June 14, 2021 - A walk in the Park, Day 4

This is the first morning we have woken up to sunshine in our campsite. The first night we night we were in a ravine, so no chance of the sun hitting us in the morning. Second night we were on the cliffs of Cape Chignecto covered in fog. Actually, this mornings site is hidden in the trees a bit, so the sun only peaks through, lighting up the campsite floor like a disco ball. But we are only steps away from a wide open field, and the warmth of the sun feels fantastic.

We only had one other adventurer at this camping area last night. She arrived at camp around 7pm. We briefly spoke to her and she told us she left the visitors center at 11am and did the trail to Eatonville in that time! Needless to say, we were beyond impressed that she covered the ground in eight hours which had taken us about eighteen to cover to this point. This morning she has packed up before us and is ready to head back out. It is only now we realize she came from the other direction, the direction we are heading out on today. I don't know why all of us assumed she went the clockwise direction like we did, but for a few hours last night and early this morning we were thoroughly impressed!

We take one of the picnic tables from our campsite and set it out in the field so we can soak in the sunshine while we make breakfast and pack up. The warmth of the sun is just so energizing and refreshing on a cool morning, though I am sure we will have had our fill of it by midday. It is 10am when we hit the trail this morning. We figure we can do it in five hours knowing much of it is flat going. But first we have a long steady climb up a ridge where we will walk for a while before descending into the valley where we will follow Elliot Brook to New Yarmouth mountain.

The trail along the brook was one of my favorite parts of the trip last time I did it, but this time is not a beautiful as I remember. Perhaps it is because we are travelling up stream this time, and hence uphill, but only gently. Or maybe it is a different time of day and the sunlight is coming through at a different angle. Whatever the reason, it does not feel as magical this time around.

We travel a few kilometers along the brook, crisscrossing it several times, before we begin one of the last long hauls uphill. The journey to the top of New Yarmouth Mountain is about 1km long with an elevation change of 120m or so. It is not super steep but it is a constant grade, sort of like some of the gullies we descended into on the first day.

The temperatures today are much warmer than any of the previous. I believe it called for a high of 23c today, but travelling inland, we have lost the cool breezes from the coast, and the sun seems to beat that much harder through the canopy above. Thankfully, we do have a canopy above to provide some shade at least. A couple more smaller hills and valleys and we finally make it to our last big decent, to where the trail forks and we took the clockwise route on the first day.

From here it is less than 4km to our destination. Hopefully we will be able to hit the tide at the right time. We need to start walking on the beach at least one hour before high tide in order to make it across without getting caught against the cliffs at high tide. Once we get our first lookoff where we can see the beach, it is clear the tide is coming in, and it is close to being high. I am able to get a cell signal and can check the tide times. 3:35pm is high tide today, and it is currently 2:20pm. We are still at least 15 minutes from the beach, but we think we can make it and put on one last big push.

At 2:40pm we start our journey across the beach. There are only a couple pinch points where the rocks jut out from the cliffs that could make passing difficult if the water reaches them before we do. We had hoped by the time we got to the beach there would be some cool breezes, but mother nature decided this would be the one day of the year where there would be no wind on the beach, not even a little, just the hot sun beating down on us from above as we move like ants under a magnifying glass trying to get to salvation. Eventually we make it to the other end, and still with lots of time before the tide could take away our path. We walk up to the visitor center at 3pm. Right at the time we expected we would arrive.

This trip ended up being a lot easier than the last time I remember. I don't know if I am in better shape, or learned to pack my bag better, or if it was the fact I used trekking poles the whole time. Whatever the reason, it is clear that a little Backcountry Evolution can help everyone! We still have a 5 hour drive home ahead if us, but at least we can sit the whole way with the air conditioner on.