Rocky Coast towards Tittle Point from Lowland Cove

This view towards Tittle Point shows the coastal plain here at the head of Lowland Cove and beyond along the northern coast of the cove; the hill just to the right of the middle of the photo in the far distance is, of course, the hill at Tittle Point.

After finding nothing that looked like a trail at the head of the cove, I reluctantly started back towards Cape St Lawrence and reached the aforementioned tracks, looking much like the Lighthouse Trail does as it arrives at Cape St Lawrence, but rising directly uphill. In hindsight, I’d have been happier had I kept on to Cape St Lawrence and returned the way I came, but I knew there was a Lowland Cove Trail and that it was a good deal shorter than returning to Cape St Lawrence and thence to Meat Cove, as the Parks Canada map shows clearly. It was relatively early—it was high summer and I had another good eight hours of daylight—so, being in an exploratory frame of mind, and since the tracks were going in the appropriate direction (up and predominantly east, allowing for switchbacks and the lie of the land), I decided instead to see where the tracks led. After all, I could always back track if I had to.

Once they entered the forest, the tracks soon became more like a real trail, not a herd path, which was comforting, but not convincing. The uphill climb quickly became arduous and it was not long before I was gasping for breath; once away from the coast, I got very warm very quickly and I soon shed the heavy sweat shirt I had been wearing for protection against the wind off the Gulf. I had expected to work hard climbing back up and I did, having to pause frequently to get my breath, but I hadn’t planned on not knowing for sure that I was on the right trail, so I tried to keep moving along as fast as my lungs allowed. Of course, the longer I climbed and the further away from the coast I got, the more panic-stricken I became that I wasn’t on the right trail, in part because the trail itself was not in wonderful shape, with lots of rocks and the occasional small brook to ford, but unmistakeable as a trail nevertheless. I was getting tired, so back tracking no longer seemed quite so reasonable a fall-back as it had earlier; I got so worried that I didn’t stop to even take any photos of this stretch of the trail, though I would dearly like to have some now, as the trail itself was well worth a number of photos. This was a real downer, the only bad part of this whole trip; I had only myself to blame … and lots of time in which to do so … and I did.

About 14h10, I reached a side trail to the right that I hoped was the trail to the abandoned zinc mine; marked only with some Wilderness Area signs, one couldn’t know, but it was at least a promising omen. Ten minutes later, I was at the junction with the Pollets Cove Trail, and my great panic subsided somewhat as I was now pretty sure, though, without signage, not positive, that I was on the right trail. The section from there up to the Lighthouse Trail was in terrible shape, with rocks piled haphazardly on rocks several deep, obviously as a result of the force of unchannelled water running rapidly downhill, making the footing very treacherous and the going slow.

At 14h42, I reached the Lighthouse Trail junction and finally had proof positive I was on the right trail: I’d been here before! I heaved a great sigh of relief and, after recovering my breath and my equanimity, realized that it was an easy four minute climb to the top of the ridge and all downhill from there! Wahoo! I had done it!

[2012] A red stake at GPS 47°01.274'N 60°36.991'W now marks the start of the Lowland Cove Trail at Lowland Cove, so there is now a landmark one can rely on when returning that way. The bad damage I noted on this hike on the Lowland Cove Trail between the Zinc Mine Trail and the Lighthouse Trail had since been considerably remediated when I hiked down it on my 2009 trip; it was then no longer in the terrible shape I reported above and the footing was consequently vastly improved.