Harbour Mille, departure pointWell, so far I've identified 9 fantastic paddles I was involved in during 2009. I could easily have expanded the list but 10 is a good round number. The list included a bit of everything so it captures the flavour of my paddlng season.
My top paddle for the year was a two day overnight trip Stan and I did in Fortune Bay on 25/26 July, paddling from Harbour Mille to Stone's Cove. It was an obvious choice for me. Though only two days, it was a great adventure starting with finding a camp spot at Harbour Mille, a bit of a crossing, exposed coastline, abandoned communities, overnight camping and good companionship.
I recall doing a Kayak Newfoundland and Labrador workshop on planning an extended paddle trip. Our group looked at the upper reaches of Fortune Bay to complete a trip along an exposed coastline. At the time I never dreamed that it would become a reality 4 years later though I didn't think of the workshop at the time I proposed it to Stan.
The paddling and scenery was fantastic but the highlight for me was visiting the sites of four abandoned communities. Going back to where lives were lived, families were raised, tears were shed and a thousand other events took place was awesome.
Inside Petticoat Island We paddled along the exposed coastline until we reached Petticoat Island where we ducked inside and paddled down the protected passage.
Some fine paddling in a stunning landscape A picture is worth a thousand words!
Great Conne When I got home I checked some of the census records for the area, in particular, Anderson's Cove, Crant's Cove and Stone's Cove. I was surprised to find a lot more communities listed, one of which was Great Conne. I probably should have done the research before I left. The community is gone now, the people resettled to larger communities where the people had access to schools, medical services and othe modern conveniences. Gone, but people have come back to build cabins and inhabit the place on weekends over the summer.
Cemetery at Crant's Cove The resettled community of Crant's Cove was nestled in the shadow of this impressive hill. All that's left there now is this cemetery. I couldn't find any evidence of its former habitation like foundations etc. There was, however, the faint remains of what must have been a footpath or narrow thoroughfare through the community.
A cement sentinel at Stone's Cove A cement sentinel looks over Stone's Cove where three fishermens' cabins have been built since the community was abandoned. There were lots of cement shores and foundations scattered around where previously a thriving community existed.
All the cement had to be mixed by hand and you can see in the pillar how each successive batch of cement was thrown into the form.
Our hotel for the night This was our campsite for the night in Lobster Cove, just inside Long Harbour.
What is camping without a campfire? Stan got to work right away to collect wood and start a fire. We cooked supper, set up the tents and kept the fire going until we hit the hay at 9:30. The fire was great entertainment as we sat and chatted and reflected on a fine paddle. Just as we decided to call it a day, it started to rain and blow hard.
Ready to head back After a restless night in the wind and rain, we packed up our gear and were ready to go.
Paddlin' in a fog I peeked out of my tent at 4:30 to see if it looked as bad outside as it sounded inside the tent with the wind. It did. It looked like we were in for a bumpy ride back but the wind dropped and fog came in with flat calm seas.
In a very big landscape Stan on our way back to Harbour Mille. The scenery is always different going the other way.
No comments:
Post a Comment