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30/6/2018

Arnold's Cove - Gander

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We have now walked over 350kms from St John’s. For the most part the trail quality has been reasonable. But in the last few days it has deteriorated. We are finding sections of very rough road, loose rocks, and large flooded sections with ruts. Entering Gambo two days ago, we had to remove our shoes and socks a wade through a flooded section. There is no shortage of water. Lakes, ponds, streams and bog abound. Our data for the up-coming sections show rougher road sections. This will no doubt slow us down some. No worries, one step at a time.
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SPOT locations along the way
Our stop in Arnold’s Cove helped get us well rested and we headed off toward Clarenville, our next supply stop. We’ve managed to walk an average of 30 kms/day. Our legs and feet feel sore by the end of the day but each afternoon we set up camp, prep our evening meal and rest until the next morning. I strongly believe that those 10-12 hours of resting allows our bodies to recoup. Every morning we are refreshed and ready to go again.

Unexpectedly, even thru remote sections we are not alone on the trail. Since leaving Conception Bay (the day after leaving St John‘s), the trail has been open to ATV’s and in some sections is a roadway between smaller communities. This allows us to meet many locals. Some just slow down and wave, while many others stop for a conversation. The two brothers before entering Clarenville were funny. Mark and Daryl (we asked where the other brother Daryl was, but the Bob Newhart humour did not translate) were going fishing, they offered us some water (not their beer) and safety tips for the trail ahead.
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In Port Blanford, a storm was brewing and Simon booked us a cabin at By D’ Bay Cabins. The ladies there fussed over us to no end, gave us the best cabin for the price of the smallest. We were called ‘love, darling, and honey’ a lot.
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By D'Bay Cabins - Port Blandford
Arriving in Terra Nova, we stopped at the small market to resupply. The lady there informed us about the snow storm brewing for the next two days. She asked a few men (local hunters) about the distance to a possible warming cabin along the trail. You should stop there for the night, she offered. It was going to be a marathon day (42 kms) but we did manage to get there before the storm hit. Along the way an older fellow (with oxygen tank) stopped his ATV and warned us about the mother bear and cubs in the area. We never saw the mother and cubs but did run in to three other bears. We would meet him again just upon arriving in Gander. He stopped again to ask how we were doing. Very sweet fellow. That night it was a full on snow storm with nasty gusts shaking the cabin.
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Our stay in the warming cabin was heavenly. It was just a shack, with an old rusty wood stove but to us it was a castle. Simon got the fire started; we dried our gear and heated our meal on the stove and we were warm and toasty for the night and the next day. The only full time resident of Maccles Lake area came by to check on us. He had seen the smoke from the chimney and was curious. Jason was originally from Alberta but had come here with his son to live. He built furniture and hunted for his living. He offered to drive us into Terra Nova if we needed some supplies. While we waited out the storm, we got to meet 17 more ATVers! The first group were younger men on a week long trek from St John’s to Port-aux-Basques. They were having a grand time and spent an hour with us warming up, drinking beer and eating Moose jerky (which was really good). Next came Murdoch from Fortune (NFLD). This 76 year young man was ahead of his group and warmed himself while waiting for his team to catch up. He spoke of his life, his love of running, nature, and clean living. What an example, we should all follow. His team arrived and we shared another hour with them. The weather didn’t dampen any of their spirits. 
Picture
The younger group warming-up
On June 27th the morning was crisp and the sky blue. We were off again. The trail in this section was amazing. A local took it upon himself to grate the road. Walking was easy and we could look up and enjoy our surroundings.

As we neared Gambo, we started thinking about brunch… mmm… We stopped in at Cashin’s Chestnut Tree Café where the owner, Billy, served a mean breakfast tray: eggs, ham, bologna, potatoes, homemade raisin bread, fruit, yogurt and Figgy Duff (amazing spicy bread with syrup). Wow it was so good! It fuelled our afternoon walk. Billy had moved back to his hometown to take care of his mom and open this delightful restaurant.
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After camping in the middle of bog we woke to clouds of mosquitoes… without wasting time we headed off for one more long day into Gander. We are staying here for two days to rest as Simon got the cold I (Julie) had earlier this trip. Gander has a rich aviation history and the most notable one is that on 9/11 the town welcomed 6,700 strangers from 80 or so countries into their homes as their planes were diverted from the US. Businesses and residents hosted people from all over in there small community doubling their population overnight. Tomorrow we’ll check out the aviation museum and think of our friend Shirley.
Picture
Camping with mosquitoes
Nous avons maintenant marché plus de 350 km de Saint-John‘s. La qualité de la piste est raisonnable, mais ces derniers jours elle s’est détériorée. Nous trouvons des sections de route très rugueuse, roches lâches et plusieurs sections inondées. En entrant dans Gambo il y a deux jours, nous avons dû enlever nos chaussures et bas pour franchir une grosse section inondée. Bonne nouvelle… on ne manque pas d’eau : lacs, étangs, ruisseaux et marais abondent. Nos données pour les prochaines sections démontrent des sections plus difficiles (ouch!). Cela va nous ralentir, mais pas de soucis, un pas à la fois.
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Notre arrêt à Arnold‘s Cove était parfait. Julie remise de son rhume, le 22 juin nous sommes partis vers Clarenville, notre prochaine destination pour le ravitaillement. Nous avons réussi à marcher en moyenne 30 km/jour. Nos jambes et nos pieds sont fatigués à la fin de la journée, mais à chaque jours le repos, repas et sommeil nous aident. Je crois fermement que ces 10-12 heures de repos à tous les jours permettent à notre corps de récupérer. Chaque matin, nous sommes rafraîchis et prêts à repartir.

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rafraîchie et prêt a partir
Nous ne sommes pas seuls sur la piste. Depuis notre départ de Conception Bay (le jour après avoir quitté Saint-John‘s), le sentier est ouvert aux VTT et dans certaines sections la piste sert de route entre certaines petites communautés. Cela nous permet de rencontrer de nombreux habitants. Certains ralentissent pour nous envoyer la main, tandis que plusieurs autres s’arrêtent pour jaser. Les deux frères rencontrés avant d’entrer dans Clarenville étaient comiques. Mark et Daryl étaient allés pêcher, ils nous ont offert de l’eau (pas leur bière) et des conseils de sécurité sur le sentier à venir.

Dans Port Blanford, un orage se préparait et Simon a réservé une cabine à By D' Bay Cabins. Les dames se pâmaient de notre aventure, elles nous ont donné une superbe cabine pour le prix de la plus petite. Nous avons été appelés « amour, chéri, et ‘honey‘ » sans arrêt.
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le château - après la tempête
En arrivant à Terra Nova, nous nous sommes arrêtés au petit marché pour nous réapprovisionner. La dame nous a informés de la tempête de neige pour les deux prochains jours. En discutant avec quelques hommes (chasseurs locaux) on nous a suggéré de rester dans une cabine de réchauffement le long du sentier. Elle était loin et nous avons dû faire une journée marathon (42 km) pour nous y rendre. Nous avons réussi à y arriver avant le gros de la tempête. Le long du chemin un homme plus âgé (avec réservoir d’oxygène) a arrêté son VTT et nous a informé de la présence d’une ourse et de ses oursons dans la région. Nous n‘avons pas vu la mère et les oursons mais nous avons croisé trois autres ours. Cette nuit-là, ça été une pleine tempête de neige avec des rafales secouant la cabine.
Picture
Beau soleil du matin
En approchant Gambo, nous nous sommes dirigés vers Cashin‘s Chestnut Tree café où le propriétaire, Billy, nous a servi un petit déjeuner gigantesque : œufs, jambon, saucisson, pommes de terre, pain aux raisins maison, fruits, yogourt et Figgy Duff (étonnant pain épicé avec sirop d‘érable). Wow ! C’était si bon et plein d’énergie pour notre après-midi. Billy est revenu dans sa ville natale pour prendre soin de sa mère et ouvrir ce charmant restaurant.
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Gros déjeuner a Cashin"s Chestnut Tree Café
Après un autre campement au milieu des marais, nous nous sommes réveillés dans un nuage de moustiques... Sans perdre de temps, nous sommes partis pour une longue journée; destination Gander. Nous allons y passer deux jours pour nous reposer j’ai (Julie) passé mon rhume à Simon. Gander a une longue histoire d’aviation et la plus notable est récente… Pendant le terrible évènement du 9/11, la ville a accueilli plus de 6 700 étrangers
 
 
de plus de 80 pays. Les gens de Gander ont reçu à bras ouverts tous ces voyageurs, leurs avions étant détournés des États-Unis. Tous ont mis de côté leur vie pendant plusieurs jours pour aider. La petite communauté a doublé de population du jour au lendemain. Demain nous allons visiter le Musée de l’Aviation.

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3 Comments
Mike Toombs
30/6/2018 11:56:06

sure looks like an adventure guys! loving your posts!

Reply
Beatrice
4/7/2018 16:16:46

Quelle aventure! Vous devez rencontrer tellement de gens intéressants. Vous reviendrez nourris de ces nouvelles rencontres! ❤️

Reply
Gresham TV Repairs link
10/9/2022 23:29:33

Apppreciate this blog post

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    We are Simon Lanoix and Julie Chatelain and we are 'JuSi Adventures'. Our passion is to share our experiences with others. We revel in seeing others becoming more confident and authentic selves through the challenges found in nature.

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  • Home
  • Planning Our Adventures
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    • Trail Knowledge
    • Removing Obstacle
    • Equipment >
      • Base Weight
      • Thru-Hiking Clothing
    • Health and Fitness >
      • Why Walk?
      • Favorite Exercises
      • The Art & Science Of Walking
    • Nutrition >
      • Nutritional Fundamentals
      • Menu Planning
      • Dehydrating Your Meals
      • Favorite Meals
  • Sharing Our Adventures
    • The Trans Canada Trail >
      • TCT Planning
      • JUSI TCT Blog
    • The Rideau Trail >
      • Rideau Trail Planning
    • The GR20 >
      • GR20 Planning
    • Annapurna - Poon Hill Circuit >
      • Ghoripani Trail Planning
    • Camino Frances >
      • Camino Frances Planning
      • Camino Frances Journey >
        • Camino Frances Planning Blog
        • Camino Frances Part 1 Blog
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        • Camino Frances Post Mortem
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      • Camino Le Puy Planning
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      • Arizona Journey >
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        • AZT Journey - Stage 1
        • AZT Journey - Stage 2
        • AZT Journey - Stage 3
        • AZT Journey - Post Mortem
    • The Great Divide Trail >
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