I was born and raised in Ontario, where canoe trips are the hallmark of outdoor adventuring. I knew little about hiking trips until I worked at a summer camp in Vermont and spent a few days hiking on the Long Trail. I fell in love with the idea of carrying everything I needed in a backpack, using my feet as my sole method of transportation and the physical challenge of walking long distances each day. I soon learned about “thru-hiking,” which is when people hike hundreds of kilometres to spend multiple weeks in the wilderness.
My friend and I decided to hike the East Coast Trail in Newfoundland. It’s a 300 kilometre-long trail on the east side of the island near St. John’s. In July 2018, we set out on a cold foggy morning at 7:30 a.m. for our 18-day journey.
The Start of the Trail
Portugal Cove: The East Coast Trail is a series of 26 pathways connected by small communities. The trail begins in Portugal Cove where you hike north until it veers to the south, passing through St. John’s on the way to its endpoint in Cappahayden. Our backpacks weighed about 35 pounds on the first day and we carried about five to six days worth of food at a time. We had three food drops along the way where we picked up food packages we had mailed ourselves at post offices in the communities.
Hiking Boots
Newfoundland is extremely mountainous and the trails were far from easy. Sometimes it felt that we were hiking straight down a cliffside. I got a lot of blisters on my toes and looked forward to taking off my hiking boots each evening at our campsite. On average we hiked approximately 16 kilometres each day. Once we had an epic day where we woke up at 4:30 a.m. to see the sunrise at Cape Spear — the most Eastern point in North America — and then hiked 24 kilometres.
Camp Spot
There are very few designated campsites on the East Coast Trail so camping was usually a matter of finding a flat, dry spot to set up the tent. Hiking the East Coast Trail was a time when I felt the most physically, emotionally, and spiritually healthy; truly one of the best experiences of my life.
Black Slugs
An invasive species in Newfoundland, these black slugs were our constant companions. When we would wake in the morning, our shoes outside the tent would be filled with these cute critters.
Codfish
The cod pictured in this pan was caught two hours earlier. We passed by some people filleting codfish on the dock and they kindly gave us a whole fish that we cooked on our camp stove a few hours later for lunch. We also tried fresh goat milk, goat cheese and goat yogourt, and bottled moose (moose that’s been cooked slowly and sealed in a mason jar). This was courtesy of Sean, a long-time farmer who lived in one of the communities along the trail.
The Communities
Pouch Cove: Meeting the kind and welcoming people in the communities along the trail was definitely a highlight of the trip. From people who invited us in for supper, gave us banana bread, or offered a flat place to camp, the trail was truly a story of the genuine hospitality and kindness of the people we met.
Beautiful Cliffs
One of the numerous spectacular views on our trip. I never tired of looking at the ocean.
Feature photo by Emily Matin