Day 5: Call me Ahab

I’ve just woken up from a nap. Today we went back to Cape Spear and did an 8 km hike from Cape Spear to a place whose name I need to look up. I can find no words to describe how beautiful it was. The above picture is from the trail association website and it gives you a sense of the terrain. Our hike took us about 3 hours and in that time we only passed one other group of hikers. For 95% of the hike, we saw so sign of humans or human civilization (other than the occasional trail marker). It was a lovely sunny day but still we were pretty layered up due to the wind. I had hair in my eyes like a highland steer for most of the trip. The terrain was so lovely—rocky yet gentle hills, perfect blue sky and royal blue water. It’s one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen. You may remember from a previous entry that I saw whale spouts at Cape Spear before. At the little shop at Cape Spear, the shopkeeper told us that this was a humpback whale and the small whales we saw on the ferry were minke whales. She said, “keep your eye out for whales on your hike.” The whole hike, I kept looking and hoping to see another whale spout. I felt a little Ahab-ish in my quest to see whales (although my motivations were much more warm and fuzzy than his were). They seemed not to respond to ‘Oh whaaaaale…’ or even the funny whale dance I invented until the last 10 minutes of our hike. I finally saw the elusive spout and Dale and I watched minke and humpback whales for a good twenty minutes. I like to think it was the whale dance that brought them out. It was the most incredible thing to watch and the perfect way to end an otherworldly venture. They say your life flashes before your eyes before you die—if this is true, I hope this is one of the moments I see again. Tonight we’re off to see Ron Hynes… more, perhaps, tonight.