7 September 2019, Saturday – Malady Head Campground
As we prepare to leave Dildo Run we strike up a conversation with our new neighbors, two men from Ontario travelling in a white van. They arrived yesterday after spending several days on Fogo Island at an RV campground near Brimstone Head, a place officially designated by the Flat Earth Society as one of the four corners of the earth. It’s a “must see,” they tell us. O and I add it to our list for next year. In return, we recommend they check out Spiller’s Cove today. They also ask about the brewery in Twillingate. We give Split Rock’s brews an excellent review.
From Dildo Run it’s only a 2 ½ hour drive to Terra Nova National Park. We pass by the turnoff for Malady (accent on the second syllable) Head Campground and drive to the Visitor Centre first for some recommendations on what to do while we are here. The welcoming warden has a delightful Newfoundland accent and recommends many trails good for birding or moose or great views. He points out the shallow waters of Alexander Bay near Traytown (where he lives) is a great place to see “hosprey” and eagles. We pop in to the “touch tank” area of the visitor centre where seawater runs through a shallow tank containing starfish, urchins, mussels and other critters.
Next we drive back up the road to the Malady Head Campground. It is reported to be much less congested than the Newman Sound Campground. The warden at the kiosk lets us know we can choose any empty campsite we like if we are not happy with the one I have reserved. As this is the one campground without photos of the sites online we welcome the suggestion. Number 17 isn’t bad, but as we drive the loop we find that number 22 is very near nice new washrooms, with showers and dishwashing stations. We are soon set up for the next four days. The bright sunny morning has clouded over and the air is cool and damp. We are expecting remnants of Hurricane Dorian to pass through tonight. (One unexpected amenity here is good Bell LTE cell reception. We’ll be able to keep and eye on weather and news.)
8 September 2019, Sunday – Southwest Brook Trail
Despite the fact that the main part of Dorian passed over western Newfoundland last night, we had quite a blow here in the east. . .not a lot of rain though. This morning, high winds continue, but the rain has stopped. After breakfast we drive out towards Salvage just to see what’s there. Near the end of the road is a large parking area with a blown over porta-potty and trailheads for multiple rugged looking hikes. We might attempt one of them next year. For now, O contents himself with picking up pieces of interesting blue-gray rocks. As we return towards Malady Head Campground we also stop to check out the rocks at a black sand beach, likely ground up basalt. While we are exploring the beach we hear the startlingly loud grinding of the rocks on the shore as the waves toss them about.
The wind is relentless so we pick the somewhat protected Southwest Brook hike out to the Southwest Arm. It’s a four kilometer walk through spruce and birch forest, bog, and marsh to the end of a long narrow bay. The high winds cause the tall thin spruce trees to bend and sway and rattle. Sometimes the trees creak like timbers in an old ship. At times it seems they are about to blow over.
Eventually the brook widens out into beaver meadows and the trail proceeds over bridge and boardwalk. We walk by broad patches of partridgeberry and moss. Along the way we meet the German couple we first met at Spiller’s Cove. They recognize us immediately. “Oh, the osprey people!” they say. (We had pointed out the osprey nest to them at the cove.) At trail’s end we watch whitecaps out on the water. In calmer weather this would be an interesting place to paddle.
After out hike we drive towards Traytown and Glovertown where the Visitor Centre warden said we might see “hosprey.” I think I see one flying overhead as we drive.
Malady Head Campground is looking pretty deserted when O and I return for supper, so we are surprised to see a white car pull up behind Vincent as I back into our campsite. Turns out it’s the warden. With the high winds and small amount of rain the fire hazard is rated extreme. She informs us there is a complete fire ban. O and I are happy about that – so is she. Later in the evening we see a red car drive by with four firefighters in full regalia inside. They are serious about keeping an eye on the situation!
9 September 2019, Monday – Coastal Trail
In our continued effort to stay out of the wind we explore the Coastal Trail today which runs along the western shore of Newman’s Sound. It’s an easy trail. The mixed spruce and birch forest is apparently also providing protection for birds. We catch glimpses of chickadees, warblers, flycatchers, and sparrows as we walk. When the trail descends to the beach we also see another greater yellowlegs and finally see (and hear) four loons.
All in all, a pleasant day. By evening the winds are calming down. There’s a frost forecast for tonight. We’re hoping to be able to hike some hills tomorrow if the winds remain quiet.