four minute read – 17/09/2024
a backcountry day hike to the top of
western brook pond gorge – newfoundland
It is 6AM. While the sun is still gathering the courage to rise, our Jetboil is working tenaciously to make a mockery of our kettle at home. We are as well-rested as a sixth consecutive night of camping will accommodate, notwithstanding yesterday’s hike – a scree scramble to the summit of Gros Morne. That adventure was less precarious, more crowded, but equally as caffeinated as today’s mission: a guided backcountry hike to the vantage point above Western Brook Pond Gorge.
The Earth’s circumference is 40,075 KM. Given Gros Morne National Park is 17,065 KM from Sydney, we are about as far from home as you can be without landing somewhere where no amount of Gore-Tex will save you. The trouble with planning a camping trip on the other side of the world is that there is no time for contingencies. To guarantee you will make it above Western Brook Pond Gorge, a billion-year-old, glacial-carved land-locked fjord, you either need to take an unreasonable amount of annual leave, or get unreasonably lucky. We arrived at the Out East Adventure Centre in Rocky Harbour at 7AM (a tactically short 10-minute drive from our campsite at Green Point) to learn that, for the last four days, the excursion had been cancelled due to severe winds. This was our last day in Newfoundland, and it was still.
After a safety briefing where I reassured our guides Garry and Mike that I had hiking boots in the car, and would not, in fact, be attempting the hike in a pair of three-year-old Sketchers sandals, we were given directions to Western Brook. Our hike started with a leisurely 3 KM walk to the dock, which was the perfect opportunity for our guides to share some insights on the ecosystem we had entered. Garry pointed out the carnivorous plants that dotted the quagmire flanking our road to the dock, as well as the path the Caribou take every year, reconciled in their genetic memory to follow the same route even as the environment shifts beneath their feet.
This is as good a time as any to explicitly reflect on our guided experience. Our guides were never overbearing, but rather, shared exactly enough for us to recognise their familiarity with and respect for the terrain. Garry paced the earlier sections of the hike to quietly gauge our fitness levels and technical ability. He told us about the first-aid kits that were strategically hidden in key intervals along our route. And he recognised nuanced shifts in the terrain from a week earlier. While I believe it is always important to take responsibility for your own safety, I realised the first-aid kit I had packed was unnecessary grams. It wasn’t my responsibility to find our route, or pace our hike. My only responsibility was to be honest with our guides if my condition began to deteriorate, and to relish our good fortune of being in this special place.
Our spirited boat captain – whose name regrettably escapes me –
also deserves a special mention. The most memorable open-world
video games have a ‘stepping out moment’, where, having cleared
the linear opening tutorial or dungeon, the player is released into the
expanse of the world. It is a sharp inhale – a moment of anticipation
and of freedom. Our boat captain angled our approach to the fjord
in such a way that the valley was revealed to us in an instant –
it simply coalesced out of nowhere. He gave us our stepping out
moment, and set the wonderful tone for the wilderness we were
entering. It was highly unexpected, and incredibly special.
Having stowed my aforementioned sandals aboard the high-speed shuttle and laced up my boots, we were ready to begin our hike in earnest. Stage 1 of our hike — a gentle warm up route through a giant meadow — was rougher than anticipated given the meadow was entirely submerged. No one had accurately forecast how much rain had fallen in the valley, and given the excursion had been cancelled the previous four days, we were the first to realise that our preplanned route was untenable. It was a perfect example of how unpredictable weather was deeper in the valley, and a harrowing reminder that we could be turned around at any time, no matter how far we had come. Yet Garry and Mike, surprised but undeterred, found a moose path that bridged to the high-water route, radioed the route back to the later group, and we continued onwards.
There is nothing like tracing a moose path in the pouring rain to remind you that you are, in fact, in the wild. The next stages of our hike were a lot of fun, as soon as you accepted that your socks were going to get soaked. Rather than skirt around rivers we traversed through them, eventually reaching the final stage of our hike – a steep scramble through the forest and the most technical section of the route. I believe this section of the hike is very manageable for anyone with decent hiking experience. Even without, I sincerely believe that anyone armed with patience, decent fitness and balance, some mental grit, and the humility to listen to your guides would be able to safely navigate this section of the route.
We emerged on a rocky clearing just as the rain that had stalked us all day relented. The sun broke through above while the clouds that threatened to settle in the fjord below instead billowed up the cliffs to reveal a surreal view. Serene water, too pure to sustain life, weaved silently between sheer, ancient cliffs. We stood in awe, sat in awe, ate our lunch in awe, and took photographs in awe. It was a timeless moment that, thanks to the pace of our group, lasted around 45 minutes.
Garry and Mike kept our spirits high on the descent, no easy feat given the heights we had conquered were now behind us, while the rain was very much still with us. One very cold boat ride later we were ready for the final 3 KM back to the parking lot, and our spirits, while beginning to dwindle, remained high.
Looking back, this was an extremely rewarding and memorable day in the backcountry. It is not every day that you are eating wild berries foraged by your guides and searching for moose among the wild flowers, all the while chasing one of North America’s most mythical views. If you’re standing on the edge, I wholeheartedly recommend taking the plunge and committing to this adventure. Listen to your guides, respect the terrain, and you’ll be rewarded. Thanks again to Garry, Mike, and our Boatman for an unforgettable experience.
Our experience was booked through Bon Tours. For more information, visit: https://bontours.ca/tour-item/western-brook-hike/
Jack Riisfeldt 