Day 2 (July 20, 2020): Toughest Physical Endurance of Our Lives

Climbing Gros Morne has long been something we have wanted to do.  In 2013, we had hoped to do the climb on Pam's first visit to the Park, but it poured and poured throughout our entire stay, so we could not attempt the mountain.  This morning, however, provided our long-awaited opportunity.  We were out the door at 7:15 AM and started our trek at 8:00 AM sharp.

The trail is touted as 16KM, requiring 6-8 hours to complete.  We did it in 7 hours, 54 minutes, and my watch showed 18.04KM completed.

The weather was great - except for the rain in the last hour or so.  The summit is often known to be windy, cloudy and/or rainy.  We had a comfortable breeze on the summit and T-shirt temperatures throughout the entire day.

So what are our overall thoughts?  Well, to be blunt, it was the most difficult physical endurance activity either of us has ever undertaken.  We walked 21KM on a single day in Barcelona back in February.  But the walking today cannot be compared with city walking.  The trail is comprised of large rocks and boulders, many of which are sharp-edged.  There are very few stretches of terrain when you can walk comfortably.

The first 4KM takes you from the parking lot to the base of the mountain, and the last 4KM takes you back over the same track.  The rest is is supposed to comprise a 8KM loop that ascends the mountain via a gully filled with granite rock fragments, from bottom to top, followed by a hike around the summit of the mountain and a descent back to the base.  (My watch logged that middle part at 10KM, not 8.)

The climb up ranges from 30-45 degrees, to other portions are in the 50-60 degree range.  And that is serious climbing for people who have no climbing experence.  We had been expecting a zig-zag and gradual ascent, but that isn't the way it is at all!  The jagged path down requires that you gauge every footstep with great caution.  It is tedious-beyond-tedious.

All in all, it was an adventure, and we are sure proud to be in the club of those who have climbed Gros Morne.  But would we have done it, knowing how challenging it is?  No.

I asked Pam tonight how she was feeling and her response summarizes how we both feel:  "Every part of me below the waist hurts."  

Every climb merits a before and after side-by-side shot.  Here is ours!


Bottom Brook crosses the trail at the 1KM mark.


Ahh... the innocent optimism of starting out!


"This is OUR mountain, we've got this!"


So that is big, bald Gros Morne.  The circled part is the stone gully that takes you from base to summit.  And trust me, it is steep.  And bigger than it looks!


Starting out on the stone gully.


Every footstep requires that you man-oeuvre sharp granite chunks.


How many times did I tell Pam, "The summit is just around the corner!"  NOT.


Almost there!

After 6.75KM and 3 hours, 10 minutes we reached the summit!


And built accommodation so that we wouldn't have to face the descent.  Kidding, this was someone else's construction effort.


The top of Gros Morne.  One of the few stretches with a wooden walkway.  Imagine driving a dirt road for 100KM and then you come across a paved patch for 1KM?  Well, that's how it felt! ;-)


The incomparable view of Parson's Pond.


Starting the descent.


The constantly changing vegetation is simply astounding!  Given the extreme winter conditions on the summit, it's amazing that anything grows in summertime.  These ferns covered an entire slope.


We counted seven wildflower varieties (at least) in this small patch of terrain on the summit.


One of the easier sections of rock pathway on the descent.  Slip, and you tumble to your death.


This pond, about halfway down, made us want to jump in!

Someone asked for a wildlife report.  Well, we had been hoping to see a bear, a moose, ptarmigan, rabbits, etc.  But all we saw was this impressive frog.  RIBBIT.

Drenched to the skin, we arrived back at the parking lot, 7 hours, 54 minutes later, having walked 18.04 KM.


We cleaned up and had coffee with friends, Ruby and Ed, at a gift shop in Rocky Harbour.

Then it was a drive to Norris Point, for dinner at The Black Spruce at the Neddie’s Harbour Inn.  The was the view out the window over dinner.


Looking out over scenic Bonne Bay from Norris Point.