darren
Poobah Emeritus
Well, I'm sure some of you will know where this trail is, but I told a couple of locals that I wouldn't spread word about it so I'm not saying where it is. I will say that it is a awesome location and one of the highlights of the Northeast.
The trail is a loop with half on the coast and half inland, and there are designated camp sites on the coast at the far end of the loop. I had debated on hiking the inland or the coastal section on the first day. When I got to the trailhead however, it was a bluebird day so I decided that I should do the coastal part on the nice day. I figured if I had spent the nice day in the woods and then ended up raining the next day for the coastal hike I would be kicking myself.
Due to my broken leg (x 2), 13 months of not being able to walk, and constant rehab, I have been limited to day hikes for quite a while. This was my first backpack in way too long. I have to admit that I was a bit nervous about how it would go. I loaded my pack and set off.
The trail to the coast was nice from the start. One thing that I noticed pretty quickly is that this trail has more bog bridges than any other trail I have been on.
After about 1.5 miles of rolling hills in nice woods, I emerged at the coast. The excitement builds as you can hear the waves from a distance and then suddenly you pop out on top of a cliff over the ocean. The view was very dramatic.
I could see seals in the water below me and I looked down the coast to see what terrain was in store for me.
I knew from here that this was going to be one dramatic trail. I was already a little tired from carrying my solo overnight pack and camera gear. Plus reports said there was no fresh water on the coastal trail so I was hauling 2 days worth of water. I hadn't hauled a pack that heavy in a while. The sight of the ocean and cliffs gave me energy to move on though.
The trail wound along cliff tops and weaved back and forth into the woods. The views were constant and dramatic.
There were a ton of inlets and rocky beaches to explore.
During my drive to the trailhead, I heard some stats about cancer rates. Those stats kept popping into my head everytime I saw trees like this one (and I saw a lot of them).
I kept moving down the coast and came up to a large stone beach. I was nice to see the ladder at the far end of the beach because that meant the trail would go right down to and across the beach.
The ladder however proved to be a little suspect. Well, a lot suspect. There was a small sign on it saying to be careful because it is due to be replaced. It's things like this that can add a little excitement to a solo backpack.
I managed to crawl up the side of the ladder and returned to the woods for a really cool section that for some reason had a very old feel to it for me.
continued...
The trail is a loop with half on the coast and half inland, and there are designated camp sites on the coast at the far end of the loop. I had debated on hiking the inland or the coastal section on the first day. When I got to the trailhead however, it was a bluebird day so I decided that I should do the coastal part on the nice day. I figured if I had spent the nice day in the woods and then ended up raining the next day for the coastal hike I would be kicking myself.
Due to my broken leg (x 2), 13 months of not being able to walk, and constant rehab, I have been limited to day hikes for quite a while. This was my first backpack in way too long. I have to admit that I was a bit nervous about how it would go. I loaded my pack and set off.
The trail to the coast was nice from the start. One thing that I noticed pretty quickly is that this trail has more bog bridges than any other trail I have been on.
After about 1.5 miles of rolling hills in nice woods, I emerged at the coast. The excitement builds as you can hear the waves from a distance and then suddenly you pop out on top of a cliff over the ocean. The view was very dramatic.
I could see seals in the water below me and I looked down the coast to see what terrain was in store for me.
I knew from here that this was going to be one dramatic trail. I was already a little tired from carrying my solo overnight pack and camera gear. Plus reports said there was no fresh water on the coastal trail so I was hauling 2 days worth of water. I hadn't hauled a pack that heavy in a while. The sight of the ocean and cliffs gave me energy to move on though.
The trail wound along cliff tops and weaved back and forth into the woods. The views were constant and dramatic.
There were a ton of inlets and rocky beaches to explore.
During my drive to the trailhead, I heard some stats about cancer rates. Those stats kept popping into my head everytime I saw trees like this one (and I saw a lot of them).
I kept moving down the coast and came up to a large stone beach. I was nice to see the ladder at the far end of the beach because that meant the trail would go right down to and across the beach.
The ladder however proved to be a little suspect. Well, a lot suspect. There was a small sign on it saying to be careful because it is due to be replaced. It's things like this that can add a little excitement to a solo backpack.
I managed to crawl up the side of the ladder and returned to the woods for a really cool section that for some reason had a very old feel to it for me.
continued...
