Date: June 3 2000
Trail Day: 3
Miles Today: 13.6
Location: Hill between Petit Riviere Au Renaurd and Petit Cap
Section Mile: IAT 34
ECT Mile: 34
Today's hike went through an altitude of about 1500 ft. The trail was half
covered with snow. It was a good experience walking on the snow. Some parts
of the trail are slippery, while other parts sink in about 1.5 ft, when
stepped on. It comes as a surprise and can be very tiring. Parc de la
Gaspesie is at about 4000 ft. That should be interesting. As snow was still
melting, lot of the trail was mucky. There were 2 instances where the
bridges across the stream had been washed away and I had to get my shoes
completely wet while crossing. So today was a wet shoe hike day.
I did not know that porcupines could climb trees. I saw one do just that
as soon as it heard me. I also completed Park Forillion today. I really
like this park and would recommend it to anyone wanting to do 2-3 day hikes.
The trails have been well maintained and marked. They have also built
stations for views. Overall the management has done a good job. The park
is also good for sightseeing where one can get a glimpse of unspoilt
sea sides.
Called Churi and Vivek as soon as I got to the first phone. Churi wasn't
there but I talked to Vivek. It feels good to talk to someone you know
after several days of hiking. I had a burger and fries at one of the
shops. Expensive - 7 US $. It is now a 5 day road walk to Park de la
Gaspesie. I am now in my tent on top of a hill. It is sloped everywhere
and I tried to find the most level area possible. Even then I have a
15 degree slope. Tonight should be interesting. Maybe I will wake up at
the bottom of the hill. Just kidding. There are trees everywhere. Weather
wise the day started out cloudy with all my equipment wet. It cleared up
around noon and it was bright and sunny. Now (6 pm), it is again cloudy
and drizzling.
Date: June 4 2000
Trail Day: 4
Miles Today: 19.9
Location: Just west of unnamed tourist spot near sea
Section Mile: IAT 53.9
ECT Mile: 53.9
The day started out with either snow or hail. It was ice crystals about
1/16th of an inch. It sprinkled for 10 minutes or so. I had a brunch of a
sub, 2 bananas and a soda. I then got to an information center and they
told me that the next place I could get food was 28 kms (17.4 miles) away.
The map showed a lot of little towns and near the Gaspe peninsula there
were stores, restaurants fairly frequently. I was banking on getting
food from these stores and was therfore carrying none. I had to go hungry
after my brunch. The next meal will be tomorrow.
It is very windy as I am
very near the open sea and the wind is cold. I was wearing my jacket
with the hood up and gloves all day. People here seem to know about the
IAT though they don't know where it is. The IAT people are also trying
to close the the gap between Parc de la Gaspesie and Park Forillion. I
could see some blazes and flags along the way. Saw a very good view of
a church next to the ocean. I took a shot of it.
As soon as the series of towns near the Gaspe peninsula ended there have
been no signs along the road. So I only have a rough idea of where I am.
Well, I will be dreaming of food tonight.
Date: June 5 2000
Trail Day: 5
Miles Today: 16.8
Location: Campground in Grande Vallee
Section Mile: IAT 70.7
ECT Mile: 70.7
Excellent day today. The day started bright and clear although over night
it was very cold (Later conversations revealed the temperature had dropped
below freezing). Had a good breakfast after the fast yesterday. The road
today ran along towns with stores. But I don't think I will be hiking without
food any more. Mailed my first film and set of journal entries to Churi.
Tried calling Kumar and Suriyan several times - no luck. Had a good lunch
and dinner. Today was a relaxed day - not in terms of miles but I guess
socially. Since I was walking through town I was meeting and talking to a
lot of people. People seem to fall into two distinct categories - they
like hikers or they hate them. The younger crowd is in general, favourably
disposed. The older folks don't know what to make of me. Come up behind
someone and hit him on the head with a baseball bat - that's the dazed look
I get.
It is still very windy at times. If it is windy you need a jacket with
hood up and gloves otherwise you can cut down your thermal barrier. But it
changes very quickly. So its a cat and mouse game. I am also getting
chaffing problems between my thighs. So I am walking with pants riding
high to get some cloth between the problem area - you know, in sort of an
Earkle fashion. I am already dark and wear glasses, throw in a nasal voice
and the show should be complete.
I am now at a campground - 9$. Doing laundry after shower. Almost night,
the sea is a deep dark blue while the sky is pink turning to blue. Its
unbelievable. I am also down 950 ml of Labat Blue Dry Beer and feeling on
top of the world.
I also got a ride from one of the local residents to a store without even
asking for it. He was generous to a fault. He was born about 5 km from
here and has lived here his whole life. We had an interesting conversation
- me in highly broken French, him rattling away and me catching bits and
pieces. Trail angels don't exist on the AT alone !!
Date: June 6 2000
Trail Day: 6
Miles Today: 19.2
Location: 2 miles west of Manche d'Epee
Section Mile: IAT 89.9
ECT Mile: 89.9
Today was a tough day. The hike started off with a 4-5 km steep climb and
there were no interesting features or breakpoints for the first 18 km.
The road was hard and my soles are hurting. I had breakfast and dinner
at mom and pop stores. The dinner was at a home where they put 4 tables.
Very quaint. Today's section was through a somewhat economically depressed
area. I wonder what makes it such. There are similar towns a little east
of here that are doing quite well. I was able to get internet access at
Madeleine Center and made a "from the trail" entry. Towards the end of the
hike (2 kms) the road is just a few feet above the sea and very level.
One of the journals I had read mentioned this, although I had come away with
the impression that it was like that all the way to Park Forillion - not
so. Anyway, tomorrow's hike should be fairly easy and should get me to
Mount Saint Pierre from where I enter the Parc de la Gaspesie by trail
till the foot of Mount Jacques Cartier. Then, I do a road walk around the
peak - as it is closed due to Caribou birth season and get to the resort
Le Gite. There I pick up the food I had mailed from Montreal and start
probably the most challenging section of my hike. There is about 3 feet of
snow there although I have been told the snow is compact.
I am now about to set up camp beside the road (a safe distance away but visible
from the road). I dont have a choice because there is just a narrow strip
of land leading to very steep mountains. I will be waiting for it to get
dark before I set up camp - just a precaution. It is very windy as it
is right next to the open sea - should be interesting.
Anyway, end of a very long and tough day. Today was significant because
I reached the northern most point of my hike and it is also the longest
I have gone without shaving. I wanted to take a photo of myself in
Manche de Epee as it is the northern most point. Its like a ghost town -
no one around. I saw an old lady working in her yard and asked/signalled
in French to her if she would take my photograph. She looked uncertainly
for two seconds and then shook her head vehemantly and said No ! I got
a photo at the store.
Date: June 7 2000
Trail Day: 7
Miles Today: 18.1
Location: Unnamed campground 2 km South of Mt. St. Pierre
Section Mile: IAT 108
ECT Mile: 108
Today was also tough on my feet and was a long day. The day started out
grey and ugly and stayed that way till about 7 pm. Now the skies are clear
and the sun is out. I think its going to be a cold night. Last night beside
the road was no problem. I completed the roadwalk today. The roadwalk was
along route 132 and was beside the sea. From here the trail heads south
for a while. Today is the last I see of the sea till I perhaps get to
Florida. The forest are a welcome change from the noise of the roads. It is
also much warmer.
Had dinner at a canteen in Mt. St. Pierre run by Vivian and Charlie. I told them
that I was trying to hike from Cap de Gaspe to Key West and they said that they had run
into another gentleman who had hiked from Key West to Cap Gaspe in 1985.
They showed me his hand written note. The note was a little blurred and
his name as far as I could tell was Houston Fereuch Lumsden. Looks like
he was a doctor and he was 50 plus when he hiked and he was dark like me !
I haven't seen any mention of this from what I have read. This deserves looking
into. Anyway, she asked me to write a note also. I gave her my web address
and asked her to sign the guestbook. They were a wonderful couple and were
very helpful.
I was walking along side the sea where there is a wall and the sea on the
other side. It has metal ladder like things every once in a while. I went down
one of them to the shore and looked at the pools of water trapped between
the rocks. I found numerous shrimps about 0.25 to 0.75 inches in size.
I wonder if they are brill. I also got a major bonus today - saw a whale
surface several times. It was awesome. I took two
photographs.
Well, Mt. St. Pierre has been kind of a Mecca for me. It is what I was
aiming for since I left Parc Forillion. It is a small town, so the road sign
indicating it came only 6 km before. I was glad when I saw the sign. Took
a photograph of it too.
I am now in a deserted campground ready to set up camp. Just before
entering the trail 3 young guys drinking beer stopped their car and
started talking to me in French. I told them I understood very little
French and they started howling and yelling. Decided to just walk away.
Asked directions from a local resident. The entire time I was talking to him he had his hands in his pants. I guess
you have to run into wackos after encountering the wonderful people
in the canteen to even out your probability score card.
Date: June 8 2000
Trail Day: 8
Miles Today: 17.4
Location: About 10 km from La Galene - foot of Mt. Jacques Cartier
Section Mile: IAT 125.4
ECT Mile: 125.4
Bright shiny day to make up for yesterday's doozie. I have no map of this
section to La Galene but I am following the SIA/IAT plaques nailed to
trees along the way. Many of the signs and arrows have been vandalised.
So things can get tricky. However, I did not get lost at all. Started off
with a gentle walk along the river de la Mt. Pierre. The trail sometimes ran
through people's backyards. Then it followed a dirt road for a while and started
climbing gently. Then all of a sudden a relatively new portion of the trail
started. It had an angle of 70-80 degrees - I kid you not. It was only for
about 25 feet but I had to crawl on all fours and grasp at trees and roots
to get myself up. Then the trail did a steep climb that had me beat. After
about 1 km of this it started following dirt roads and was more sensible.
But again near the end of the day it veered off and started doing a steep
climb. I have gained about 2000 feet since Mt. St. Pierre and there is snow
all over. Its not firm and it tends to collapse at spots - its a bitch.
It was getting late in the day so I decided to set up camp. I was able to
find a relatively flat piece of ground with no snow and am now in my tent.
I am hoping the climb ends soon tomorrow. I am quite frustrated. Dinner
has boosted my morale somewhat and my sleeping bag always feels good.
Photograph of a view
Date: June 9 2000
Trail Day: 9
Miles Today: 6.2
Location: La Galene - foot of Mt. Jacques Cartier
Section Mile: IAT 131.6
ECT Mile: 131.6
Well, the hike from Mt. St. Pierre to La Galene is the toughest hike I have
done in my life. The trail is steep in portions, the snow collapses and I have
no map. I also had to cross a stream by wading just before entering Parc de
la Gaspesie. The water was upto my crotch and there were two brief instances where I
thought I was going to be washed away. There was one instance on a hike near
Lake Umbagog (Maine) where I got washed away. Once you lose your stability
you are gone. I can still see the water gushing by on this one. The snow
continues to slip and collapse. There were several instances where I went in
knee deep and then I had to crawl out. In some of these I made about 1 km
in two hours. Progress was not marked by km but by 20 feet increments -
to the nearest tree, snow bank, level ground etc. Today was also a wet
shoe and sock day right of the bat. The snow was melting fast as summer
is approaching and the trail is covered with water in several places.
There are little streams flowing all over the place.
To continue where I left off yesterday, the climb lasted another 0.5 km
(about 1 hr) and then was fairly level. Then there was another climb that
lasted perhaps 1.5 hours. My morale is now in the toilet. I am wet, cold and
miserable. La Galene is situated in a valley and catches the wind
squarely. So I cannot even stay outside my tent as my feet get numb.
It had also rained last night, so everything was wet. I did manage to dry
everything out except for the shoes.
The plan today was to do another 19 km to get to a campground. But I have
decided to slow down and regroup. I will be taking the next two days easy
and doing low miles. That should lighten things a bit.
