On my trip to Newfoundland this past June while I did enjoy a few walks, I passed on a few I know I would have enjoyed due to fear. I am a scaredy cat. Yes, I can jump a plane and go anywhere in the world by myself without a care but ask me to walk over rocks and close to the edge of a cliff and I turn into a whimpering mess.
I still have confidence issues with my knees of course and having episodic vertigo due to a fall several years ago, I can topple over if I turn my head the wrong way. Ever since the fall in my apartment (caused by tripping on a sandal I had left out while rushing to the phone I have a huge fear of falling again. WHACK! That's the sound of my hand hitting my head remembering that stupid move) I dented my knee cap which means I still have some issues with swelling and discomfort as according to the surgeon the area is still inflamed. So needless to say I have been absolutely terrified and paranoid about falling again. It doesn't help that I don't like heights....um Laurie...weren't you the person that happily went up the Burj Khalifa, highest building in the world a few months ago. Yep that's me...elevators/lifts are no problem for me and I can look down with complete confidence but ask me to climb and oh boy....it's not pretty.
So I was afraid...
Afraid of falling...
Afraid of falling and hurting myself and wrecking my holiday and that of my friends.
Afraid of failure.. and having to turn back which meant someone would have to go back with me and not be able to finish BECAUSE OF ME.
Afraid of being left behind...even though logically I knew no one would leave me behind...I am a slow walker and not helped by the fact I am also a photographer. SLOW...
Afraid of looking stupid....
Just afraid!
So I had decided I would not do the Skerwink Trail because well...it scared me. I googled the sh*t out of this walk and scared myself even more. It was rated medium to difficult - I don't "do" medium to difficult. On a brave day I do easy to medium.... I read that the trail goes near cliff edges. This scaredy cat still has flashbacks to walking a coastal path in Cornwall where two elderly women in my group (okay they were probably not much older than I am now but twenty years ago they seemed elderly) coaxed and helped me around a rock in the path. Directly below me the sea churned frothy waves and I nearly had a melt down then and there. I could not budge. Not one of my best moments to be sure and I was afraid of the same thing happening...see "looking stupid" above.
Okay before I carry on whining I will tell you about the Skerwink Trail. It is a 5.3 km trail near Trinity Bay in Bonavista and is considered one of the most beautiful walks in the world. The name Skerwink comes from the Shearwater bird which is called a Skerwink locally. Many shearwaters breed on the island but it is extremely rare to see these on the trail. Chidren and pets are allowed if they are on a leash. Well if you walk this trail with little kids you are either insane or you should have them on a leash!
As we settled into our motel suite near the Skerwink Trail I had gigantic butterflies in my tummy..should I or shouldn't I? The Skerwink Trail is one of THE top trails in the world on the "to do" list for a hiker. I really really wanted to do but of course I was scared. While the others sat in our room, drank wine and chatted I flitted about and could not focus on anything but that trail.
That evening as we were getting ready for bed June said quietly to me "I know you can do it Laurie".
I barely slept I was so worried...between the nervous bathroom visits and tossing and turning with fear and indecision it was a long tough night. Luckily I had my own bedroom as I would have kept June awake too with my up and down to the bathroom and let's turn on the light and read a bit to distract myself and oh where's my phone, I will google the Skerwink Trail again just to make sure I am really scared.
I made a decision that I would try to do it at least and then the nerves kicked in big time. We had enough coffee to make one small cup for each of us but no cream..black coffee...ugh. But I downed it as let's just say I am addicted to caffeine and leave it at that.
The decision was made not to have much if anything for breakfast. I scoffed an energy bar as I did not want to walk without something in my belly....because, well another thing to worry about. Like a good hiker I did have extra snacks with me as well.
It was threatening rain as we drove to the trailhead and all I kept thinking was "oh no, I read that the trail can be dangerous when it's wet...oh no, oh no".
Less than ten minutes later our van pulled into the parking lot and the butterflies were having a disco dance party in my tummy. "Calm down Laurie, you can do this" I kept saying to myself.
I am going to let my pictures do most of the talking now...
I was so excited but....what's that word again..oh yeah - scared!
There were six of us starting out but the two fastest ones were long gone and finished way ahead of us. Bet they didn't have the fun we had and take as many (sometimes crazy) pictures.
Okay this part is cool, I can handle this.
The four of us....I couldn't have done it without these three.
Here is our first view of the sea stacks that were only about fifteen minutes into the trail. These stacks appeared after the last Ice Age 10,000 years ago.
All the sea stacks have names apparently such as "The Music Box" (because of the "music" the wind makes as it hits the rock) and "Flat Fish". (probably the one on the right)
So far, so good - I can do this!! Bring it on!
Even on a dull blustery day, the scenery was fantastic..
I was feeling pretty darn good here
Yep...it's all good. The four of us stuck together. Marie in front to help me when I needed it on a steep step or rock, June behind to give me a push (she said at the end she got to know my a** a little too much) when I needed it and Mirta to provide laughs when we all needed it.
And down we go again. Up and down...but I was grateful there were more stairs than rocks to climb on. My walking stick was invaluable as well as Marie. If I hadn't had those I would still be out there crying for my mommy. (or flat out beside the trail..just wait until I tell you about my hike in the Lake District when I nearly did just that)
Yes there were benches along the way and yes, my butt hit that one hard! What a view! Somewhere along this point on the trail Mirta, inspired by the beauty had us all sing "O Canada"
As you can see the weather was deteriorating and we knew the rain would soon be falling - but by now we were over half finished. (we hoped!)
This was one of the worst bits. It was quite windy and open to the elements. This was pretty much as close to the cliff as we got - a piece of cake after Cornwall! I took this picture while sheltered by the bushes, put the camera in my pocket, stuck my head down and walked - I was focused on getting across without getting blown over (I was grateful at this point to be chubby) and into the shelter of the forest again.
Looking out towards Trinity Lighthouse.
Up we go again!
And down....lots of stairs!!
Worth it for views like this though....
And before I knew it...we were down on ground level again...almost done!
Excited to have no more stairs Mirta and I got a little crazy!
Yay, a nice flat path...one of the fast walkers in our travel group walked back to meet us.
Absolutely elated, proud, grateful and thankful...I did it!!! (with a little help from my friends!)
And this is how most of us rewarded ourselves afterwards. It tasted SO good! We then headed out to the town of Trinity close by and on to St Johns...but that's a whole other story....
A big thanks to Marie who gave me a hand when I needed it, June who pushed up the (my) rear when needed and to Mirta who kept me laughing. It turned out to be a great experience thanks to my buddies and one of the highlights of our time in Newfoundland for me.
I still have confidence issues with my knees of course and having episodic vertigo due to a fall several years ago, I can topple over if I turn my head the wrong way. Ever since the fall in my apartment (caused by tripping on a sandal I had left out while rushing to the phone I have a huge fear of falling again. WHACK! That's the sound of my hand hitting my head remembering that stupid move) I dented my knee cap which means I still have some issues with swelling and discomfort as according to the surgeon the area is still inflamed. So needless to say I have been absolutely terrified and paranoid about falling again. It doesn't help that I don't like heights....um Laurie...weren't you the person that happily went up the Burj Khalifa, highest building in the world a few months ago. Yep that's me...elevators/lifts are no problem for me and I can look down with complete confidence but ask me to climb and oh boy....it's not pretty.
So I was afraid...
Afraid of falling...
Afraid of falling and hurting myself and wrecking my holiday and that of my friends.
Afraid of failure.. and having to turn back which meant someone would have to go back with me and not be able to finish BECAUSE OF ME.
Afraid of being left behind...even though logically I knew no one would leave me behind...I am a slow walker and not helped by the fact I am also a photographer. SLOW...
Afraid of looking stupid....
Just afraid!
So I had decided I would not do the Skerwink Trail because well...it scared me. I googled the sh*t out of this walk and scared myself even more. It was rated medium to difficult - I don't "do" medium to difficult. On a brave day I do easy to medium.... I read that the trail goes near cliff edges. This scaredy cat still has flashbacks to walking a coastal path in Cornwall where two elderly women in my group (okay they were probably not much older than I am now but twenty years ago they seemed elderly) coaxed and helped me around a rock in the path. Directly below me the sea churned frothy waves and I nearly had a melt down then and there. I could not budge. Not one of my best moments to be sure and I was afraid of the same thing happening...see "looking stupid" above.
Okay before I carry on whining I will tell you about the Skerwink Trail. It is a 5.3 km trail near Trinity Bay in Bonavista and is considered one of the most beautiful walks in the world. The name Skerwink comes from the Shearwater bird which is called a Skerwink locally. Many shearwaters breed on the island but it is extremely rare to see these on the trail. Chidren and pets are allowed if they are on a leash. Well if you walk this trail with little kids you are either insane or you should have them on a leash!
As we settled into our motel suite near the Skerwink Trail I had gigantic butterflies in my tummy..should I or shouldn't I? The Skerwink Trail is one of THE top trails in the world on the "to do" list for a hiker. I really really wanted to do but of course I was scared. While the others sat in our room, drank wine and chatted I flitted about and could not focus on anything but that trail.
That evening as we were getting ready for bed June said quietly to me "I know you can do it Laurie".
I barely slept I was so worried...between the nervous bathroom visits and tossing and turning with fear and indecision it was a long tough night. Luckily I had my own bedroom as I would have kept June awake too with my up and down to the bathroom and let's turn on the light and read a bit to distract myself and oh where's my phone, I will google the Skerwink Trail again just to make sure I am really scared.
I made a decision that I would try to do it at least and then the nerves kicked in big time. We had enough coffee to make one small cup for each of us but no cream..black coffee...ugh. But I downed it as let's just say I am addicted to caffeine and leave it at that.
The decision was made not to have much if anything for breakfast. I scoffed an energy bar as I did not want to walk without something in my belly....because, well another thing to worry about. Like a good hiker I did have extra snacks with me as well.
It was threatening rain as we drove to the trailhead and all I kept thinking was "oh no, I read that the trail can be dangerous when it's wet...oh no, oh no".
Less than ten minutes later our van pulled into the parking lot and the butterflies were having a disco dance party in my tummy. "Calm down Laurie, you can do this" I kept saying to myself.
I am going to let my pictures do most of the talking now...
I was so excited but....what's that word again..oh yeah - scared!
There were six of us starting out but the two fastest ones were long gone and finished way ahead of us. Bet they didn't have the fun we had and take as many (sometimes crazy) pictures.
Okay this part is cool, I can handle this.
The four of us....I couldn't have done it without these three.
Here is our first view of the sea stacks that were only about fifteen minutes into the trail. These stacks appeared after the last Ice Age 10,000 years ago.
All the sea stacks have names apparently such as "The Music Box" (because of the "music" the wind makes as it hits the rock) and "Flat Fish". (probably the one on the right)
So far, so good - I can do this!! Bring it on!
Even on a dull blustery day, the scenery was fantastic..
I was feeling pretty darn good here
Yep...it's all good. The four of us stuck together. Marie in front to help me when I needed it on a steep step or rock, June behind to give me a push (she said at the end she got to know my a** a little too much) when I needed it and Mirta to provide laughs when we all needed it.
And down we go again. Up and down...but I was grateful there were more stairs than rocks to climb on. My walking stick was invaluable as well as Marie. If I hadn't had those I would still be out there crying for my mommy. (or flat out beside the trail..just wait until I tell you about my hike in the Lake District when I nearly did just that)
Yes there were benches along the way and yes, my butt hit that one hard! What a view! Somewhere along this point on the trail Mirta, inspired by the beauty had us all sing "O Canada"
As you can see the weather was deteriorating and we knew the rain would soon be falling - but by now we were over half finished. (we hoped!)
This was one of the worst bits. It was quite windy and open to the elements. This was pretty much as close to the cliff as we got - a piece of cake after Cornwall! I took this picture while sheltered by the bushes, put the camera in my pocket, stuck my head down and walked - I was focused on getting across without getting blown over (I was grateful at this point to be chubby) and into the shelter of the forest again.
Looking out towards Trinity Lighthouse.
Up we go again!
And down....lots of stairs!!
Worth it for views like this though....
And before I knew it...we were down on ground level again...almost done!
Excited to have no more stairs Mirta and I got a little crazy!
Yay, a nice flat path...one of the fast walkers in our travel group walked back to meet us.
Absolutely elated, proud, grateful and thankful...I did it!!! (with a little help from my friends!)
A big thanks to Marie who gave me a hand when I needed it, June who pushed up the (my) rear when needed and to Mirta who kept me laughing. It turned out to be a great experience thanks to my buddies and one of the highlights of our time in Newfoundland for me.
Comments