely breathtaking. From there to the Spout, we were in the woods for a bit, then out along the coastline, then in again, and back out. There are a few steep hills along with the way for those not used to hiking – it’s best not to attempt this as your first hike!

We reached the Spout around 12:15 and settled down to have a lunch and admire its beauty. Ed, the leader, encouraged us all to take off our socks and rest our feet. He then applied “Second Skin” band-aid to our feet. Didn’t help me Ed, as I had predicted! The blisters still appeared!

We began the second leg of the hike around 1:15 and again meandered from woods to shore. This part of the hike is much more strenuous, with one of our hikers busting up her knee along the way, and another two experiencing pain in their knees. Did I mention that my fellow hikers are all older? ;-) I tried to be supportive however couldn’t lag behind as when the music started playing and the terrain became strenuous, I relished in my aerobic workout! Janice was with me all the way, leading the pack. Way to go Janice!

At one point, I thought that I had lost Summer only to find that she had gone on ahead (much too far ahead) and didn’t hear my calling her. That would not have been good.

At around 3:15 we reached Freshwater, which I believe to be the most scenic part of the hike, in addition to the Spout and Sea Stacks in between. At Freshwater, we took a breather and cleaned up, getting ready to tackle the final leg. Due to her busted leg, Cathy decided to take the short cut out with Ed nearby to provide medical assistance. Sherry, Janice and I took off for the coastline, looking forward to this scenic part of the hike, the Bay Bulls lighthouse and the trek through the shoreline overlooking Bay Bulls.

Summer and I reached our destination at approx. 5:30, with the others following shortly thereafter. I had forgotten how beautiful this hike is and also how tiring. With plans to go out during the evening, it was all I could do to eat supper, clean myself up and head to bed with puppy by my side!!!

Next hike, a shorter one, perhaps La Manche!

Petty Harbour - Motion Head Hike (5.5 Km)

On Sunday, May 25th, hubby Todd, dog Summer and I hiked from Petty Harbour to Motion Head and back (5.5 Km each way). This is one of the more scenic East Coast trails with just about all of the trail running along by the coastline. The smell and view of the ocean reminds me of back home, Goose Cove on the Northern Peninsula.

This hike is definitely a great hike to do with your family or a great hike to attempt if you are not in the best of shape. There is a steep hill at the onset but it's pretty much level after that. My only advice is that you take a few layers of clothing (as it may get cold by the ocean this time of year) and that you wear proper footwear. Thinking I was going for a jog, I wore shorts and sneakers only to get my legs scratched up by bushes, my feet soaking wet due to the wet trail in places and a few cuts and bruises due to slipping on the rocks. If you have hikers, I suggest that you wear them on this trail.

You may want to also take matches and newspaper as you can light a fire just about anywhere on the beach on this trail. Hubby and Big M. often camp at Motion Head as there is fresh water and nice grounds to pitch a tent. Overall, a nice short scenic hike if that's what you're looking for. It took us 2.5 hours to walk in and back.

Next on our agenda, the Spout?

Blackhead - Fort Amherst (10.8 Km)

On Monday, May 19th, hubby Todd, friend Malcolm (referred to as the big M) and I decided on the Blackhead - Fort Amherst hike. We had originally intended to hike the Spout trail (Goulds - Bay Bulls) however were not up for the 7 hour hike and were in the mood for a more scenic hike so that we could take lots of pictures.

We started off at 9 a.m. and time we dropped off our car to Fort Amherst (south side of St. John's harbour, park just past the small boat basin, sign in the parking lot will read 'Trail 460m') and parked in Blackhead (turn off Cape Spear Road at Blackhead and drive through the community to the parking lot at the turnaround), it was 10 a.m. before we began hiking. Note how happy Todd and Big M. are in the photo. Those two just love the outdoors!

The beginning part of the hike took us through the woods towards Freshwater Bay, with lots of jaunts along the coastline in between to take in the spectacular view of the hills, ocean and icebergs. Check out the pictures - there's lots of them.

We arrived at Freshwater Bay around lunchtime and after slowly maneuvring our way through the river and over the hundreds of rocks, we then took a break to rest and eat. Did I forget to mention that our dogs came along (Summer - 1 yr old, Gracie - 3 yr old) and were great companions along the trail. Our puppy Summer (looks like black lab wiener dog) loved following Gracie (sheep dog); we're not sure how Gracie felt.

After eating a light lunch of cheese whiz and peanut butter sandwiches, cheese and crackers, fruit, trail mix with plenty of water, we took off trying to muster the energy to trek up the long hill which lay ahead. I had only hiked this trail once past Freshwater Bay (which was years ago) and had forgotten how difficult and long that hill is. I hate to admit that, with the sun beating at my back, I had to stop (for a minute to catch my breath) halfway up. I'm ashamed to say that the big M. (who is a little older) got up that hill with much less effort.

But it was worth it once we got to the top as the view was absolutely gorgeous (plus I had worked off the feed of junk food and wine which I had consumed the previous night)! For the remainder of our hike, we trekked across the Southside hills towards Fort Amherst and stopped to admire the gorgeous view (including icebergs) often. At one point, big M. proceeded ahead with the two dogs while hubby and I lagged behind to take pictures. Somehow we then left the trail and got on a sub-trail (big M. is the avid hiker of the group, can't you tell?). Thinking we were lost after awhile as the trail seemed to go back uphill (where we didn't want to go), we pushed our way through the bushes to reach the road near Fort Amherst. Unknown to us, our puppy Summer became worried and ran back to meet us only to find that we were missing. Suffice it to say that she was a very happy dog when she saw hubby come through the bushes - he was almost licked to death. Having a dog is a new experience for us and we're totally enjoying it. Most times...

We reached our destination at 2:30 p.m. (not bad for the number of stops) and were only a little worse off for the journey. My suggestion is to only attempt this trail if you are somewhat in shape as the hill from Freshwater Bay is brutal. If you are not in the best of shape or are taking children, I would suggest hiking from Blackhead to Freshwater Bay and back. (We've done this numerous times over the years with our kids.)

That's it for this adventure, next one is the Spout, we hope!