The Many Views of The Sugarloaf Path

  Every hiker has his/her own reasons for taking time out of life to get away and enjoy a trail. Some do it for the exercise, others do it for leisure. Everyone has their own reasons. I do it for many reasons. One of my favourite things about hiking is seeing a view that makes you stop in your tracks and just enjoy the moment. 

 On the east coast trail's sugarloaf path, there are many things to see. I wrote several earlier post's about these. I wrote about the old tress,  WW2 observation post, rock formations, Quidi Vidi village and the paths. In addition to these are the beautiful views of this trail.

  This first photo is on the Logy Bay side. As you can see there was a bit of fog rolling in that day. It did get thick for a short while, which made it a bit cooler. 

 At the peak we can see the fog getting closer. I was happy this did not last long so I could get some decent shots.  

 I do like the look and feel of the fog lingering over the rocks and water. It is beautiful and eerie at the same time. 

 As we head down the peak the fog still lingers. This was taken in August. This path is in the St. John's area. The city is known for its fog. Most of the time you will see it just roll in over the hills and it's gone again. Other times we could get it for days without a break. 

 Looking back I could see the peak we came from. At this point we did not see much more fog. It was awesome to see how the fog just lingers over the mountain.

 This whale was a nice surprise. This was a humpback whale. They are the most common whale seen in Newfoundland's waters. 

 Along the trail there are many view points that allow you to look out over the ocean and cliffs. I happened to be near a viewpoint and heard the whale coming up for air. It is hard to see from the photo but I am up much higher than it looks. I was amazed I was able to hear the whale from that height.

 If you ever walk this trail be sure to listen and watch for whales.

 This shot was interesting. Look to the bottom of the cliff where it meets the water. You should see two dark openings. They look like nostrils carved into the rock. They are two large caves. I could not get a better view from here. My camera's lens was not the best. I may revisit this area one day with a better camera and lens. Hopefully I can get more detail. I am sure a small boat could enter one of those caves. Not that I would try that or encourage it.

This looks like a generic shot. I thought to show this one to illustrate all the beautiful places to sit and have lunch. Just to the edge of the cliff you can see some trees.  This is a great place to sit in a shaded area to have a lunch. There are more than one of these along the trail.

One of my favourite characteristics of Newfoundland is the greenery and the jagged rocks. I thought this was a good shot to illustrate this. This is a typical view on the trail.

 This was a sight to see. The view of this bridge comes upon you unexpectedly. It is instinctual for the eye to be drawn to this because of the beautiful colours of the rocks. This is not seen anywhere else on the trail. 
 

This is another great place to sit and have lunch. Careful with your step here until you get to the board walk. 

 By far one of my favourite views on the trail. The green and copper colours and the water trickling over the rocks is inviting to the eye. 

 If you are wondering why the rocks are this colour, it is because of a high concentration of iron in the water which turns the rocks to this colour.

 This shot was taken on the bridge looking in the opposite direction of the ocean.

 If you turn around and look out to the ocean this is the other view you will see. I love the jagged rocks here. I did not want to leave here any time soon.

 A while after the bridge I took a shot looking toward where we started. If you look near the centre of the photo you will see the far peak. That is the first peak we traversed. The Sugarloaf path is almost 11 kilometres in length. At this point we are around 9 kilometres. Looking back it seems further. 

 Near the end of the trail, you can see a great view of Quidi Vidi Lake, Quidi Vidi Village and some of St. John's. As you can see St. John's is a green looking city. Right around this area are some bike paths so you have to be careful not to walk on the bike paths. There will be signs here to guide you. 

 On the way down you will get a better view of Quidi Vidi Village. This is a beautiful little fishing village. I may do a post on the village itself in the future.

 At the end of the trail near the road you will see a little marsh. You can hear the frogs here, though you will not see them. This was a nice way to end the hike.

 This will be the last post on the Sugarloaf Path. I will do other trails in the future as well as other subjects. I hope I was able to give you a little taste of what it was like to travel the Sugarloaf Path on the East Coast Trail.

Mystical Pathways on the Sugarloaf Path

 Along the Surgarloaf path on the East Coast Trail, you will encounter many different features and variations of the paths themselves. What I love most about the paths are the colours of greens and browns. It gives you a feeling of peace and serenity. 

 Check out the above photo. It could be scorching hot or windy but in here the trees shelter you from that. All you hear are the trees blowing in the wind, the ocean and the sound of wildlife. 

 The path continues on like this for some time. You have to pay attention you do not trip from a root. I love the smells and air along this area. It is cool and refreshing.

You will also see many paths running through bushy areas. These are usually in open areas along the trail. Many of those bushes will have tasty blueberries in August and September.

 

You will discover many rocky areas along the path, so you should watch your step. The path can go from a dark shaded area, to breaks in the trees allowing the light to gleam on the path. It allows for a beautiful contrast in colours. 

This trail has been developed and maintained by volunteers. You will see different steps and walkways along the trail. It can't be easy walking all the way in here with tools and gear to make a set of steps or a walkway.  Those volunteers deserve a big pat on the back.

 Here is another set of steps I walked down. They do add to the beauty of the trail. It is welcoming after navigating rocks and roots. 

 The above photos are another good example of the colours and lighting along the trail. Another welcoming set of stairs in a well lit area. The brown colour on the ground is from the decaying needles from the trees. It does make the ground softer to walk on.

 Sometimes there will not be any stairs, but just a sort of rail built into the path to keep it level. 

 In the above photo you will see a beautiful set of trees. I wrote an earlier post about this. This was a nice surprise. The path leads into a dark shaded area. The trees themselves did not seem like they belonged there. Unfortunately they are a set of dying trees. 

Just past the old trees you will come to a set of stairs that leads upwards for what seems like miles. 

  Near the top you will come across some nice walkways. This is welcoming after the long climb up the steps. 

After the walkways I thought I was near the end. Once out into the open I saw a long set of stairs heading up the mountain. The photo does not do it justice. In person it looks more daunting.

 Once you get to the top of the stairs it leads to a couple of pathways into the open. This leads down to some rocky pathways. Watch your step here, as they are sandy, making it easy to slip. If you look ahead you might notice a shape in the rocks. If you don't notice anything check out a post I wrote about this.

 The Sugarloaf trail has paths that are shaded, colourful and peaceful. There are moments when you feel like your in another  world  when you walk the paths. Hopefully you will too, if you have not already done so. 

Interesting Rock Formations on the East Coast Trail (Sugarloaf Path)

 A picture is a thousand words according to an old saying. I agree with that to a certain extent. Pictures are wonderful to relive past moments, but actually experiencing these moments cannot be replaced by pictures. I took many pictures the day I walked the sugarloaf path. You can see more of them on my post of the old trees, WW2 Oberservation post and Quidi Vidi Village. The pictures themselves are not quite the same as walking the trail. 

 I try to capture certain features of a trail to show others how interesting the trail can be.  Below is a collection of photos I took of interesting rock formations along the sugarloaf path on the east coast trail. 

 I always love to see these along the trail. Obviously this is man made. When I see this I find it comforting to see that others are enjoying the trail.

 Here is a rock along the path that looked almost man made. There weren't any other rocks nearby and trees all around. Which made this rock stand out. In person, the rock seemed more level and smooth. Which goes back to my point that sometimes pictures are just not the same.

 Above is a collection of some formations along the coast. I am sure they were formed from the ocean eroding the rocks over time. Some of them were so smooth it almost looked man made. You could use some of them to dock a boat. It is amazing to see how nature can form such interesting features of rocks.

 Speaking of natures way of forming rocks, check out the above photo. What do you see? 

 What I see is a face on the rock in the centre. Now if you let your imagination run wild and look below the head you will see a body. It almost looks sphinx like. Maybe its just me. Let me know what you see. I hope you enjoyed these as much as I did.