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!