Tag Archives: Deadman’s Bay Path

Deadman’s Bay Path, Part 2!

Well, if you’re going to make serious crack at getting some trails knocked off in the last week or two of the summer, you’re going to need to hike some consecutive days. I kept hearing “chance of showers,” which doesn’t sound so bad, and I do have rain gear, after all, so I figured I’d head out and complete Deadman’s Bay Path the day after part 1. Didn’t need the rain gear and got a nice, cool, cloudy day for a reward! Not much for scenery shots, but great for hiking!

I got to Blackhead and it was pretty grey, and so I decided to focus on making good time as opposed to taking snaps. Ended up taking more than yesterday, I think.

There’s a distinct difference between the northern and southern ends of this trail, with the barachois at Freshwater Bay as a very sharp dividing point. Yesterday’s hike, the northern end, is over the South Side hills, very open, lots of ponds and erratics, a couple of big climbs. Today’s is mostly through the woods, passes some big gulches, and has more of the cliffside scenery than the other half. The trails through the woods are kind of special to me: I feel like I’m on an adventure, leaving the Shire! 🙂

Anyhow, I saw a few interesting birds and this time had my zoom lens. Took a couple of the barachois as well, one of my favorite places. Too bad the folks who like to party there don’t keep it a bit cleaner (to be fair, at least the garbage has been gathered in one place…). Anyhow, a few pics below!

Deadman’s Bay Path, Part 1!

Hi folks! I’m making an attempt to squeeze in as many of the good trails as I can with the summer winding down,  and so my plan for today was Deadman’s Bay Path. I had only hiked the trail once before and always meant to make my way back to Freshwater; it’s an incredible spot. I couldn’t find transportation from one trailhead to the other, and didn’t really want to cab it, so I came up with a plan: Fort Amherst to Freshwater Bay (and back) today, and Blackhead to Freshwater Bay (and back) next time!

It was a hot one on the trail but luckily enough the sun spent some time behind the clouds. It was a “hot in the shade” type of hike, though, so there wasn’t much to be done other than sweat my way through it. The climb out of Fort Amherst is just as much fun as I remember it from my late fall hike, and the heat made it just a touch more fun. Once on top of the South Side Hills, the going was pretty smooth. This is a beautiful hike but I decided I’d power through it , hoping for better photography on the way back, and was lucky enough to be right. I did make numerous short stops for berries… the blueberries were largely ripe on the open top of the Hills, and there were ripe partridgeberries (thanks Dana!) mixed in here and there.

I decided once I got to Freshwater to check out the side trail to Gunners Cove, a side trail I hadn’t explored on my one trip over this trail. There was a nice viewpoint at the end and the path through the woods was very pretty. I was sad to see the evidence of multiple open fires, including a pretty large fire pit, frying pan hanging in the trees. Just why. At the end of the Gunners Cove Path, there are two pits quite literally visible from one another. I just don’t get people.

Anyhow, the sun came out as I got ready to leave Gunners Cove and made for some nice photographic opportunities on the walk back… score! Check out some of the pics below!

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!