At the beginning of summer, I made a sort of vow that I’d take advantage of every weekend that came my way. This was a decision based on my knowledge that summer is glorious but brief in St. John’s, and the fact that not travelling much in 16 months was beginning to take a toll on my mental health.
I might have overdone it.
But, I kid you not, I literally had the best Newfoundland summer in existence.
Go on an overnight hiking and camping trip
I’ve done painfully little hiking this summer, and a part of me thinks it’s because a) I crammed in too many other things, or b) the overnight hike to The Spout ruined me for life.
Well, that’s not fair. Let me back up.
The Spout Hike is one of the East Coast Trail’s absolute best hiking trails on the entire 500+ kilometre route…but not because of the condition of the trail. Me and some buddies started the roughly 23-kilometre trail starts in Shoal Bay and ended in Bay Bulls, the crown jewel of the experience being a freshwater geyser.
Now, 20+ kilometres of hiking might sound like small potatoes, but not on this trail. I have never, ever hiked a more difficult trail in my life. Me and a handful of friends camped out halfway on some pretty rough terrain, but each day was still more than eight hours of hiking up and down steep hills and through brush so dense it constantly caught on our pants.
The hike was punctuated with sea stacks, wide open ocean vistas, and a pod of whales that seemed to follow us wherever we went. They breached for us, their massive bodies slamming into the water over and over again. Most of us had never seen that before. At the campsite, I perched on a makeshift camp toilet overlooking the Atlantic and listened to the whales spouting at the cliff’s edge below. That evening, we made dinner, swigged whiskey from a flask, and danced around a portable speaker–much to the annoyance of the other campers, I’m sure.
But the trail itself was hell. Maybe I’m not as in shape as I used to be, or maybe it was the lack of sleep for two days. Or maybe I’m just a giant wiener. That’s probably it.
Whatever the case, for the last 5 kilometres I separated myself from the pack so I could cry out my agony in peace. As soon as I got home, I passed out face-down in bed and didn’t move for hours.
Mostly still worth it.
Have a fun beachy weekend in Eastport
A major plus to meeting Tiffany and Charlie on the beer tour (other than them being awesome) is that me and Sean were eventually invited to their cabin in Eastport, on the Eastport Peninsula. Except their cabin was essentially the nicest house I have ever stepped foot in, and came with a massive hot tub (which we obviously took advantage of).
Waking up on Saturday morning, we had a huge breakfast and started the day off right with some Caesars…followed by an all-day sunbathing session at Sandy Cove Beach.
Sandy Cove Beach is easily one of the best beaches in Newfoundland, with fine sand and constant sunshine. The water is freezing, though. It ain’t exactly a place for swimming.
Still, we lounged all day in the sand, drinking beers, and grilling hot dogs. When we actually wanted to go for a swim, we walked across the road to Crooked Tree Park for a dip in the much warmer lake.
Watch the capelin roll at Middle Cove Beach
When schools of tiny capelin fish start rolling at Middle Cove Beach just beyond St. John’s, it’s like the official start of summer.
I don’t care how crowded the beach is, it’s always a magical experience. Hordes of people clustered around campfires, covertly drinking beer, toasting hot dogs and weenies, or strumming guitars. Dozens of people at the water’s edge scooping up net-fulls of capelin to bring home for dinner, or to smoke for later. The air might be crisp, but the sunset is always warm and spectacular. This year I gathered with my cousin and her friend visiting Newfoundland for the first time, and it didn’t matter that our feet turned black with the sticky sand–it was well worth it.
One of my favourite things about the action at Middle Cove watching the flickering fires as we’re leaving for the evening. All those little glowing beacons of humanity along the beachfront. There’s something so satisfying and comforting about knowing there are people around those fires, enjoying life.
Road trip to the Bonavista Peninsula
Clearly I’m obsessed with the Bonavista Peninsula, and this surprises no one. I wrote all about it, actually, so I’ll let you figure that one out on your own.
Highlights:
- Bonavista Social Club
- Puffins in Elliston
- The historic town of Trinity
- Bonavista’s waterfront and the Mockbeggar Plantation
- Hiking the Skerwink Trail
If you’re in St. John’s and you have limited time to explore somewhere beyond the city, I will always recommend the Bonavista Peninsula. There’s cool shit happening there.
Participate in ALL OF THE FESTIVALS
Newfoundland has some notoriously epic festivals, but summer is when most of them come out in full force. If you want the trifecta of Newfoundland festivals, you have to come at the end of July for George Street Festival, the Royal St. John’s Regatta, and Folk Fest.
George Street is my least favourite of all these festivities, but first-timers always have a hoot, and somehow I seem to find myself amongst the masses at some concert or another every year. In short, the street shuts down for one week, there are concerts galore, and everyone drinks a whole lotta booze. It’s a ridiculously good time. If you’re visiting for the first time ever and are unfamiliar with the bands, might I suggest the Saturday Night Kitchen Party? It’s a Newfoundland classic.
The Royal St. John’s Regatta isn’t a festival, per se–it’s the oldest continuous sporting event in North America. My favourite part about the Regatta is actually Regatta Roulette. See, Regatta Day always falls on a Wednesday. Tuesday night is always the last night of George Street Fest. But since the Regatta is weather dependent, the holiday might actually be pushed ahead a day…sometimes two. People head out to George Street Fest risking a hangover at work the next day. Regatta Roulette.
Regatta is a lot of fun. The atmosphere around Quidi Vidi Lake is always exuberant, even if you don’t care at all about rowing. There’s an endless parade of food stalls, carnival games, and of course…the glorious beer tent. I always have the most fun here.
Shortly after Regatta comes Folk Fest, my FAVE summer festival: the NL Folk Fest. It’s much more relaxed than the other festivals around town. People sit in the grass on blankets, or camp chairs. They hold hands and sway back and forth, or sing along near the stage without body-slamming into other people.
OR they hang out in the stupidly fun beer tent, where the booze is crazy overpriced but you’re always bound to meet someone fun.
I’ll always recommend Folk Fest above all others.
Watch an outdoor Shakespeare performance in Cupids
Clearly my life lately is ALL ABOUT THE ARTS which is awesome and insanely cool, because the fact that a sparsely populated island like Newfoundland even has such an overwhelmingly talented pool of artsy folks is pretty amazing.
One of my favourite outings this year was to Cupids (a tiny, rural town about an hour from St. John’s) for a performance of The Taming of the Shrew at Perchance Theatre. I was briefly worried, because I’ve been out of university for 10 years and my brain has melted significantly due to underuse and so I thought maybe I couldn’t properly grasp Shakespeare. I was so wrong.
Not only is the performance terrific, but the outdoor stage is set up like it would be in Shakespeare’s time, and it’s a masterpiece of woodworking and stagecraft. I enjoyed every second.
Go to The Gathering
The Gathering is also a festival, but it’s in a league of its own. I wrote about this experience in Burlington recently, and two months later, I still think fondly of that fun-filled weekend of music, food, and campfire. Where else would you have a renown chef like Jeremy Charles cooking up a feast at a brook picnic? (He hosted Anthony Bourdain in Newfoundland recently. Legend.)
The Gathering takes place near the end of August, and it’s hosted by a slew of comedians and other local celebrities. I’ll write a logistical piece about the experience in the near future, but man, if you want a true Newfoundland experience in the middle of nowhere…this is it.
Take a tour with Ocean Quest
At the beginning of the summer, I won an Ocean Quest tour to go kayaking around Bell Island. Bell Island is a dramatic, bell-shaped island (who woulda thunkit?) not far from St. John’s. In my 11 years of living here, I and never been.
It’s covered in mines that you can tour, and divers know this place for its prime shipwreck diving opportunities. I watched a Canadian Geographic documentary about the incredibly well-preserved wrecks around the island, and my curiosity has been piqued ever since.
Me and my friend Laura showed up that day all ready for our kayaking tour, only to find out…it wasn’t a kayak tour. Clearly our lines had become tangled at some point, but whatever. A Zodiac tour around the island? Epic.
We hung out in sea caves, took photos of waterfalls plunging from high cliffs, and touched a jellyfish. Turns out jellyfish aren’t all that jelly-like. Who knew?
So cheers to the best summer of all time! But I’m looking forward to slower days, and weekend mornings starting with a cup of hot coffee and a good book.
