Chasing Caribou in Northern Newfoundland....

Mike and I just got back from the Northern Peninsula of Newfoundland. We had SUCH an amazing time. What an incredible experience and what an amazing part of the world. Tanner got to spend the week with Nan and Pap at Manitou and they had a fabulous time as well:) It was truly a wonderful experience for everyone. We flew into Deer Lake, NF and then drove up to Main Brook (a 4 hour drive) where we stayed at a place called Tuckamore Lodge. It was incredible. We spent the first few days driving, glassing and hiking - tracking Caribou - and we learned a ton from our guide Lyman. We'd feast on Rasberries and Blueberries while we walked and got to see some very beautiful and remote Newfoundland wilderness. I got quite a bad blister on my foot and my whole foot swelled up so by the third day I couldn't get my boot on and the pain was excurciating. That day (Day 3) we went out in the boat to glass for Caribou from the sea, and I stayed back with our second guide, Justyn, while Mike and Lyman went out tracking Caribou. Justyn and I collected mussels and caught lobster and dug for clams and cooked them all up for a lunchtime feast which was an amazing experience for me and for Mike who got to enjoy the benefits! Then, later in the afternoon, we went out Mackeral fishing while waiting for the others, and we had a huge Humpback Whale come up 17 feet from our little 17 foot boat. It showed it's whole back and then flapped it's tail for us. It was SO cool. My foot stayed swollen, and it became apparent that I wasn't going to be able to get a hiking boot on for several days - so Mike continued the search for Caribou, and did things I could wear sandals for! I went out in the boat another day with our guide Justyn and one of our other friends we met at the Lodge. We went exploring and ended up at one of the islands where we learned about all the many varieties of berries which grow up there (there are tons of delicious wild berries that grow wild in Newfoundland). We picked and feasted on them and had a really great time. Another day I went out and helped a team of hunters and guides track down a Moose one of the other hunters (our friend Tom) had killed. It was so fun and again right up my alley, and I was the one who ended up finding the Moose (hence the picture of me with a Moose)which was an amazing experience too. In the evenings Mike and I enjoyed the hot tub and the wood fired Sauna, and then we'd go in the cold lake afterwards. I think everyone thought we were a little crazy, but we had a ball. Mike, unfortunately, didn't get a Caribou. It seems like their migration patterns are changing and so we just weren't seeing many males. Noone is sure what's going on for them. They are really an incredible species and such a symbol of the North. And of course Newfoundland is the only place in the world where the Woodland Caribou species still exists in huntable numbers. Folks speculate that perhaps the Moose (which are not native to Newfoundland but have thrived) have put pressure on the Caribou. Others say the Coyote (which only appeared on the island a few years ago) has been decimating the young Caribou. Of course there's always the issue of Global Warming which is changing species configurations everywhere. On the few stalks we did get to do (I got to be part of one) it was an incredible experience to see them close up and get to watch this amazing species first hand in their native habitat. Mike got in a few more stalks and reports that they were equally incredible. It's always an incredible experience to watch animals going about their daily life up close and personal!!! Mike and Lyman worked incredibly hard and explored every corner of the Northern Peninsula. Although we didn't get a Caribou, just the experience of being in an animal's native habitat is incredible, and the cultural experience is equally incredible. The food up there was amazing and so are the people. The cooks (and all the staff at Tuckamore) are so wonderful and we'd sit with them and ask questions and hear their stories about life in the North which was such an incredible experience. We ate like kings and queens and got to try all sorts of Newfoundland specialties - of course lots of cod, scrunchins, Bakeapple (Cloudberry) in all forms, Newfoundland Steak (which is like a very tasty balogna), among others. We feel so lucky to have had the oppertunity to experience a week in this amazing corner of the world.