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.