RENEWS BRIDGE TO SHIP’S BOTTOM
As we’re putting our backpacks on in the Renews bridge parking lot, we see a lone hiker coming towards our direction. A long-distance hiker from France who’d just started her journey in Cappahayden the day before, Justine immediately accepts to help the fairies encourage Amélie by leaving little “presents” on the trail.
Amélie is very happy to share her walk with a new person, so we hike together until Amélie begins to show signs of wanting to slow down. As we part ways, we invite Justine to stop by when she gets to Witless Bay – we’d love to hear about her hike (and the cold wind she’s having to face!).
Over the next kilometres, we discover that the fairies have found all sorts of very imaginative ways to “hide” their little treats – on boulders, signs, boats, branches, fallen bark, etc.
As we pass the area called “Ships Bottom,” we spot a seal on the rocks. Amélie is completely fascinated. Maybe a little too fascinated. Suddenly, she looks up and says, “Papa, met culottes son mouillées.” (“Papa, my pants are wet”).
And it’s not just her pants.
It’s gone down her legs and in both her boots. Her socks are drenched. Accidents like this are very rare now – so rare that we don’t even remember the last time it happened outside of the house.
The extra pants, the extra boots, the extra socks… they’re all in the car, kilometres away. What to do, what to do!?!
Well, necessity is the mother of invention, isn’t?
Pants, socks, stockings, and boots all come off. Évangéline’s coat comes off, and is transformed into a pair of pants for Amélie. Mittens become boots, and Évangéline gets wrapped up in Séb’s coat. Amélie’s amused by the strange switcharoo. Meltdown averted. The next piece of the puzzle is to get the girls back to the car before they get uncomfortable.
We cut through the fields on the ATV trails to reach the trailhead faster, but this ends up being an awful idea – the boggy ground makes walking while carrying the girls very difficult. And wet. However, the first vehicle we meet once we’re back on the roadway stops to offer help – which we happily accept (THANK YOU!!!).
Ten seconds after Amélie is all squared away with fresh pants, socks, and boots, she asks, “Are we going back on the same trail, or are we going on a different one now?”
AMÉLIE’S PROGRESS
- DAY 1: 0.15km (Our house to Alder Hill)
- DAY 2: 1km (Alder Hill to Bears Cove Inn)
- DAY 3: 1.65km (Bears Cove Inn to Tobin Memorial)
- DAY 4: 1.5km (Tobin Memorial to Otter Cove)
- DAY 5: 1km (Otter Cove to Upper Red Cove)
- DAY 6: 0.6km (Upper Red Cove to South Head)
- DAY 7: 4km (South Head to Bay Bulls Trailhead)
- DAY 8: 3km (Bay Bulls Trailhead to Captain Wayne’s Excursions)
- DAY 9: 5.8km (Captain Wayne’s Excursions to the Bull Head Light)
- DAY 10: 7.2km (Fort Amherst to The Battery)
- DAY 11: 1.3km (Our house to Harrigan’s Grocery & Convenience)
- DAY 12: 3.5km (Harrigan’s Convenience to Camel Cove Beach)
- DAY 13: 1.8km (Mobile Beach to Herring Cove)
- DAY 14: 500m (Deadman’s Bay Trailhead to Lookout Point)
- DAY 15: 4km (Herring Cove to Camel Cove Beach)
- DAY 16: 2.5km (Mobile Beach to Cape Canine)
- DAY 17: 3.3km (Cape Canine to The Cribbies)
- DAY 18: 2.9km (The Cribbies to Burnt Cove Beach)
- DAY 19: 800m (LaManche Bridge to Herring Cove Point)
- DAY 20: 1km (Riverside Restaurant to the Cape Broyle Wharf)
- DAY 21: 2.7km (Bauline East Wharf to LaManche Bridge)
- DAY 22: 3.1km (The Battery to The Quidi Vidi Village Plantation)
- DAY 23: 1.5km (Quidi Vidi Village to Bawden’s Highlands)
- DAY 24: 4km (Cape Broyle Wharf to Pagoda Projects)
- DAY 25: 2km (Burnt Cove Beach to Bauline East Wharf)
- DAY 26: 5.4km (Cappahayden to Island Meadow)
- DAY 27: 800m (Blackhead village to Bull Cove)
- DAY 28: 3.5km (Brigus South to Hares Ears)
- DAY 29: 1.5km (Chafe’s Landing to Big Hill)
- DAY 30: 2km (Island Meadows Path Trailhead to Renews Bridge)
- DAY 31: 1.8km (Chafe’s Landing to Cape Spear Path trailhead)
- DAY 32: 2.5km (Flamber Head Trailhead to Hares Ears Point)
- DAY 33: 4.3km (Hares Ears Point to Admirald’s Cove trailhead)
- DAY 34: 4km (Calvert Plant to Castle Hill)
- DAY 35: 4.7km (Renews trailhead to Island Meadow)
- DAY 36: 2.2km (Torbay’s Little Beach to Little Gallows Cove)
- DAY 37: 2.5km (Beachy Cove to Cape Broyle’s Riverside Restaurant)
- DAY 38: 3km (Renews Bridge to Ship’s Bottom)
- Amélie’s total progress: 98.5km/316km
- Distance walked by the adults today: 5km
- Total distance walked by the adults: 187.2km
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