Canadian Dream

Where to begin. Well, 159km later and I’m finally in Corner Brook. This will unfortunately be my last stop in Newfoundland. There is still a 200km section from here to Port-aux-Basques, but I will not be walking it for a number of reasons. It is a very isolated and barren section of the highway, often with no cell phone reception. I feel that walking this part alone is very dangerous and I am not willing to place myself in unreasonable danger. So, for these reason I will be taking a drive to Port-aux-Basques and continuing on from there in Nova Scotia. My total distanced walked in Newfoundland was 703km. I am eager now to start a new province.

But first, let me tell you a little about my last couple of days. My walk from Springdale to Corner Brook has been pretty much the same. When I finally got to Deer Lake I decided it was time for a well deserved break. Since I have been accepted to University in the fall, I have been spending allot of time trying to catch up on scholarship application forms and doing all the last minutes details for school. I wanted some time away from it all. So, like planned, I took a mini-vacation to Gros Morne National Park. I have been eagerly walking in anticipation to arrive at this park. Now I will finally tell you why. Along with being a National Park, Gros Morne is UNESCO world Heritage site. Gros Morne can easily be compared to the beauty and wonder of the Canadian Rockies. While visiting the park, I had the amazing opportunity to see three of the park most interesting sites, the tablelands,Gros Morne Mountain and Western Brook Pond. It was arranged by my host in Deer Lake, the Pinksons, that I would have a drive up with a family friend. Through my Newfoundland networks, I was also able to secure a place to stay in Rocky Harbour, one of many of Gros Morne Communities. On the drive up to the park I had the extreme pleasure of visiting the Tablelands. This section of the park is a natural wonder to see. The only way to describe it would be mountains on mars. These red rocks hills are barren and completely devoid of any plant life. Interestingly, they run parallel with beautiful forested mountains. One can call the tablelands site the ying and yang of hills. The Tablelands are composed of peridotite rock, which is thought to be made up of the earths mantle. It is one of the only places in the world where you can walk on mantle rock, which is normally found many kilometers underground and constitutes of about 84% of the earths volume. The site was created millions of years ago during a plate collision that forced the earths mantle into the beautiful red mountains we call the Tablelands today. Like most of Newfoundland interesting geology, it was a natural wonder and a joy to see.

I'm saving the best for last. Before I tell you about Western Brook Pond, I had the chance to also see Gros Morne Mountain. I was planning to take some time to climb the highest mountain in the park but because of a nesting of rare birds, the mountain was closed until further notice to hikers. It just so happens, that the house I was bunking at had one of the most spectacular views of Gros Morne from their front yard. I took several pictures and stared in awe for a good while. I may not have had time to climb, but it certainly gives me something to look forward to next time I visit Gros Morne. Yes, there will be a next time. Finally, on my last day in the park, I visited one of the most spectacular nature made site I have ever witnessed, Western Brook Pond. There is beauty here I cannot describe. Western Brook Pond is a glacial carved fjord out of the long range mountains. What does that mean? Well, not only is this site billions of years old, it was made during the last several glacier periods. The moving weight of the glaciers on rock gradually over millions of years created a gigantic U-shaped gorge out of the mountain. Now creating a landlocked lake in the middle of the mountains. This fresh water lake was once connected to the sea, but over time as ice melted the land began to rise, eventually cutting Western Brook Pond away from the ocean. I took a 2 hour boat tour through the fjord. The site is phenomenal, you walk the 3km beaten path to the dock at the edge of the lake. The boats used for the tour were flown in sectional pieces and put together at the site. Once on board the tour begins. The boat makes it's way to a 16km crack in the mountains. Once inside your in another world. Waterfalls cascades of the billion year old cliffs. The vegetation and scenery are as though you have boat toured into a small paradise. Many of the people on the tour were on vacation from other places in Canada, but a small group was from Germany. It was an awesome crowd of people and it made the tour all the better. It's a site I would highly recommend to see.

During the boat tour I met some very interesting people that I later hitched a ride back to Deer Lake with. Denise and Marilyn were from Alberta. These ladies were in the 40's and boy were they wild. Friends for several years, the ladies have been all over the world. They told me all kinds of stories about past adventures they had embarked on both in adulthood and youth. They are on a level of adventure that I don't even come close to comparing to. Denise told me that in her youth she hitchhiked to Toronto with three friends to live on a farm of one of her favorite bands at the time. Talk about hardcore groupie. They've biked, hiked, motorcylced, flown, canoed, you name it, pretty much anywhere you can think off. Together I'm sure they've travelled the world. I was both impressed and envious of the ladies travels. It's inspired me to keep up with my own dreams of someday travelling overseas and gives me the courage to keep on truckin'.

Once I returned to Deer Lake I spent a little more time with the Pinkson family before I was back on the road. The Pinkson's are related to the Parsons from Gander. Charline is Nadine's sister. They were very much alike in many ways, including outstanding hospitality. I met many of their friends and family during my stay. As always the time came to move on. It only took me 2 days to walk from Deer Lake to Corner Brook. So here I am now, staying with the Chapter Vice President, Natalie and her family. I was taken on a fun filled tour last night of the city. The western part of Newfoundland is gorgeous. By far my favorite section. It is surrounded by mountains and water and believed to be by many Newfoundlanders the most beautiful section of the province. Corner Brook is a beautiful little city. Many of the residential streets are tree lined and clean. It has a cozy feeling to the city, like a small European town. You feel like strolling the streets on a sunny day and frequenting little shop that complete it's main street. It's the second largest city in the province with a population of about 25,000 and has something for everyone, especially if you like the outdoors. Soon I will be leaving again, but this time with a new twist. Nova Scotia is on the horizon. It has been a fun,grueling,exciting,sad,and transforming 6 weeks. I am both eager and dismayed to leave Newfoundland, but one things for sure, this is far from the end!