August 2
End: Cap Gaspé
Miles: 34.1
Total: 4784.2
The day had come that I would attempt to hike to Cap (French for Cape) Gaspe. I got up and moved out, just like every other day. The trail was a little hairy from the start: overgrown and muddy. You know, the way we like our hiking in Quebec.
There wasn’t a snowball’s chance in Hades that I was going to slow down even for a second on a day like this. There was a possibility of rain in the afternoon as well, so my morning was precious. I marched.
Before long I got out to a road and made my way into Forillon National Park. It was incredible just to reach the park itself. The countdown to the cape began as I read the fake kilometer marker signs which are technically just “911 markers” to use as a reference. The trail in the park was immaculate to start and I was incredibly pleased. I was walking on a nice wide footpath.
When I finally arrived at the first campsite, I found that there was a shelter there, though none was mentioned on any IAT map (surprise!). It didn’t matter too much, but it would have been nice to know. The next campsite didn’t have anything but a bear pole. I was glad that I was going to be finishing Quebec that day.
The kilometers seemed to take longer and longer to complete as I got closer and closer. I stopped in at a shelter with restrooms in a small cove with a diving business. I spent some time there charging my phone and relaxing. I planned to sleep at the Cape, so I wanted to arrive at dusk.
Eventually I moved out for my road walk along the south coast. The trail occasionally would dip down and mess around below the road, but I wasn’t in the mood. I could see the sea just fine from the road, and I could see where the trail was as well. There was nothing spectacular about the trail compared to the road, which is a good test to consider in general when a trail is being designed.
Eventually I got to the end of the road and continued on a gravel foot trail. A family warned me of a bear in the area. I prayed for a bear to be operating the Cap Gaspe Lighthouse. This was going to be the best visit to Cap Gaspe by an ECT hiker ever. I finally did arrive at the lighthouse, and there were no bears. There were, however, plenty of porcupines. Thankfully I found a little building unlocked and moved right on in. I had dinner at Cap Gaspe. I spread out my sleeping pad on a little table in the building at Cap Gaspe. I had arrived at Cap Gaspe!
