This past week has been a busy one highlighted primarily by travel. Once we had concluded our collecting in Terra Nova, it was time to move on to St. John’s for our crew leader swap out. After a great time getting to know and work with Crystal, it was time to say our good byes and await our new crew leader’s arrival. While we waited for Val to arrive, we were lucky enough to absorb some of the sights in St. John’s; most notably we hiked the precipitous Signal Hill and were rewarded with an awe-inspiring view of the Atlantic Ocean. After giving our calves some time to rest from the steep and strenuous hike, we picked up Val from the St. John’s airport. With our new crew leader Val collected and settled in, it was time to journey from coast to coast across Newfoundland to our next destination, Port aux Basques.
From Port aux Basques we took a rather lengthy ferry ride continuing west towards Nova Scotia and ultimately to the Cape Breton Highlands National Park. Traveling to our campsite took us along the famed and much adored Cabot trail highway where steep cliffs leading into the ocean and rolling, forested mountains characterize the landscape. Once settled in our campsite, we were able to set off again to erect our standardized collection traps at three distinct areas. As I sit here and type outside I am surrounded by vast forested mountain ranges that melt off into the distance into a hazy blue, this park is glorious. Tomorrow we will get the chance to further explore this park through both hand collecting and aquatic sampling… who knows what the Highlands will yield.
-Forest
Leave a Reply