Furthest East!
I've always been fascinated by extremes. If a place is described by a word ending in "est" it grabs my attention and almost begs me to see it! Tallest, driest, hottest, furthest, highest... these are some of the words that describe places that appeal to me.
While planning our trip to Newfoundland, I found out that it has a location that is the furthest east in North America. I had to see it. Cape Spear is a section of rocky coast on the eastern edge of Newfoundland. The sun's light touches this rocky coast before any other land in all of North America. And what a beautiful place!
We hiked for six miles along a thousand foot high barren headland along the coast... through small stands of stunted pines... over boardwalks through boggy marshy fields with granite outcroppings... alongside carnivorous pitcher plants... and more.
We saw humpback whales swimming in the waters below... breaching, feeding, and blowing air as they reached the surface of the water. We sat at North Head Point and just enjoyed the magnificent views and sounds all around us. Definitely one of my favorite hikes in all the places I have been. And we finished the day with five minutes of magical golden sunlight on the Cape Spear Lighthouse as the sun slipped out from under the clouds before dropping below the horizon.
We recently returned from a twelve day hiking and photography trip to Newfoundland. It was a fantastic trip through a rugged landscape, charming coastal villages, with warm and welcoming people. I'll have some more images to share as I review them to find the best.