CAPE BROYLE WHARF TO THE OLD ADMIRALDS COVE CHURCH On this very windy day, we decided that it would be best to avoid going into the trails (in case we needed to turn back quickly), and opted to continue our progress in Cape Broyle. When we got to Cape Broyle, however, we realized that Read more about Amélie Hikes the East Coast Trail – Day 24[…]
THE QUIDI VIDI VILLAGE PLANTATION TO BAWDEN’S HIGHLANDS This is the most strenuous bit of trail we’ve seen yet. By far. The climb is especially difficult for Amélie, since there are hundreds of spots where her two-year-old legs are much too short to step over the large boulders that make up much of the path. But Read more about Amélie Hike the East Coast Trail – Day 23[…]
THE BATTERY TO THE QUIDI VIDI VILLAGE PLANTATION The hike from the Battery to Quidi Vidi Village is part of the community link (the Grand Concourse) which ties the northern and the southern ends of the East Coast Trail together. This is a very well-travelled path – many hundreds of hikers, joggers, and runners can be Read more about Amélie Hikes the East Coast Trail – Day 22[…]
BAULINE EAST WHARF TO LAMANCHE BRIDGE Another BEAUTIFUL afternoon on the trails. …but it sure didn’t start out like that! We had a REALLY rough start to the hike. Driving to the trailhead, Amélie dozed off a little in the car. When we got her out of the car, she broke down crying. Hysterically. After a few minutes of Read more about Amélie Hikes the East Coast Trail – Day 21[…]
RIVERSIDE RESTAURANT TO CAPE BROYLE WHARF On a bright sunny day, we decided to take a Sunday cruise to Cape Broyle’s nice Riverside Restaurant. A hot turkey, a steak, and a cheeseburger platter later, we went for a short stroll on the seaside. Not much of a hike, but it’s still a kilometre’s worth of progress to check Read more about Amélie Hikes the East Coast Trail – Day 20[…]
LAMANCHE BRIDGE TO HERRING COVE POINT Friends of ours are camping in LaManche for the next few days, so we organized a hike in the area with them. Séb was very eager to see the Flamber Head Path, since this is one of the hikes he has never done and he wondered about Amélie’s ability to deal Read more about Amélie Hikes the East Coast Trail – Day 19[…]
THE CRIBBIES TO BURNT COVE BEACH Amélie woke up this morning talking about going hiking, so it wasn’t hard to convince her to leave the house. We drove up to the Cribbies, where I dropped off Séb and Amélie so I could go feed Évangéline at the decommissioned Tors Cove church 600 metres farther. Twenty minutes later, Read more about Amélie Hikes the East Coast Trail – Day 18[…]
TINKER’S POINT PATH #2: Cape Canine to the Cribbies in Tors Cove. Since Father Jocelyn was hiking with us today, we decided to drop off Séb and Amélie at the Mobile trailhead and drive up to Tors Cove to hike back towards Mobile and meet them half-way. Séb plunked Amélie in the backpack and must’ve Read more about Amélie Hikes the East Coast Trail – Day 17[…]
TINKER’S POINT PATH #1: Mobile Beach to Cape Canine Tinker’s Point Path is a fun hike with (mostly) gentle slopes and tons of stepping stones and walkways over marshy ground. Since it’s so flat, and since there’s a significant proportion of the trail that takes the form of old well-worn cart paths, it’s a breeze for Read more about Amélie Hikes the East Coast Trail – Day 16[…]
THE BEACHES PATH HAS BEEN CONQUERED! Today was a busy day on the Beaches Path – we met a handful of through-hikers and dozens of day hikers in addition to the 6th grade class from St. Bernard’s Elementary and hundreds of high schoolers from Bay Roberts Amalgamated. It was a busy day for us too, since this Read more about Amelie Hikes the East Coast Trail – Day 15[…]
DEFEATING THE SOUTHSIDE HILLS One a rainy, drizzly and foggy day about a month ago, we’d decked out the entire family in rain gear and had made our way to the Deadman’s Bay Path trailhead, only to discover that the heavy rains from the previous days had turned the trail into a river. Attempt #2 Read more about Amélie hikes the East Coast Trail – Day 14[…]
HOW WE’VE BEEN MOTIVATING AMÉLIE TO KEEP GOING Exactly two weeks into our project of helping two-year-old Amélie hike the entire 316 kilometres of the East Coast Trail powered only by her little legs, we’ve already had to be quite inventive about ways to help encourage her to keep going. When Amélie “quits,” we’ve noticed that it’s rarely Read more about Convincing Amélie to walk further, hike longer[…]
MOBILE BEACH TO HERRING COVE This must be one of the most gentle hikes on the East Coast trail. After walking over the landwash at Mobile Beach, the first 500 metres of the Beaches Path is an old community cart path leading to Nolan’s Meadow, where the remnants of an abandoned settlement are still Read more about Amélie hikes the East Coast Trail – Day 13[…]
HARRIGAN’S CONVENIENCE TO CAMEL BEACH This was another community cleanup day. Amélie started hiking from the trailhead at Ragged Beach and made it to Camel Head Point before the rain started. We plunked Amélie in the carrier, put up the hood, and ran back to the car fearing a downpour. When we got back to Gallows Read more about Amélie hikes the East Coast Trail – Day 12[…]
COMMUNITY CLEANUP DAY Today’s hike took on a very different form. After a morning of assisting the Kinsmen in coordinating the annual Witless Bay Community Cleanup and transforming a huge pile of garbage into a humpback’s tail, we left the house heading south and cleaned up the roadway as we walked towards the trail. Progress Read more about Amélie hikes the East Coast Trail – Day 11[…]
THE GRAND CONCOURSE Since we had appointments in town today , we decided to try doing the Deadman’s Bay Path, which starts with a sharp climb up the South Side Hills from Fort Amherst. When we got to the trailhead, we realized that this hike would be very unpleasant given the conditions – this morning’s rain had Read more about Amélie hikes the East Coast Trail – DAY 10[…]
THE BULL HEAD LIGHT Dressed for the pending rain, we set out to start the Spout Path from Captain Wayne’s. We’re unsure about how far we’ll get before the rain begins. Évangéline is fast asleep by the time we get to the trailhead, and Amélie is excited about splashing in the puddles. We meet a few people Read more about Amélie hikes the East Coast Trail – DAY 9[…]
TOURISTS IN OUR OWN BACKYARD It was calling for rain today, so we decided not to venture into the trail. Instead, we’re walking from the Bay Bulls trailhead of the Mickeleen’s Trail up to wherever Amélie can get to. It’s a lucky break, since we spot a young humpback whale feeding at the Read more about Amélie hikes the East Coast Trail – Day 8[…]
TRAIL #1 of 24 HAS BEEN CONQUERED! After six days of slow progress, we thought we’d figured out Amélie’s speed and stamina, but today, she shifted gears and DEMOLISHED the second half of Mickeleen’s Path in one go! When we set out from the Bay Bulls trailhead, Read more about Amélie hikes the East Coast Trail – Day 7[…]
UPPER RED COVE TO SOUTH HEAD Today is one of the days we’ve been dreading for the past week: the half-way point between the Witless Bay and the Bay Bulls trailheads. We have to carry Amélie more than three kilometres to the start of her hike, knowing that we’ll have to carry her all the way Read more about Amélie hikes the East Coast Trail – Day 6[…]
OTTER COVE TO UPPER RED COVE The stepping stones that are placed by the East Coast Trail Association to make walking through bogs easier (and drier!) are placed one “standard” pace apart. Toddlers’ strides are much, much shorter than “normal” (about 30cm on flat ground). On flat ground, Amélie probably takes three steps for every step we make. On the Read more about Amélie hikes the East Coast Trail – Day 5[…]
TOBIN MEMORIAL TO OTTER COVE Leaving the house, we explain the Rule of the Hike to Amélie again. She’s puzzled about why Séb picks her up at the trailhead, but she happily grabs on to his neck and enjoys being carried up to the Tobin memorial. This part of the trail is soggy at many points – there’s Read more about Amélie Hikes the East Coast Trail – Day 4[…]
BEARS COVE INN TO TOBIN MEMORIAL Walking from the Bears Cove Inn to the trailhead is relatively painless. Once at the trailhead, we get Amélie to hug the signpost bearing the distances to be overcome. She’s puzzled, but she complies. We get her to hug the next few markers too, trying to establish a ritual she Read more about Amélie Hikes the East Coast Trail – Day 3[…]
ALDER HILL TO BEARS COVE INN We leave the house at 11am, with Séb carrying Amélie up to Alder Hill Road, where we’d called it quits the day before. We manage to get to the house nicknamed “The Tolt” before Amélie asks Séb to pick her up again. This time, though, Séb explains that he’ll Read more about Amélie Hikes the East Coast Trail – Day 2[…]
Can a toddler hike the whole East Coast Trail… BY HERSELF? Maybe it’s possible. Maybe it isn’t. We don’t know yet. But our two-and-a-half-year-old, Amélie, is giving it a try. The rules are simple. So simple that there’s only one, which Séb has taken to call “The Rule of the Hike”: She takes every step. We hold her hands & help her keep Read more about Amélie hikes the East Coast Trail – DAY 1[…]