The barrens along the south shore of Newfoundland are solid granite.
Every dimple and divot holds water which grows a thick moss. Over time the moss
dies and rots which supports juniper bushes and a few stunted spruce. It looked as though we could just
head off across the barrens and hike for miles, but in reality, in each divot we'd
sink at least up to our ankles in moss and water, and in many cases up to our
knees in junipers and other brush. So we abandon trying to hike the barrens,
and were limited to prepared trails and beachcombing.
So we combined the opportunities we had into a number of day
hikes, the first being to the area around the historic Rose Blanche Lighthouse.
The Lighthouse was restored a few years ago, and is anything but classic, but a
beautiful sight none the less.
The second trail we ventured out on went from Rose Blanche
to the little neighbouring community of Harbour le Cou. Before the road came to
these communities in the 1960s, the trail was the only land route between them.
In the winter, the trail access to common services like the doctor and church
was proved particularly difficult.
Another trail we hiked was the Harvey trail near the
neighbouring town of Isles aux Morts (Island of the Dead). The trail was dedicated to the Harvey family who
resided there in the late 1700s. Legend has it that Mr. Harvey, his daughter
and their Newfoundland dog, rescued over 200 people from two shipwreck
disasters off their shore.
Our last hike was from just outside Burnt Islands to
Barachois Falls. The falls were beautiful even though the day was cloudy and
cool. In addition, we climbed part way up the falls until we reached terrain unsafe to venture further.
Even though wandering the barrens wasn't an option, we still
found lots of good hiking.
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