[Newfoundland, Canada – 806 m]
Gros Morne – big lone mountain.
Second highest peak on the island of Newfoundland.
Not nearly as high as other mountains in western Canada,
but spectacular nonetheless.
One doesn’t need to climb very high
to get a workout and enjoy a view.
I see a rock ptarmigan at the side of the access trail.
It thinks I can’t see it,
so I study it for awhile
until some returning hikers approach.
The climb is a slog,
but it’s not a scramble.
I don’t need to use my hands anywhere along the trail.
The summit is mostly flat
and it takes a bit of walking across the barren landscape
to get to the highest point.
There, I meet two couples climbing Gros Morne,
one woman for the third time.
I share some trail mix,
take their pictures for them,
and when they leave,
I have the summit to myself.
The wind is cold,
so I sit inside a horseshoe shaped enclosure
that previous climbers have built out of rocks.
It works perfectly and I enjoy my lunch in relative warmth.
The best view, the one that most websites display
as typical of Gros Morne Mountain,
is found during the descent,
on the far side of the mountain.
I am lucky on this hike.
Gros Morne is notoriously covered in cloud,
but I have unrestricted views in all directions.
I stop frequently just to take in the views.
At tree line, I see another rock ptarmigan
and wonder if it’s the same one I saw earlier.
I suspect the mountain is littered with them.
I know for sure that the National Park is filled with moose,
but I don’t see any,
though there is evidence of them everywhere.
I finish my circuitous route and head back to camp,
ever so grateful for the experience.
