If you just go for a paddle than you can stop thinking about wanting to go for a paddle.

Monday, May 16, 2016

2016: Post 17 – Chance Cove

I was out of town last week and, passing Chance Cove on the drive back to town, I thought to myself that it had been quite a while since I had paddled there.  When I checked my e-mails later Hazen had e-mailed suggesting a paddle out of Chance Cove for Sunday's paddle.... funny coincidence.

I checked my log and the last entry I found of a paddle out of Chance Cove was in August of 2013!! 

Ten of us congregated in the little community of Chance Cove and had a spectacular paddle.   Some pics from the day...

Anticipation

Clyde
Shane

Cathy

Tony

Brian

The group

Tony rounding a sea stack

Ron

Lunch beach...
Shane explaining to Brian and Hazen the hazards of being in the surf zone
(See http://islandkayak.blogspot.ca/2016/05/chance-cove.html )

Sue

Derek

Hazen

Tony checking out the rig at Bull Arm

The pictures really do not do the day justice... but when those of us who were there look at them we will remember how fantastic the day's paddle was....

Saturday, May 14, 2016

2016: Post 16 – To paddle or not to paddle?

Last weekend there were plans to paddle to Brocks Pond Falls... but then Hazen suggested a hike from LaManche to Cape Neddick.  Decisions, decisions...

I have paddled to the Falls several times, and have paddled to LaManche a few times as well, but I have not hiked the trail there.  The decision was not hard to make.  Hazen picked me up and off we went...

Here's a few pics from that hike...

The bridge at LaManche

Old Wobbly



Cape Neddick
From where we parked the car to Cape Neddick and back is 9.5 kilometres.  Just a nice distance for a novice hiker like myself.

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Today's hike found me on Deadman's Trail... from Freshwater Bay to Blackhead.  Some pics....



Slightly more than 2 kilometres from the
car puts you at Freshwater Bay

Looks like prime hammock hanging real estate to me


There were about two dozen students
doing an overnight trip in the area

If only I could fly.... sometimes I think I might be able to!!

Signal hill is in the distance 

I expected to see Little Red Riding Hood
coming down this part of the trail

And I expected to hear a voice from under this bridge
asking "Whose that tripping over my bridge?"
as I walked over it.

I walked until I touched pavement at Blackhead and then turned around to take this pic...




I immediately started my walk back and didn't stop until I got back to Freshwater Bay.  My knee had been bothering me the last few kilometres though, so I stopped at Freshwater Bay to have a granola bar and drink some water and have a proper rest...  I had only been stopping to take pictures along the way.

After twenty minutes I strapped on my pack and proceeded to finish the walk but discovered the rest actually caused my knee to hurt more than it did before I had stopped... should of just kept going perhaps.  I trudged along the last couple kilometres to the car at a slower pace, leaning more on my poles than before.  

I was glad when I reached the car.  I drank some more water and checked my GPS; the tally was reading 15.2 kilometres.  Okay, so I can do that distance then without too much trouble.  I wonder if I have a twenty kilometre day in me yet?  I'll have to keep working at this hiking thing... but I think it's time to get back in Jenny and ply some water...