On Saturday, June 4 during the Springfest Feather & Folk Nature Festival in southwestern Newfoundland, IAT Chairperson Paul Wylezol accompanied a group of enthusiastic hikers on a scheduled hike of the Starlight Trail near Tompkins in the Little Codroy Valley.
The two-hour trek was preceded by the installation of a new IATNL sign marking the trail and its access to the Grand Codroy Way, an IATNL multi-day trail route being developed between Cape Ray and South Branch.
Saturday’s two-hour trek was on a warm and sunny day with a light breeze and crisp clear skies, providing good views of the Little Codroy Valley and Long Range Mountains.
The trail begins with a number of short boardwalks across damp lowlands, before entering a dry birch forest at the base of the hill.
The trail then winds its way up through tall birches between rest stops and lookoffs, before exiting the treeline at 850 ft (260 meters) elevation.
Once above the treeline, the trail scrambles over a barren hillside to a valley between the long grassy slope to the top of the 2,000 ft (610 meter) Long Range Mountains and a 1200 ft hillock overlooking Campbell’s Lake – the summit of the Starlight Trail.
From the summit hikers get a terrific view of the pond and mountains all the way to the Tolt, the pyramid-shaped peak to the west of Table Mountain.
It is also a good place for a rest or snack
before beginning the easier descent to the highway-side parking area.
All in all it was a great afternoon trek. And especially good to see so many kids out on the trail, as they are the walkers, hikers, backpackers, and trail builders of the future!
