Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Scary walks

While in Newfoundland I did not attend a Ghost Walk, though I did superhugely want to.  Friends did and said it was really fun.  So instead, I'm going to share with you my other Super Scary Activities on holiday.

Seriously: you gotta admit this lighthouse looks ominous.
We're talking about windy places where the paths meander very near the edge, people.  Cue the doom music.

One day, we drove to Ferryland, which must be amazing in the summer when you can have a guided tour of an archeological dig and then walk out to the lighthouse for a picnic lunch.  Before summer, the only people out there are walkers and all of them seemed to have gone back inland before we got very far out. 

We passed a few of them on our way.  It was like one of those movies where the scary takes you totally by surprise because they looked really happy, the way you do when you've accomplished something worthwhile.


Here is the worthwhile: You can sort of see here the terrifying, winding narrow channel we had to walk, with ocean on either side of us.  Gorgeous, even in those pre-green weeks, but narrow and ominous and, obviously, something you'd be thrilled to leave behind you after a long walk. Then we arrived unexpectedly at Christmas Tree Heaven.


If I could have captured the scent for you I would have, but try imagining a five minute stroll through eight or nine million fir trees and you'll be close to how incredibly joyful this part of the walk was.

So deceptive though, because immediately afterward we arrived at the left side of the lighthouse and Hello...


See how close I was standing to the side of the building?  That wasn't so I could get a nice shot.  That bit off to the left there... that was pretty much a sheer drop.

I don't know why we went up that side, either, because the other side was nice and flat and picnic-on-able.  Why didn't we see that on the way in?  Gah. 


Another day, we drove out to Cape St. Mary to see birds.  BIRDS.  But don't worry, the birds weren't the Scary, because that whole scary bird thing was just a movie.

There is a massive bird sanctuary at Cape St. Mary and we heard it is quite impressive to see so many winged creatures perched on vertical cliffs on a clear day.  On a foggy and/or windy day, though?  Well, on a day like that, the remote and often lonely drive out there has a creepy factor of nine.  We saw two moose at the side of the highway, plotting nefariousness, and also a parked motorcycle, which might possibly have belonged to an invisible rider or maybe even a third moose. Who knows??

When we finally reached the end of the journey we drove with relief into the parking lot and got out and went to the side of the visitor's centre to look toward the viewing point.  H'mmm.


Then we went to the start of the path and read the warning sign there.  Well.


The text on the sign includes this helpful message:

"Dangerous high cliffs and no fences or other barriers; visitors approaching the cliff edge do so at their own risk"

Not sure if you can see the little speck in the upper right corner of the picture right at the edge of the fog, but those are people who are much, much braver than we.

We went back to the side of the visitor's centre and took this picture instead.  Look! Birds!


Amazingly, a couple of days later we found out some other friends had made it out to Cape St. Mary an hour or so after we left, and did the walk in spite of the fog, and they said it was amazing even though they did find themselves rather suddenly at a sheer drop facing the zillion cliff-face birds.


Okay, how are we feeling - just a little creeped out?  Maybe some chills there in the shoulder region?

You probably need a shawl or something.  And if you're reading this, you've probably knit one recently, so you won't have far to look for it.

As for me: I'm going to go cower somewhere, with needles and yarn probably.  Self preservation and all.  Take care - take good care - and I'll see you tomorrow!



No comments: