Newfoundland ramblings 7/4 to 7/15/22

[giantbrookie]

Newfoundland has a significant tourist industry and, from the look of folks at the airport, and other indicators, it appears that hiking and fishing is a big part of their tourist draw (lots of fishing rod tubes carried by folks at airport). Perhaps I can add one other: they have a national park, Gros Morne whose central drawing card is its geology. As you can guess I was in Newfoundland for geology and not as a tourist. I visited for a week-long geologic workshop on the legendary Bay of Islands ophiolite (slab of oceanic lithosphere exposed on land) then a week-long session of collaborative fieldwork. Most of the research areas were remote enough so that we were flown in by helicopter, after which we'd hike and scramble over some rather rough ground. Brush was nasty, there was a lot of boulder hopping when things weren't brushy, and the combination of black flies and mosquitoes was nasty too. The scenery is nice given that Newfoundland is glacially carved and it is very wet, so there are waterfalls everywhere. It rained off an on throughout my visit; I recall only one day with clear skies from sunrise to sunset.

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This sort of fieldwork requires some really tough gear (the off trail hiking is very rough) the likes of which we don't often see at our outdoor stores in the USA. The European and Canadian mountaineering sorts use this stuff and I found my own 'medium weight' stuff was in fact inadequate for the conditions. It was a real lesson in gear. I need to do some shopping now because the fieldwork I do in CA is in fact nearly as rough and I can use some of the rugged gear on my off trail recreational hiking, too.

[SSSdave]

Reads like the kind of gear I've always worn in the Sierra Nevada because from my earliest era was often thrashing around off trail or sitting against abrasive granite. I do understand the advantages of lighter weight boots however given the huge weight I carry that would not adequately protect my feet. Here is my current boot. Also wear Levi 505 jeans that are the classic 501s but with a zipper fly. And one will almost always see my wearing cheap lightweight Home Depot knee pads on those 505s. Rarely wear shorts while even on trails.

https://www.rei.com/product/774690/zamb ... boots-mens

[giantbrookie]

Those Zamberlans look like nice boots. As you know heavier duty boots, packs, and clothing were easy to get back about 30 years ago, but the outdoor outfitting business caters to what most do, which is to hike trails. I don't find that hiking pants sold are suitable--when I used them I'd put a hole in the rear end in one trip. I use military surplus pants, but even those are not as rugged as the stuff I saw folks with in the field for those two weeks. I destroyed my hiking pants, blew out my "no. 2" pair of boots (Vasque is my no. 2; heaviest duty boos which should have gone on trip are my death march boots, the Asolo 520s), and destroyed my 30-year-old Jansport daypack (not at all a condemnation of its durability--30 years of doing geology with it proved its worth). Actually my baggage was delayed for one day getting to Deer Lake, so I had to borrow my friend's "backup" pair. They were massive (much heavier than 520s for example) but I experienced their value on rugged talus hopping with brush right away. When my luggage arrived with my boots (the Vasques) the next day and I switched back to my own boots I was dismayed by the lack of lateral support (ie the cantilever stuff when sidehilling) as well as the lack of armoring for all the side hits one takes in rugged talus scrambling.

[RiseToADry]

One of the trophy trout of Newfoundland and Labrador is your name sake, the Giant Brookie. I believe they're native to that area and grow to sizes we don't see in the USA. Take a quick look through a "Newfoundland and Labrador Brook Trout" google search and I'm sure you'll be salivating. I've watched a few videos of folks who take canoe trips where they navigate the many rivers and lakes on the water to avoid the bushwhacking you mentioned. A Newfoundland brook trout is on the bucket list for me.

[windknot]

Thanks for the photos! Always nice to see places that are such contrast to the high Sierra.