Category Archives: East Coast Trail

May 24th Hike on Motion Path (With Company!), a Foggy Jaunt on Tinkers Point, and an Interesting Link!

Hello folks! It’s the 24th of May and we likes to get away, especially when we have new toys to play with! I was planning an overnight getaway for the May 24th weekend, the weather looked spectacular, and so I thought it’d be fun to hike with a couple of buddies of mine with whom I’d chatted about hiking. Our schedules all aligned for a Friday evening/Saturday morning hike, and so we settled on the Motion Path, given that the Miner Point campsite is close enough to one end that we could leave late in the afternoon and still make camp with plenty of time to set up and get a bite. Our second day would be a bit longer, but we had all day, so there was no rush. A good plan!

The walk in over Shoal Bay Rd. is as advertised; rocky, wet, and not very scenic. That said, it was a quick hike, and we were on the trail in no time. Making our way past Nippers Cove, we saw a pair of otters playing by the shoreline! Well, playing is the best description I can give to their behavior, as I honestly have no idea what they were doing. The first was chasing gulls, and once he had rid the rocks of them, he dove into the water. The second rubbed his belly on the rocks for a couple of minutes, and then proceeded to stand on his front legs and jump with his hind legs a few inches off the ground. He repeated this five or six times, and then walked away, with his tail sticking straight out, following his buddy into the water. We didn’t know what to make of it. We felt lucky to have witnessed the creatures in their natural habitat, though!

As we approached Miner Point campsite, a flock of gannets began diving into the water to the north of it. It was spectacular. With the sun starting to set, we arrived at the campsite and quickly got started setting up, Andy and I hanging our hammocks around the edges of the tent site, Evan’s tent between them. It was an ideal spot. It was a very cold night, though, and I didn’t get much sleep despite being quite comfortable in my new hammock. Andy and Evan did a bit better than  me based on the snores I heard!

The next day we got off to a slow start: we had the day in front of us, and only 11.3 km to walk, so we took our time packing up. The sun was hot by the time we got on the trail. Heading south from Miner Point, the trail is challenging in spots, with some significant altitude gain, starting with the climb up the Tolt. The trail and the weather was beautiful, but by the time we got to Motion Head, I was fairly exhausted, having gotten little sleep, and my companions were starting to feel the heat and exertion as well. We all spent the last of our reserves climbing up to the top of Big Hill, and were quite happy to see our vehicle in Petty Harbour.  An exhausting but exhilarating hike!

As someone who typically hikes alone, it was a really great experience  having my buddies overnight with me on the trail. I had a great time and I think they did as well despite their first overnight on the ECT being a bit of a challenging one! Check out the pics of our adventure below!

Earlier that same week I had a chilly, foggy jaunt on Tinkers Point Path. I was surprised by the fog… well, as much as a hiker from NL can be surprised by fog, but it kept me cool as I tried to make good time between Mobile and Tors Cove. The trail is in great condition and as always is one of the most spectacular when it comes to scenery, even in the fog. Check out some pics below!

Finally, a link to an interesting page. Somehow this came up in the statistics for my blog, as a visitor was somehow directed here from there. I was glad, at any rate, because I discovered this:

Amelie Hikes the East Coast Trail – a 2.5 year old who has taken up hiking!

Just too cute for words, and what a great way to introduce your child to nature! Check them out!

The First Half of May on the ECT – Lots of Hikes and New Gear!

May has been about getting myself back into hiking shape. I started the month by taking Heather out to see Cripple Cove for the first time. There was no talk of rope-assisted climbs or kilometers of dirt road, which Heather tells me would have led to a veto of the activity. It was for the best as this is can’t-miss trail IMHO! Anyhow, we had a heck of a day, saw a bald eagle (or two), one of which chased a smaller, unidentified bird of prey away from a perch which could have been a nest: I consistently see bald eagles near Cripple Cove and so I assumed they were nesting in the area. A few pics from the Cripple Cove leg of the White Horse Path; more hike talk below:

I experienced some knee pain at the end of that hike so along with an exercise/stretch regimen I decided to make the next few flat: my issue is “hiker’s knee,” which flares up when too much strain is put on the knees walking downhill. The next one for me, then, would be the first few kilometers of the Stiles Cove Path as far as Shoe Cove. This is mostly flat with one glaring exception on the approach to Shoe Cove itself. I felt a little tinge but it was a spectacular day and overall my knees held up.

There is a moose carcass at Shoe Cove, it is somewhat decomposed at this point but some folks would probably still find it a little unpleasant. It’s in the middle of the beach and is hard to miss. Kind of sad and gross in this prime hiking destination; I understand that it’s the circle of life etc. but some folks are going to be turned off from Shoe Cove which is sad because IMHO it’s one of the highlights of the ECT. Pics and more discussion below, WARNING, there is a pic of the moose carcass:

Next up was the north end of the Cape Spear Path. I was disappointed to see very clear mountain bike tracks on the trail. Bikes are clearly prohibited on this section of trail and as you can see there is a clear impact on the treadway. I saw bike tracks heading off the trail and into sensitive flora. Not cool.

Anyhow, I had never hiked the complete side trail to North Head, and when I got out there I was feeling good, so I checked it out before heading down to Summerside. This is a part of the trail that fascinates me: apparently, there was at one time habitation at this location, complete with its own trail. I have searched and can find no sign of this habitation. It must have been a windswept, difficult location in winter, completely open and somewhat wet in places. In one of the pictures below I have indicated a linear collection of rocks that could be clearing for human activity, a rock wall, or even the base of a building of some sort, but it’s really reaching. There remains little to indicate humans ever resided here. There’s something fascinating about  that to me! A few pics of that hike; and more hike talk below:

Another day, another hike: next up was a tester on the Beaches Path for my new backpack, an Osprey Exos 48, lightweight for the extended trips. I picked mine up at liveoutthere.com, a great little Canadian shop. I packed a couple of things but left it basically empty, wanting to get a feel for it without adding too much weight to strain my knees. I was thoroughly impressed with it. I hadn’t yet removed the Cotton Carrier from my Marmot bag though, so I left the camera home, hence the iPhone pics below.

It was a foggy, chilly day along the Beaches Path, but it made for a crisp hike and some good pictures, and the smell of the ocean was something else. If there’s one smell that brings to mind memories of home it’s the salt air on a cool, crisp day. I breathed it deep as I hiked. There was a fair bit of mud and water along the trail; it was far wetter than I remember it. Perhaps it just needed a few more dry days. More hike chat past the pics:

Last but not least, Saturday started mauzy but turned into a heck of a day for a hike once the sun came out, so I hit Mickeleen’s Path for Saturday afternoon jaunt on another relatively flat trail. There was a  lot of traffic on the trail which is great to see. The treadway itself was much drier than Beaches a few days before, but there was still mud in spots, and for hikers looking to take the loop back to Bay Bulls, the Old Track had a few wet spots as well. These were easy to avoid, however.

Today’s gear test was the first hanging of my new hammock, a Hennessy Hammocks Expedition Asym Zip. I didn’t fully string the rain fly but did successfully lash the thing into place, and then proceeded to nearly fall asleep when testing it out. I packed up the hammock and fly in the “Snakeskin” wraps and put it all away, and left the site with a grin on my face: can’t wait to try the hammock out on an overnight!

Best news of all, which also had me grinning… no knee pain on either of the last three hikes! Fingers crossed that the work I’m doing (exercise/stretching, losing weight, improved trekking pole technique are all partially responsible for the improvement IMHO) continues to bear fruit!

A few pics of the hammock and hike below. Have fun on the trails!

Spring Hike on the Blackhead Path

Hi folks,

To get my knees back into hiking condition and get the exercise regimen started, I’m hiking some of the shorter trails on the ECT. Blackhead Path has always been a favorite of mine so it was yesterday’s target!

First off, there have been some changes to the north end of the trail. Folks who have hiked it in previous years will remember the north end of the trail as being along a private citizen’s driveway in the town of Blackhead. The trailhead has been moved to the cul-de-sac which was used up to now for hiker parking. This is not an ideal spot as the cul-de-sac has obviously been used for dumping for some time: there is garbage, broken glass, and dog feces to deal with at the trailhead. Doesn’t exactly give one that ECT feeling.

That said, this is understandable to a certain extent: the trail was winding around the edge of a private property and there were probably privacy issues. However, the change is a massive one, affecting perhaps the first half kilometer of the trail. I find it hard to believe that the property owners in question owned the stretch of property that is currently blocked. If this is a new development, how was this land ever put up for sale? We need to put a stop to the sale of coastal property in Newfoundland or there won’t be any left for the people of this province to enjoy. The use of this section of land is strongly discouraged, with fences and a rock wall. The owners went so far as to cover the former trail in boulders. They really don’t want people on their land.

At any rate, the new section of trail is nice and meanders through the woods for 500m or so before heading back to the coast to join the former trail.

The other point of interest is the condition of the trail. There is a fair bit of mud and water as the last of the snow from last week’s storm melts. There is patchy snow on the trail but only at specific points: the new woods trail section, climbing Blackhead, atop it, and on the back end near the top. Elsewhere the snow has pretty much melted. Either way it doesn’t present an obstacle: the mud and water is much more relevant.

An absolutely spectacular, if a bit chilly, day on the trail! Pics below!

2016 Season is Underway!

Plenty of folks have been on the trails but I’ve been lazy for the past few months. I’m a bit out of shape but the best way to get back into hiking shape is to hike! As is becoming a tradition, I decided I’d start the year with a hike on the Biscan Cove Path, a favorite of mine.

In terms of trail conditions, there is only one tiny (ie. 1m) patch of snow on the entire 7kms of trail, so I’ll go ahead and call it ice free! The trail is in great shape and isn’t even that muddy considering the season. River crossings are easy: it doesn’t seem like they’ve swollen much with the melting of snow.

One change that concerned me since the last time I hiked the trail: at a small gully past Big Bald Head traveling north, there is a new, unmarked branch. It is easy for hikers to take the wrong branch here as the ECT typically stays with the coast but the correct branch is the one to the left. The one to the right is an ATV trail, and it looks fairly well established. Following the trail reveals a large area of cutaway just off the path, which is very disappointing. Perhaps it’s time we rally government for boundary/corridor lands for the ECT in the style of the Appalachian Trail. Pics of the branch below.

It started as a gray day but the sun came out as I rounded White Point and despite the waves there wasn’t a breath of wind. A spectacular day for hike number one! Now to lose this winter weight and get my legs back in shape!

Pics below!

Completing the East Coast Trail!

Hi folks! This week I hiked the Island Meadow Path and the Bear Cove Point Path, thus finishing my East Coast Trail trek! I guess you could call that a lifetime through-hike. I think I’m a ways off from an actual through-hike given the aches and pains I’m experiencing today!

When you hike alone, transportation can be a bit of an issue, and on this hike, I was lucky to find help at every turn. The hike, initially a three-day walk starting in Cappahayden and ending in Aquaforte, started with help from a stranger: I asked on Facebook and found Chris who dropped me from one trailhead to the other. I later was offered a ride between trailheads in Renews by a nice guy named Terry, and finally, after bailing on the Spurwink Island Path leg, I was picked up by some kind strangers whose names I didn’t get and dropped back to my vehicle in Aquaforte. Only in Newfoundland.

On to the hike! The Island Meadow Path starts crossing the meadows at the edge of Cappahayden, crossing behind private properties before reaching the edge of the small town. Once the trail enters the woods, it starts to get wet, and this is the story for about 75% of this trail: wet and muddy. By the time I got off of it I was muddy to my knees. Along with this, of course, comes a large number of black flies: every time I stopped to get a drink, I was mobbed. I’m sure the numbers were sufficient to carry me away. I didn’t stop long enough to find out.

That said, there is some spectacular scenery on this trail, in particular the trail’s namesake and gulches like the one found at Peter Power’s Cove. These few gulch traverses constitute the only real elevation changes on the trail, but the condition of the trail makes it a little challenging in places.

I was off the Island Meadow Path by 5pm and headed into Renews for the approximately 5km trip around the beautiful little town. At the halfway point, a kind man stopped and gave me a lift to the trailhead, giving me some advice as to where to set up camp.  With many kilometers before me I felt the need to press on beyond that though, and instead of spending the night in comfort, I set up in a tiny clear patch just past a water source somewhere around the 3km point. My glasses are still there: I’d ask hikers to keep an eye out, but my camp was so pitiful that I doubt it’s visible from the trail!

I got an early start the next day and was quickly at the Bear Cove Point lighthouse; not the most impressive structure but an interesting destination with an aging lighthousekeeper’s property and a view available. I took a quick break and fired on along the last 5.8 km of trail. Passing mostly through woods with not nearly as many wet patches as the previous trail, I made spectacular time on this leg of the trail, passing the remains of former settlements and some spectacular rocky shores before arriving in Kingman’s Cove at 10:30 am. It was here that I called off the final leg of the hike: my knee was starting to bother me, and I decided not to exacerbate it.

Here’s the way to end my ECT traverse: about 100 m from the final trailhead, a grouse hopped out in front of me. Not a totally rare sight. I waited for her to do her thing, and when she hopped up to the side of the trail, I started past her, but then I spotted the reason she was on the roadway: one of her babies was down there too and he couldn’t get up the steep embankment. I approached cautiously and he didn’t move. Afraid he’d be stuck or left, I gingerly cupped him in my hands and lifted him up to the mossy bank where momma waited anxiously. I can honestly say I’ve never held so delicate a creature. What an experience!

And with that, the East Coast Trail is complete! Now to do it all again! Check out some pics below.

Hiking from Cape St. Francis to Bauline!

Hi folks! I had the pleasure of hiking a stretch of the ECT that is under development this weekend, from Cape St. Francis to Bauline. Out of respect for the ECTA who will be releasing the map and trail description later this year, I’ll wait until that time to describe the trail. For now, I’ll give a quick description, instead, of my experience, and share some pics of the spectacular views. Let me stress: this is a strenuous and challenging hike in many respects, including confusing areas where hikers could potentially lose their way. The vast majority of hikers should wait for the map and trail description before attempting this path.

I saw a 24 hour window with no rain and so I went for it. Driving towards Bauline, the rain let up and the clouds broke as predicted. So far so good! I had a good friend pick me up in Bauline and drop me in Pouch Cove so I could hike back to my car. I couldn’t ask her to drop me at the trailhead in Cape St. Francis because the road is pretty rough so I hiked in from the town and took the old path described in my last post, skipping the first big climb, the starrigans, and the rope-assisted climbs on the Cripple Cove section of the trail.

Anyhow, as I said, no trail description, just my impressions: this is a hike unlike any other on the East Coast Trail. The landscape here is very different: crossing hilltops high above the ocean, with most places a 70 degree slope to the ocean below, in some, completely vertical. Much of the hike is spent at an extremely high altitude. The views are spectacular and hard to compare to any other leg of the trail.

I had acquired a map of the area and was pretty confident that I’d be able to end my first day at a place called Trout Pond. I brought my rod, thinking this was a sign. Arriving at Trout Pond as predicted, the sun was setting and it was getting COLD. No trouting for me. I set up my tent and got into my sleeping bag as quickly as I could, and spent a night struggling to get sleep in the -1C temps and wind. At some point during the night the wind died down and I got a few solid hours. The next morning I debated starting the day with a trouting session but I decided to just fire through the trail and reward myself with some take-out instead 🙂

Fine weather, spectacular views, and a moose having a munch in mid-trail, the second day was as good as the first. I arrived in Bauline well ahead of schedule and made my way to Swiss Chalet for some well-deserved ribs and wings.

Here are a few pics: many more to follow when the ECTA officially opens the trail!

Checking out the Cripple Cove Path!

Hi folks,

A couple of years ago I found out that the ECTA are in the process of building a new trail that starts from Cape St. Francis and would eventually make its way Bauline, and in the long term, points further south. There isn’t a heck of a lot of information out there about it, but between the hints dropped by the ECTA over the last couple of years and posts about the trail on another blog a couple of years back (thanks, Newfoundsander!) I felt confident that whatever condition the trail was in I’d be able to find my way out to Cripple Cove, at least. I was surprised to see a trail that’s nearing completion (with a few big jobs remaining, of course), complete with signage! The ECTA have outdone themselves with this path, folks! In an effort to describe the trail given that there are no official maps yet, this post is a bit wordy… feel free to skip right to the pics!

The first task was finding the trailhead. Having hiked the Biscan Cove Path to Cape St. Francis a number of times (this is my favorite leg!), I had looked but was previously unable to find it. Today though I had no trouble… the trailhead is marked with an official ECT trailhead sign! This was a good start. It can be found at the end of the road to the Cape St. Francis lighthouse, perhaps 25 m or so before you get to the fenced gate.

The tone for the trail is immediately set: up one side of a hill and down the other. The elevation changes on this trail are significant for this first leg, at least, with a big climb up around Big Cove (North). After climbing over some barren rocks, hikers climb back down to Back Cove, and then up the other side, where they encounter the first real obstacle due to the unimproved nature of the trail: the rope-assisted climbs and descents. I knew there were at least two of those and they’re very early in the trail. The first one is in woods and is almost unnecessary, but the second one is in a scary spot for folks who don’t like heights and might be worth skipping if you’re a nervous hiker.

Once we’re down off the hills surrounding Back Cove, the trail enters a fascinating section of dead trees on the west side of Back Cove. I know “tuckamore” is the name given to the bonsai-like trees that grow along the coast in Newfoundland, and these things were at one point that, but I’m pretty sure there’s another name in Newfoundland for areas of dead tuckamore like this and I can’t for the life of me remember it. Edit: the word I was looking for is starrigans! Anyhow, this section is pretty fascinating. From here, hikers round the coast and head up around Big Cove (North), first passing through a crevasse and then climbing steeply to a ridgeline from which views of Biscan Cove are available once again. The view of Big Cove from up here is spectacular.

After walking the ridgeline for a few minutes, hikers start the descent towards Cripple Cove. The intersection with the old trail is here: hikers can find the old trailhead on a nondescript turn on the Cape St. Francis road, hopefully my pictures help. If you’re looking to skip the rope bridges this is the way to go, but be warned, you’re also missing the dead tuckamore and the ridgeline walk which are really worth seeing.

From here, a little more up and down, as hikers pass through a rather large swath of forest regenerating from what looks like insect kill, before descending to Cripple Cove over some bald rocks. The trail continues past the Cripple Cove branch to Bauline. I’ll explore this ASAP!

Cripple Cove itself is accessible by a side trail and is the highlight of this section of the trail, at least. A beautiful little cove surrounded by cliffs, A walk out onto the hilltop known as the Barracks affords hikers spectacular views of Gull and Cripple Cove Rocks just off the coast, and Conception Bay on the other side, which the trail rounds and begins to follow. I was lucky enough to see two bald eagles as I climbed to the top of the headland, this far northwestern point on the trail.

Just a spectacular hike, folks, and highly recommended! I’ve taken a lot of pics so that folks can have a good idea of what to expect on this trail. Included in the pics are a description of the old trail and how to access it: on my return trip I walked out that way and then back in to finish the hike in order to document it as well. At any rate, here are the pics!

The Past Year’s Hikes Megapost – Mudder Wet and Spurwink Island Paths, Deadman’s Bay Path

Post-wise, things may have been quiet, but I haven’t stopped hiking! I accomplished a few hikes that I haven’t posted about. My memory isn’t as sharp as it once was so I can’t give you much detail about the trails, but the pics are here, at least… I always take my camera the first time I hike a trail!

In July of last year, I hiked the Mudder Wet Path and the Spurwink Island Path as a pair, camping out overnight on the Spurwink Island Path at the Gallows Cove campsite. Here are a few things about this hike:
1. The map looks a little confusing for the Mudder Wet Path, but it’s a straightforward, easy to follow, and very scenic hike. The confusion lies with the route of a highly recommended side trail following Little River to a waterfalls. When I hiked it, the staircase down to this side trail was being worked on. The main trail is a pretty woods path above the river.
2. Berry Head is the highlight of the Spurwink Island Path. I honestly don’t remember a heck of a lot about it beyond that other than it being a spectacularly scenic walk, and that my knee died again about midway through and I was pretty wiped out by the end of the hike. This trail needs a rehike!

Anyhow, here are a few pics of those trails… more after this gallery:

Deadman’s Bay Path:
It had been a slow fall for hikes but one chilly day in early December I decided my knee had gotten enough rest. With the snows looming, squeezing in one last pre-snowshoe hike seemed like the thing to do, and cluing up the northern end of the ECT was an awesome accomplishment to end the year with!

The trail starts with a pretty significant climb, and it was icy, as you can see in the pictures below. I hiked it fast trying to keep up with another hiker (competitive streak, guilty) and was huffing and puffing by the top with full pack weight (I thought I could strengthen my knee by working it out with extra weight). I have since learned that going light and fast is a much more effective way to strengthen my knees.

From the top of the initial climb, much of the trail passes over the sparsely vegetated South Side Hills, dotted with small ponds and erratics. It was a chilly day and the still ponds were icing over. Descending to Freshwater, a bit of ice was forming on the Barachois. If you haven’t seen it, it’s another one of the jewels of the ECT: just a spectacular site to behold. I headed across and took a quick break to snack and rehydrate before getting back on the trail: the best way to keep warm on days like this is to keep moving.

By the time I got to Peggy’s Leg I was experiencing a bit of knee pain. Ugh. I was starting to feel like this was going to be a long-term issue.

No need to end on that note, though; check out these pics!

Cape Broyle Head Path for May 24th!

Hi folks! It’s been a long time and the blog had fallen into a bit of disrepair, but I’ve migrated servers and patched up most of the holes, and I’ve been working on my knee to get it hiking strong again. The test of both the retooled blog and the strengthened knee falls on the Cape Broyle Path, and a test it is!

Cape Broyle Path: an interesting one to say the least. This mostly woods trail presents more than its fair share of steretypical woods trail obstacles. I started in Cape Broyle, where hikers have to park at the Ultramar on the main road and hoof it in South Side Road to the end and on to the beach below. The instructions on the ECTA website were easy to follow and accurate, but this is definitely a section that could use some signage. No trailhead makes me feel like I’m missing something.

Hikers should note the red and black plastic blazes that mark the early path, as they’ll be your best friend for the next 10km. Some kind soul, I’m assuming one of the ECTA volunteers, has marked this severely overgrown trail, and that’s a good thing, because there are places where a less than confident hiker might think they had somehow gotten off track and started following a moose path. The obvious, recent moose traffic on the trail doesn’t help with that suspicion. I saw one and I’m sure more than one saw me.

Anyhow, as I said, the first 10km of the trail are pretty overgrown for large stretches. I attempted to capture it on camera as you’ll see below, but it’s hard to get a good picture of the worst of it, where the trees were at eye level across the trail and you couldn’t see the uneven ground at your feet. My guess is this remote trail hasn’t been maintained in years, but the markings make me think a grooming is in the plan, especially given that the last 9km of the trail are well groomed. My advice to hikers is to keep a sharp eye on those red and black blazes: in the densest sections, they’re close enough together that you can always see the next blaze from the current one.

I stayed the night in spectacularly beautiful Long Will Campsite, where three of the five (the map says six) tent platforms are perched on a steep-sided point on the trail to a viewpoint overlooking Lance Cove Beach. I stayed at one of the more sheltered sites. Arriving around supper time, I quickly set up, stowed my gear, grabbed my camera, and headed out to explore Lance Cove Beach. It was worth the slow slog through dense brush: a kilometer-long stretch of sandy beach like nothing you’ve ever seen before. Completely isolated, the sun beating down, the waves crashing, it’s a slice of heaven.

The next morning I set out over top of Lance Cove Beach once again, and a couple of climbs and drops later, was happy to see that the trail was wide and well-groomed. God love the ECTA volunteers, because I don’t know if I could have done the hills that followed if they were as densely packed as those around Gallows Cove. The climb up to Blow Me Down and Cape Broyle Head is a slog, up over a steep hill through trail that’s at times little better than a river. The drop is quick on the other side of Cape Broyle Head approaching Calvert, so be ready to put work in walking this trail in either direction!

Best of all… no knee pain whatsoever! Knock on wood! 🙂

Check out the pictures from my May 24th adventure below!

Long Time No Post! Stiles Cove Path Hike and Fallout

Hi folks! Apologies for the lack of posts for the last month or so. Of course this back-to-school experiment has been keeping me busy, and when I’m writing papers I’m rarely in the mood to sit down and write posts, but that’s not all of it. I hurt my knee hiking on the Stiles Cove Path trail about a month ago, and since I haven’t been able to hike much, especially with the beautiful weather we’ve been having, I’ve been too frustrated to blog about hiking. I’m currently in recovery mode: I tried a couple of short hikes, and tested myself with a slightly longer one, and I’m still feeling some pain. I’m continuing to rest and exercise my knee, but it’s frustrating to say the least! At any rate, I do have some nice pics from the last couple of hikes to post, so on to more pleasant fare, and hopefully my knee improves quickly so I can get out there more often to take more pics!

I had a spectacular Saturday for the Stiles Cove Path! I parked in the lot of the church in Flatrock, and got a cab up to the other trailhead in Pouch Cove. I was pretty stoked about getting out on the trail: I had hiked portions of this trail on a number of occasions in the past, but never the whole thing; there was a section of five or six kilometers in the middle of the trail that I had never seen before, including the trail’s namesake.

The cutaway section a km or two from the Pouch Cove trailhead has gotten larger. I’m not sure what the point of all that destruction is, but some forward thinking might have been in order: if they’re planning residences, there are folks like me who actually like having trees on our property, and we’re the type who would gladly share our property with the ECT. And as for things I comment on whenever I hike this section of the trail, that strange metal mesh object is still in the woods approaching Shoe Cove. Weird.

I was climbing down the hill towards Shoe Cove, just coming off the steps, when I heard someone frantically calling a dog. I quickened my pace and hurried towards the river at the bottom of the hill, and the frantic shouting continued from the other side of Shoe Cove, from the trail as it descended towards the cliffs of the cove. Suddenly, I saw a big, fat chocolate Lab chasing something through the woods at the edge of the cliff, and then back towards the trail. By the time I got to the bridge, the dog had rejoined his frantic owner on the trail and was approaching me, breathless, from the other side of the river. I stopped and chatted with him while they both caught their breath. I’m not sure what the dog was chasing, but it was big enough that I thought it may have been another dog; I asked, but it was just the two of them, so a fox or a coyote, perhaps? At any rate, that was very close to a disaster, folks: the ECT can be a very dangerous place for animals, and it’s best you keep yours on leash!

At any rate, I was treated to some spectacular weather and scenery. The trail is spectacularly beautiful from start to finish, and at 15 km, it’s certainly something most relatively-in-shape hikers can accomplish in a day. I certainly wasn’t worried about it. I started feeling some knee pain at the 7 or 8 km mark, though. I had felt this particular type of pain before, and wasn’t too worried, but by the time I was approaching the last couple of kilometers of hiking, I was in significant pain, and had no other choice but to finish the hike. Uphill hiking was fine, but downhill was painful, and steps were agony. And this trail basically ends with steps. I grinded the last couple of kilometers out but I wasn’t feeling good by the time I got back to my car.

I’m starting to feel better, at any rate, and I did get to see some spectacular trail! I managed to snap some great pics to add to my collection from along this trail. Check them out!